Miami women's hoops team prepares for overseas trip

RedHawks leave Monday for 10-day trip to Turkey, Greece.

Kelsey Simon washes a car Saturday in Oxford, one of several fundraisers for the Miami University women's basketball team's upcoming trip to Greece and Turkey to compete against International Basketball Federation teams. Staff photo by Samantha Grier

Samantha Grier Kelsey Simon washes a car Saturday in Oxford, one of several fundraisers for the Miami University women's basketball team's upcoming trip to Greece and Turkey to compete against International Basketball Federation teams. Staff photo by Samantha Grier

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By Pete Conrad, Staff Writer Updated 12:46 PM Sunday, August 7, 2011

OXFORD — Players and coaches of the Miami University women’s basketball team are about to embark on a journey into a great unknown.

“It’s going to be like a different world,” sophomore guard Hannah Robertson said.

The RedHawks leave Monday on a 10-day trip to Turkey and Greece which will include three games against International Basketball Federation teams and a chance to learn things that can’t be taught on the Oxford campus.

“I think it will be a very positive experience for us,” senior forward Rachael Hencke said. “It’s unknown territory for everybody. Since everybody will experience it together it will give us a chance to reconnect, which will give us an advantage for the upcoming season.”

“I’ve tried to take our team every four years on a foreign trip,” Miami head coach Maria Fantanarosa said. “This will be my third since I’ve been at Miami.”

The previous two trips were to France and Switzerland, and to Germany, Austria and Italy.

“You can get an education of a lifetime visiting different countries and different cultures,” Fantanarosa said.

Getting ready

So much to do. First, Fantanarosa had to get permission to start making plans for the trip.

“I went to our administrators to ask if I could start to get bids (from companies which put together these kind of trips) and start to fund-raise for the tour,” she said.

The RedHawks have spent much of the summer raising funds by holding a golf tournament, asking donations from Miami alumni and boosters, doing likewise with the players’ relatives and friends, and on Saturday the RedHawks still were at it, holding a car wash in Oxford.

“It still hasn’t really hit me yet,” Hencke said. “I haven’t really been out of the country except for going to Canada when I was very young.”

“I’ve never been out of the country,” Robertson said. “It’ll definitely be a new experience for a lot of us.”

Those new experiences already have started.

“We had to get our passport for the first time,” Robertson said, “and we’ve had to exchange dollars for euros.”

Hencke said it also is important to be prepared physically.

The RedHawks, who made the NCAA tournament in 2008 but have struggled over the last two seasons with a combined 20-41 record, will play a slightly different game which features a 24-second clock (instead of 30) and a 3-point stripe that is a foot farther away from the basket.

“We have to make sure we’re in game shape and ready to play,” Hencke said. “We want to go there to represent Miami University and the United States really well.”

That goes for their time away from the court as well.

“I’ve been doing a little research, making sure I pack the right things,” Hencke said. “I’ve been told because of cultural differences you cannot always show your knees or your shoulders. You have to be prepared for any situation.”

First stop, Istanbul

“Now the trip is finally here,” Robertson said. “There has been a lot of anticipation that has made this really exciting.”

Monday will be a travel day. Following a layover in New York the team will take a flight that is scheduled to last 10 hours and 10 minutes to Istanbul, Turkey.

Following a tour of Old Istanbul on Tuesday, the team will rest, adjusting to the seven-hour time difference.

Wednesday will be a busy day, starting with visits to historic spots in Istanbul, such as the Grand Bazaar Market, and then the RedHawks will play their first game against the Galatasaray (Turkey’s largest sports club) junior team.

Thursday will bring more touring and another game, this one against the Galatasaray senior team.

The team will fly to Athens, Greece, on Friday, take an all-day cruise to three Greek islands on Saturday, and do more sightseeing on Sunday and the following Monday, including a tour of Ancient Athens with stops at the Acropolis, Olympic Stadium and the Temple of Zeus.

The RedHawks will play the Athens All-Stars the following Tuesday and fly home the next day.

A real education

Some experiences will be simple. Some will be profound.

“I’m a little nervous about the food because I can be pretty picky about that,” Robertson said.

“This will give us a chance to bond, experiencing something new,” she said, “and you’ll get a different take on it from everyone else on the team.”

Fans can keep track at MURedHawks.com by going to women’s basketball and clicking into the Turkey/Greece Trip Homepage, which will feature photos, videos and journal entries.

“Also, when we leave some place, usually 1-2 times a day,” Fantanarosa said, “we’ll sit in the back of the bus in kind of a circle and everybody will tell us something positive, something negative and something they’ve learned about the place we just visited. It helps us educate each other. It might be something as simple as, ‘I miss having ice in my drinks.’

“This is one thing which separates us from other programs,” she said. “Our education goes beyond the classroom. When we talk about providing the opportunity for growth as people to the student-athletes, we’re not just saying it. We do it.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.

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