Men’s Basketball Takes Europe by Storm

Team-building and camaraderie took center stage this summer when the Men’s Basketball team embarked on a two-week trip to Europe. With stops in France, Italy and Spain, the whirlwind tour allowed the team to build chemistry, participate in exhibition games against some of Europe’s top professional clubs and serve local communities.

“Our team understood from the start that this European tour would provide us with an early report card and checklist of specific areas we need to improve on as we move toward the 2013-14 campaign,” said Head Coach Steve Lavin. “Our team clearly enjoyed this globetrotting experience on all fronts. It was an ideal opportunity to see and learn about a different part of the world while gelling as a basketball team.”

Among the trip’s highlights: exhibition victories over France’s Rouen Basket, Italy’s Stella Azzurra and Spain’s CB Prat Joventut; tours of Holy Rome, St. Peter’s Basilica and The Louvre; and participation in a Midnight Run while visiting St. John’s Rome, Italy campus.

The Midnight Run proved to be a particularly rewarding experience, as the Johnnies made sandwiches and distributed them to those in need.

“Back home in New York, we often go to the Bread and Life soup kitchen in Brooklyn,” said Chris Obekpa ’16C. “I love giving back to the community like that, any way that I can….I feel blessed when I see them smile.”

Read more at RedStormSports.com