Team Set To Compete Overseas

PROVO, Utah (May 11, 2010) BYU’s women’s basketball will embark on a four-game 10-day European Tour through Italy and Switzerland May 13-24.

This will be the fourth foreign tour by the women’s basketball team and the second time the team has competed in Italy and Switzerland. In the summer of 2000, that year’s team played games in Italy, Spain, Croatia and Switzerland.

The 2010 tour begins with a contest on May 15 vs. Bellinzona, in Bellinzona, Switzerland followed by two games in Pordenone, Italy, where they will play in a tournament on May 18 and 19. Their Tuesday game is against Sporting Club Udine. On Wednesday they will play the winner of a game between the Slovenian Select Team and Reyer Venezia, one of the best teams in Italy. The trip will conclude with a game on May 22 in Rome against Pomezia.

“We’re very excited about making this trip to play against some really good competition,” said head coach Jeff Judkins. “The players will not only get to see some of the sites they’ve heard and read about, but it will give us an opportunity to practice together which should help us for next year.”

All members of the 2009-10 team that compiled a 23-10 record, finished second in the MWC, and recorded three wins in the 2010 WNIT will be eligible to play.

Under NCAA rules, teams are allowed a foreign tour once every four years along with 10 additional practice days.

The Cougars’ last trip abroad came in the spring of 2005 when the team traveled and played games in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The trip marks the seventh visit by a BYU athletic team to Switzerland and fourth visit to Italy.