Panthers excited for Ireland trip

The Panthers are used to traveling to New York City or Washington, D.C., but this summer they… The Panthers are used to traveling to New York City or Washington, D.C., but this summer they will go a little further.

The Pitt men’s basketball team will travel to Ireland for a competition trip at the end of the month. It will be several Panthers’ first trip overseas.

J.J. Richardson and Gilbert Brown will be introduced to Europe during the team’s 12-day competition trip July 29 through Aug. 9.

“I’m extremely excited, because I haven’t been much further than, like, Ohio and Texas, so going overseas with my teammates and getting the chance to play basketball on top of that, it’s the best thing ever,” Richardson said.

Brown echoed Richardson’s enthusiasm.

“I’m definitely excited,” he said. “I just can’t wait to get over there and get the whole experience.”

The Panthers will play six games during the trip against the South Conference All-Stars, Dart Killester club team, Melbourne Tigers, the English National Team and two games against the Irish National Team.

The NCAA allows schools to take foreign competition trips every four years, and the Panthers are allowed 10 practices prior to departure.

Richardson said the extra practice gives the Panthers an edge as fall approaches.

“Not many teams get the chance to have an organized practice during the summertime,” he said. “This is helping us get closer. Last year, we were all still getting used to each other because we were young. This year, with us in the summer league and going over to Ireland, we’re going to be real good.”

Brown added that the practices are particularly helpful in incorporating the new players into the program.

Freshmen J.J. Moore and Cameron Wright enrolled at Pitt for the summer and are participating in the Pittsburgh Pro-Am League with current and local athletes from Pitt, Robert Morris and Duquesne, as well as Division II and Division III schools.

Brown said that the league, as well as the 10 summer practices, benefits the new players.

“[It gets] our freshmen used to our system and really gives a feel for how we play,” Brown said. “I think it’s huge. Just being able to see what they’re capable of doing and what we’re good at gives us an advantage.”

Pitt’s third incoming recruit, Isaiah Epps, who won’t be eligible until August, is unable to participate in the league or the trip.

Not only will the foreign tour help the Panthers bond with the new players, but Brown said that the team will learn how it is going to “orchestrate the offense” without Jermaine Dixon, who graduated last year.

Brown said the team would also have to work to perform from a defensive standpoint without Dixon, the defensive leader for the Panthers last season.

Overall, Richardson said the trip will not only help the Panthers play together on the court, but it will also have a positive effect for the team off the court.

“It will help us bond,” Richardson said. “We’re already a close team now. We hang out after practice and stuff like that. It will help us come together more, which will help us exceed further.”

The experience will give Pitt an advantage once the season begins, Brown said, because the players will know what to expect from one another in real-game situations.

“By the time fall comes around, we’ll already be gelling as a team and already have high expectations for what we’re going to do on the court,” he said.

The Panthers will also get the chance to experience Ireland outside a basketball arena, including two tour days in Dublin and hotel stays in three different cities: Dublin, Cork and Belfast.

On Aug. 2, Dan Rooney, Pittsburgh Steelers owner and U.S. ambassador to Ireland, invited the team for a reception.

The Panthers will meet with PeacePlayers International, an organization that promotes peace between Protestant and Catholic children in Ireland using the game of basketball, and will also visit the Children’s Hospital branch of the Beacon Hospital, which is managed by UPMC.