Ball State University Athletics
Men's Hoops To Take Preseason Foreign Tour To Canada
April 11, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's basketball program, under the guidance of fifth-year head coach Billy Taylor, will partake in a foreign tour this summer as the Cardinals will travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, August 8-16 in conjunction with Basketball Travelers, Inc.
"We are very excited about the opportunity for our team to take a summer foreign tour," Taylor said. "Our team wants to build on the positive progress of our program from last season. A foreign trip gives us 10 NCAA allowed practice days and a high-level of foreign competition which will have a major impact on the development of our team both on and off the court."
On the trip, the Cardinals are guaranteed 3-4 games and are allowed 10 additional practices per NCAA rules. Ball State will also have its full allotment of student-athletes eligible for the trip as all incoming freshmen and players who sat out last season are allowed to partake in the trip. Opponents for the games in Vancouver have not been finalized. Per NCAA rules, a team can take part in a foreign trip once every four years.
"This trip will be an amazing and memorable experience for our student-athletes," Taylor said. "We will be able to travel to a completely different part of our continent and experience the culture Vancouver offers."
Ball State is coming off one of its top seasons in recent history as it posted a 19-13 record, with its 19 wins ranking 11th most all-time in program history. The Cardinals return nine letterwinners from last season's team, including their top five scorers led by First Team All-Mid-American Conference selection, senior forward Jarrod Jones (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City).
Jones led the team in scoring at 14.7 points per game and in rebounding at 8.4 caroms per contest as a junior. Junior guard Jauwan Scaife (Muncie, Ind./Muncie Central) chipped in 11.2 points per game last year, while senior guard Randy Davis (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth) added 9.8 points per game and a team-high 160 assists.
"Going on the trip to Canada will be a great experience for our team and something we are all looking forward to," Davis said. "Having the opportunity to bring the team together for extra practices and games in August will be huge for our team's development in the offseason. This will be the first time we will have our entire team together and it will be a chance to see where we are at as a team earlier than normal."
Ball State will also benefit from additional playing time on the tour for last year's five-member freshmen class in Jesse Berry (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson), Chris Bond (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy), Tyrae Robinson (Gary, Ind./Bowman Academy), Matt Kamieniecki (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) and Jay Copeland (Suffolk, Va./King's Fork). Redshirt sophomore transfer Tyler Koch (Winchester, Ind./Wright State) will also be eligible for the foreign tour after sitting out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer rules.
Ball State men's basketball last took part in a foreign tour in 1989. The Cardinals traveled to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in preparation for the 1989-90 season in which they posted a 26-7 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Additionally, the Cardinals will also take part in a multi-team tournament during the 2012-13 season as part of the agreement with Basketball Travelers, Inc.
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