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June 20, 2002
OXFORD, Ohio-After two years of planning and intense fund-raising, a dream is about to become a reality for Miami University's women's basketball program, which departs June 23 for a 10 day European tour that will carry the RedHawks to Switzerland, Germany and France.
"We're very excited about what this trip is going to do for the student-athletes involved and the program as a whole," head coach Maria Fantanarosa said. "The trip will be invaluable to the student-athletes from an educational and cultural standpoint and also will provide a tremendous opportunity for team bonding."
Coordinated through Basketball Travelers, a company from Seattle that has worked with numerous intercollegiate programs and international teams on such tours, the trip begins in Zurich, Switzerland. In between sightseeing tours and other opportunities to take in the cultures of various locales in the three countries, the RedHawks play four exhibitions against Swiss, Italian and German teams.
According to Fantanarosa, the team, which returns all of its scholarship letterwinners from a year ago, has been practicing for the past week in preparation for the trip. All of the returning scholarship players are making the trip.
"We're not looking at the trip from a competition standpoint as much as we're looking forward to being able to play together in the summer under more relaxed conditions," Fantanarosa said. "We really don't know what to expect from the teams we will play over there, but it has been a lot of fun having the team together and being able to try some different things."
Other highlights of the tour include stays in Montreaux, Switzerland; Freiburg, Germany; Strasbourg, France; and Paris. Along the way, the team will enjoy sightseeing tours of several important European cities, including Zurich and Paris, while experiencing numerous museums, castles and other points of interest. The RedHawks returns home from Paris on July 3.
Miami, which is entering its fifth season under Fantanarosa, has increased its win total in each of the past three seasons, culminating in back-to-back Mid-American Conference Semifinal appearances. Last season, the RedHawks posted a 19-11 record, while junior point guard Heather Cusick (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) was the first Miami player since 1983 to be named MAC Player of the Year.
MIAMI WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ITINERARY
June 23-July 3, 2002
June 23
Depart via Cincinnati Airport
June 24
Arrive Zurich, Switzerland
Tour of Zurich
June 25
Sightseeing in Zurich
Bus to Montreaux, Switzerland
Exhibition vs. Swiss All-Stars in Vetroz, Switzerland
June 26
Bus to Chateau De Chillon Castle on the shores of Lake Geneva
Exhibition vs. Swiss all Stars in Vetroz, Switzerland
June 27
Bus to Lausanne, Switzerland
Tour of Olympic Museum
Exhibition vs. Como Select
June 28
Bus to Freiburg, Germany
June 29
Exhibition vs. Freiburg BBC
June 30
Bus to Strasbourg, France
Tour of Strasbourg
July 1
Bus to Paris, France
Tour of Paris
July 2
More touring of Paris
July 3
Depart via Charles De Gaulle Airport in Paris
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