Cincinnati is headed overseas this summer, with the Bearcats set for the Baha Mar Hoops Summer League in Nassau, Bahamas, in early August.
The trip gives Jerrod Calhoun his first chance to use one of the NCAA’s foreign-tour windows with the program. Under the current rules, teams can take one foreign trip every summer, after previously being limited to one every four years until 2024. The NCAA also now allows those trips to last as long as 10 days, include four exhibition games, and feature 10 extra practices before departure.
Cincinnati’s itinerary is shorter than the maximum. The Bearcats are scheduled to be in Nassau for six days and play two exhibition games. They arrive on August 1, face the University of Calgary on August 2 at 2:00, then meet the University of Victoria on August 4 at 2:30 before leaving Nassau on August 6.
For Calhoun, the benefit goes beyond the games themselves. The foreign tour gives him room for up to 10 additional practices as he heads into his first season, and it also gives a roster with one returning player more time to build chemistry and relationships before the year begins.
The Baha Mar Hoops Summer League will feature several other Power 4 teams, including Texas A&M, Louisville, South Carolina, and Arkansas. None of those programs are slated to play each other, since the event also includes a number of foreign teams. Among the other participants are the Bahamas National Team, Carleton University, Dalhousie University, and Toros del Valle.
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