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After enduring a season from hell, Texas coach Shaka Smart has decided to go ahead and start the Longhorns’ next campaign in a place some have likened to that fiery nether region.
OK, so Australia may not actually be Beelzebub’s diabolical lair, but Smart does hope the trip can light some sort of fire under his team following a down year.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, the Longhorns will spend 11 days Down Under, playing four exhibition games against local teams in Cairns, Melbourne and Sydney.
“It’s a real chance to build stronger bonds on your team, more understanding with each other about our plan, our process,” Smart told the Statesman.
The trip will allow Texas’ four incoming freshmen – guards Matt Coleman and Jase Ferbes, and forwards Jericho Sims and Royce Hamm – to get an in-game taste of Smart’s system three months before the regular season begins.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Smart said. “You play some exhibition games. You get a decent amount of experience for guys that just need minutes, like James Banks or some of the other freshmen.”
The trip was Smart’s brainchild, who felt this summer would be the perfect opportunity for a team bonding trip to a faraway land.
By NCAA mandate, teams are allowed to take one foreign tour every four years and may not compete against other American teams other than those composed of U.S. armed forces personnel stationed at bases in foreign countries.
nmoyle@express-news.net
Twitter: @NRMoyle
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