WASHINGTON, D.C., June 26, 2019 – First-year head coach Kenneth Blakeney and the Howard University men's basketball team will head to Europe for a summer tour in Spain this August. The tour will run Aug. 9-18 in Barcelona and Valencia, featuring team bonding activities throughout the trip and three competitive contests.
 
"I love that our student-athletes have this chance to represent Howard University on a global stage in Spain," Blakeney said. "This trip will be a great educational, cultural, team and basketball experience that our guys will remember for the rest of their lives."
 
The tour will begin in Barcelona, home of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games, where the world witnessed arguably one of the greatest men's basketball teams assembled, the U.S. Dream Team.
 
During the team's visit in Barcelona, they will take a tour of the famous Camp Nou Stadium, home of FC Barcelona, followed by a bike tour through the city and cruise on the Mediterranean Sea. Howard will wrap up its stay with a pair of games and a tour of the Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, built in 1882.
 
"This trip will give us an opportunity to bond [as a team]," Blakeney said. "We'll also get to see how we compete before we start practice in the fall."
 
Midway through the tour, Blakeney's squad will journey to Valencia, where the city is known for its arts and sciences, with futuristic structures including a planetarium, an oceanarium and an interactive museum.
 
In Valencia, the Bison will play its final contest while building chemistry through activities like a team scavenger hunt.
 
"It's such a unique experience that will provide great momentum towards the improvement of our program," Blakeney said. "No matter how much you train or practice, you really don't know about a team until you see it in game competition."
 
Through the NCAA by-laws, Howard may begin training for Spain as early as Tuesday, July 30.
 
All questions concerning access to the tour should be directed to associate head coach Keith Courteyer at keith.coutreyer@howard.edu.