Greece Trip Provides Memories for Women’s Basketball Team Members
8/16/2023 2:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Kent State women's basketball team returned to the M.A.C. Center on Monday evening from a memorable 10-day cultural experience in Greece.
The Golden Flashes had a travel party of more than 50 people, including University administrators, athletics department administrators, support staff, family members and donors, for the second foreign tour in program history.
"This was truly a unique trip that our student-athletes were able to experience," head coach Todd Starkey said. "It's uncommon for so many administrators to join a team on tours like this and it was wonderful that President Diacon, Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Randale Richmond and Deputy Athletics Director Suzette McQueen were able to join us. It was great for our players to see that support and added to the whole experience."
In addition to winning both exhibition games against local squads, the Flashes made the most of the journey with a busy itinerary that included visits to the Acropolis Museum and Panathenaic Stadium, site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. The team attended a friendly game between the men's national teams from Greece and Italy and bonded with a group of teenagers from a local club team during a basketball clinic.
Other cultural experiences included a Greek cooking class and stops at Hydra, Poros and Aegina during an all-day island-hopping adventure.
"This was such a great experience for our players, but I think they'll realize how much they appreciate the experience and all of the things they gained from this trip even more as they look back at this over the next few years," Starkey said. "Sooz and the J5 staff really did a great job making this as full of an experience as possible."
Here are a few of the activities the Golden Flashes enjoyed most throughout the trip. Be sure to follow Kent State Women's Basketball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for a more detailed look at the trip.
"I'm very grateful for this opportunity to travel to Greece. This is something that a lot of people never get to experience. It's hard to pick a favorite thing that we did. I loved the Olympic Stadium, and everything was crazy beautiful and nice."
"This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. Experiencing a new culture as a team helped us grow together. We've done some really cool things. My favorite part was the island-hopping day. Each of the three islands had something different that it's known for. It was cool to explore and also be able to spend time with my teammates on the boat."
"I liked being immersed in a new culture and trying new foods. Visiting the Acropolis Museum and learning about the history of that area was really interesting. It was crazy to see some of those things in person and know they have been there more than a thousand years."
"This trip was an amazing experience, especially with my family along for the ride. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to visit another country and play."
