Wooster Gains Educational, Game Experiences During Italy Tour

The Scots paused for a photo-op inside the Colosseum. From left-to-right are Kaleb Reed, Julian Mangano, Marcus Mitchell, Bryan Wickliffe, Dustin Geitgey, Marty Bidwell, Ian Franks, Robert Melick, Evan Will, Craig Elam, and Brandon Johnson.

The end of summer vacation for 11 members of The College of Wooster men’s basketball team meant riding a gondola in Venice, viewing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, walking through the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican, and touring the Colosseum in Rome, as the Fighting Scots recently returned from an 11-day journey (Aug. 10-21) through Italy where they also took advantage of an opportunity to play four exhibition games.

“The trip provided a tremendous experience for our team,” commented 22nd-year Wooster head coach Steve Moore. “The historic sights that we visited and the exposure to the Italian culture made a huge impact on our players.”

It was the program’s third such overseas trip, as previous teams visited Germany and Austria (2004) and England and Scotland (2000). The NCAA permits such international tours every three years.

The group, which totaled 39 people in all spanning coaches, players, and their family members to alums and fans of the program, first touched down in northern Italy (Milan) and was immediately bussed to the tranquil town of Como, nestled among the pre-Alps near the Switzerland border. Highlighting the stay was a boat cruise across part of Lake Como, the deepest lake in all of Europe.

Then, the tour made its way to Mestre, just outside Venice, first stopping in Verona to take in the Arena, one of the world’s largest outdoor amphitheatres still in use, and Juliet’s balcony and statue. Verona was the setting for Romeo and Juliet. In Venice, the visit included St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal.

A day of bus travel to the Tuscany region followed, broken up by a stop in Pisa. The time in Tuscany consisted of tours of Florence, with the highlight of the “capital of the Renaissance” being Michelangelo’s David, and a family-owned winery, as well as the hill towns of Siena and San Gimignano.

The trip’s final two full days were spent exploring Italy’s capital city. Among the many feature sites were the Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Square, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and of course, the Colosseum, all capped by a night tour of Rome.

Between all the sightseeing, the Scots did get some games in on the hardwood. First, Wooster easily dispatched Amici del Campetto Castellanza 85-47 on Aug. 12, led by the play of senior Marty Bidwell (Middletown, Ohio / Bishop Fenwick) and sophomore Ian Franks (Greenwich, Ohio / South Central). Bidwell finished with 20 points and Franks’ hot hand from outside resulted in an 18-point night. The very next day, Bidwell scored 18 points, as did junior Dustin Geitgey (West Salem, Ohio / Northwestern), during a 94-54 rout of the Senzione Martellago Giants.

The third game, which took place in Florence Aug. 17, appeared to be more of the same, as Wooster jumped out to an early double-digit lead. But, Selezione Lombardia steadily chipped away, took a lead early in the third quarter, and hung on for an 81-77 victory during a back-and-forth second half. Playing well in the setback was sophomore Bryan Wickliffe (Columbus, Ohio / St. Charles Prep), as the 6-5 forward notched his second double-double of the trip with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

The Scots wrapped up the playing portion of their trip the subsequent night by taking on KK Mornar Bar, a team from Montenegro. While Wooster ultimately lost 70-66, it may have been its best performance. KK Mornar Bar had defeated NCAA Div. I Monmouth University 63-62 the previous evening, but the Scots led after each of the first two 10-minute quarters and 61-58 late before succumbing. Geitgey provided much of the offense with 20 points.

“It was disappointing that the first two contests were against weaker competition than we expected,” Moore said. “However, the final two games … both provided very fine experiences. It was especially good I think to play against the team from (Montenegro).”

Geitgey was the leading scorer over the four games, averaging 15.0 points while connecting on 14-of-21 3-pointers. Bidwell contributed 13.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game and was the team’s assist leader, including seven against Selezione Lombardia. Wickliffe averaged a double-double, registering 12.0 points and 12.8 rebounds. Franks made 8-of-19 from 3-point range as part of an 11.8 scoring average.

Also on the Italy tour were 2008 alum Evan Will (Dublin, Ohio / Dublin Coffman), senior Brandon Johnson (Columbus, Ohio / Groveport Madison), juniors Craig Elam (Dayton, Ohio / Carroll), Julian Mangano (Painesville, Ohio / Thomas W. Harvey), and Robert Melick (Gambier, Ohio / Mt. Vernon), and sophomores Marcus Mitchell (Garfield Hts, Ohio / Garfield Heights) and Kaleb Reed (Burbank, Ohio / Northwestern).

Wooster, the winningest NCAA team (all divisions) of the 2000s with a 232-38 record (.859), will get the 2008-09 season underway Nov. 21-22 when it welcomes Messiah College, Randolph-Macon College, and Washington & Jefferson College to the annual Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Tournament.