JULY 30
I’m writing this on our flight from Athens to Zurich, the first leg of our return home.
As I look toward the back of the plane, virtually every member of our team is sound asleep — a sign of a group that is both exhausted and fulfilled from an absolutely phenomenal eight-day trip to Greece.
If you’ve followed our journey on our various social media platforms, you’ll know that our guides from Basketball Travelers did an amazing job of structuring an itinerary that combined equal parts history, culture, competition and cuisine, surrounded by some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Greece has always been on my travel “bucket list,” and I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change one aspect of our itinerary or experience. This is the fourth time that I’ve taken a team on a tour with Basketball Travelers — in my opinion, the best in the business for international team travel. I have known BTI founder Nels Hawkinson for over 30 years, and this time we had the good fortune that our tour guides were Nels’ daughter Carlyn, her husband Joel and daughter Lena. After eight days together, they feel like a part of our family.
I am a passionate proponent of these foreign tours that the NCAA permits every four years as an essential part of a student-athlete’s education. In my opinion, awareness, appreciation, and respect for global history, culture, and traditions is vital to becoming a well-educated person.
From a basketball perspective, this trip has been invaluable. It has exposed our players to international basketball and given them confidence to know they can play professionally as well as navigate and thrive in a foreign country. The additional practices in advance of the trip along with the competition against European club teams will help prepare our team for the upcoming season. The most important benefit, however, has been the enhanced communication and cohesiveness that developed because we shared such an intense and immersive experience.
This year’s team was an absolute joy to be around for the entirety of our trip. They were engaged during all of our tours, took advantage of their free time to explore at each stop on our journey, and were incredibly respectful and responsible. I could not be prouder of our team, and I am so excited to begin the journey of the 2025-26 season when we return to campus in the fall!
There are so many individuals to thank for this truly transformative experience: our student managers Alex Sepe and Aiden Konold and Director of Basketball Operations Colin Richey who did an incredible job managing the logistical details for this trip; Director of Athletics Kit Hughes for his enthusiastic support of this trip; and Deputy Director of Athletics Nick Smith, who traveled with our team and provided invaluable assistance and insight every step of the way.
Finally, everyone in our program is extremely grateful for the incredibly generous support of our three lead donors and proud Holy Cross alums who funded this transformative experience for our team. They have shown unwavering commitment to Holy Cross and our men’s basketball team, embodying the Jesuit mantra of “men and women for others.”
We are touching down now in Zurich. One more leg of the trip before we’re back in Worcester.
As they say in Greece, Kherete (Goodbye)!
Dave Paulsen, Head Coach
