Ball State University Athletics
Men's Hoops Prepares For Foreign Tour In August
July 25, 2011 | Men's Basketball
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's basketball team has begun preparations for its foreign trip to Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, August 8-16. The Cardinals are granted 10 additional practices surrounding the trip and have used three dates in July while holding seven dates for the beginning of August. Per NCAA rules, institutions are allowed to take a foreign trip once every four years.
The Cardinals will play four games against outside competition during their nine-day excursion to British Columbia. Ball State will open the four-game slate Wednesday, August 10 as it travels to Quest University to take on the Kermodes. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in the coastal mountain community of Squamish, British Columbia, which is equidistance from Vancouver and Whistler.
Ball State will play its second game of the trip in Vancouver as it faces off against the Trinity Western University Club team Friday, August 12 at 7 p.m. The two teams will battle at the Richmond Olympic Oval which was built for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. The Olympic Oval was home to long track speed skating in the Winter Games.
The Cardinals will depart Vancouver Saturday, August 13 via ferry and travels to the capital of British Columbia, Victoria, for three days. Ball State will play its third game of the trip that night as it takes on the Victoria Select Club team at St. Michaels University School at 6 p.m.
The Cardinals wrap up the four-game slate Sunday afternoon when it battles Vancouver Island University at 2 p.m. Ball State will face the VIU Mariners in Nanaimo, British Columbia, a city of 85,000 residents located on the coast of the Salish Sea. The Cardinals are slated to return to Muncie Tuesday, August 16.
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.
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.
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