Charlottesville, Virginia The Virginia men’s basketball team will play four exhibition games during their trip to Italy from 10-20 August. The tour will be two games against European dominant KK Mega Mozzart from Belgrade, Serbia.
The Cavaliers play in Rome (August 13), Florence (August 15) and Rapallo (August 18-19). UVA will also visit Portofino during the 10 day tour.
UVA reports eight letter winners from last season’s team that finished with a 21-14 record and progressed to the NIT quarter-finals. The list of Cavaliers for the Italy trip includes veterans Kehei Clark, Jayden Gardner, Reese Beckman, Arman Franklin, Francisco Cavaro, Caden Cedric, Tyne Murray, Chase Coleman, Ben Vander Blass and newcomers Leon Bond III, Ryan Dunn, Isaac McNeely and Isaac Traudt.
“We are very excited to bring our team to Italy,” said Tony Bennett, men’s basketball coach, Dean and Markel Families. “We are adding four new students and a shift of graduates to a pool of experts that showed improvements last season. Additional practice and quality competition during this round allow us to improve and prepare for the 2022-23 season. We look forward to forging bonds and growing as a team in a beautiful country. “
This is Virginia’s fifth tour of Europe since 1996. UVA scored a 5-0 in Spain in 2016 and scored 2-3 on a trip to Holland, Belgium and France in 2012. UVA went 3-3 on tour. Belgium and France in 1996 and 5-1 on a visit to Germany, Belgium and France in 2000.
