WVU players looking to build chemistry on and off the court in Italy
West Virginia men's basketball hits the road for the first time as a unit this week when they head to Italy for a three-game summer trip.
The Mountaineers are still trying to find cohesion with a group that features about a dozen new faces and they are hoping to find that when they travel across the globe to Italy.
"Getting to spend those times together, it kind of builds that chemistry a little bit. You’re only in college once and you’re traveling the world, which is pretty awesome especially when you have 13 teammates with you," Tucker DeVries said.
DeVries, along with his dad, head coach Darian DeVries, have been on trips like this before. They both were on a trip with multiple new faces last summer at Drake. Tucker said the best part of the trip will be playing a different opponent than themselves, something DeVries says will help his teammates see where they currently stand.
"It’s the first time you’re playing against somebody not us, it’s nice to kind of see where you’re at. It’s not going to be perfect, I’ll tell you right now, but it certainly will help us make strides and see where we have to improve on when we get back to school in the fall," DeVries said. "I’m really looking forward to seeing where we’re at. I think everybody is excited for the trip and get to really build the chemistry even more with this trip."
Point guard Javon Small, like DeVries, is one of the additions to this year's roster for the Mountaineers. Small also has been on a foreign trip and he says the goal is to get three wins but also bond with his new teammates.
"The biggest thing I want to take away from this trip though is playing against some new faces, seeing how we can compete against them. Obviously we’ll be down there having a good time and all but the main objective is to go 3-0," Small said.
"I could say that but I feel like our chemistry is pretty good. It does help with team building and team bonding and everything but we do all that here. So, once we go to Italy, it will be more fun that’s about it."
The first game for WVU is on Aug. 3 against BC Zalgiris Kaunas-2 in Genoa, Italy, set to begin at 12:30 p.m. EST. The second is on Aug. 6 against Orange1 Bassano and it will take place in Florence, Italy, at noon EST. The third and final game is set for Aug. 8 against Stella#EBK it will be played in Rome, Italy, at noon.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
