Big Ten Basketball Foreign Tour Schedule Set

The conference office announced the schedule for the 2006 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Foreign Tour team today, as Michigan head coach Tommy Amaker will lead his squad against four teams in Australia from Aug. 8-18. Center John Williams is the Minnesota representative.

After a three-day training session on the campus of the University of Michigan, the Big Ten Foreign Tour team will depart on Tuesday, Aug. 8, and arrive in Sydney, Australia, the next day. After two days of rest and sightseeing, the squad will open competition against the West Sydney Razorbacks Basketball Club on Saturday, Aug. 12. The following day, the Big Ten contingent will face the Sydney Kings Basketball Club. The Tour squad will then travel to Brisbane, Australia, where it will resume competition against the Brisbane Bullets on Tuesday, Aug. 15, and then wrap up the Tour taking on the South District Spartans on Wednesday, Aug. 16. The Big Ten Foreign Tour team will return to the United States on Friday, Aug. 18.

The Foreign Tour Team includes student-athletes from 10 of the 11 league schools, including Illinois’ Marcus Arnold, Indiana’s Roderick Wilmont, Iowa’s Seth Gorney, Michigan’s Lester Abram and Jerret Smith, Michigan State’s Travis Walton, Minnesota’s Jonathan Williams, Northwestern’s Tim Doyle, Ohio State’s Ron Lewis, Penn State’s Michael Walker and Purdue’s Gordon Watt.

The conference has sent teams overseas in 13 of the last 15 years, compiling an overall record of 51-34 (.600) and a mark of 15-6 (.714) during the last four trips in 2001, 2002, 2004 and 2005.