STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford men's basketball program will visit Italy, Germany and Switzerland this August over a 10-day exhibition tour of Europe.
The Cardinal will visit the cities of Rome, Florence, Como and Milan in Italy, travel to Munich, Germany, and visit Lugano, Switzerland, from August 18-28 as part of an educational and cultural experience that includes four exhibition games against elite competition in the region.
Stanford will face some of Europe's top teams during its exhibition tour, beginning with Stella Azzurra in Rome (Aug. 21). Three days later, the Cardinal will face LCC International University, a top team from Lithuania, in the Italian city of Costa Masnaga. The third game of the exhibition tour will take place in Lugano, Switzerland, against one of the nation's storied programs in San Basket Massagno on Aug. 25. From there, the Cardinal will head to Munich, Germany, and complete its exhibition slate against Bundesliga and EuroLeague power FC Bayern Munich.
Along the way, head coach Jerod Haase's program will take in the rich history of the region, exploring the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Vatican, Sistine Chapel, and the Accademia Gallery among other historic landmarks during its educational adventure.
The visit to Germany also includes a trip to junior Oscar da Silva's hometown of Munich. The exhibition contest will be an opportunity for da Silva to compete and represent Stanford in his home country.
da Silva is one of two players on the Cardinal roster from Europe. Sophomore Lukas Kisunas is from Vilnius, Lithuania.
The European exhibition tour will mark the debut of freshmen Tyrell Terry, Spencer Jones, James Keefe and Neal Begovich. Stanford returns 11 members from last year's team overall, including starters Daejon Davis, Oscar da Silva and Bryce Wills.
The NCAA allows basketball programs to make an international trip once every four years. In August of 2015, the program visited Rome, Florence, Venice, Pesaro, and Como as part of a 17-day foreign trip. Stanford opened its 2015 exhibition tour against Stella Azzurra as well.