PITTSBOURG – The University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball program will go on an overseas tour to Italy Aug. 6-16, school officials announced Wednesday morning. The 10-day trip will include stops in Rome, Florence, Vicenza, Trieste and Venice as well as two matches against international competition.
“I’m super excited to take this team to Italy,” the head coach said. Spear White. “It will be an incredible experience for our team. I’m talking about a lot of ‘remember when’ moments – this journey is sure to be high on the list for our players and staff as they experience adventures never before imagined. »
The Panthers will depart Pittsburgh on Saturday August 6 and take an overnight flight to Rome where they will spend two days with guided tours of St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. Pitt will play his first celebrity of the trip on Monday August 8 in Rome before heading back to Florence.
The crew and travel team will travel to Florence via high-speed train on Tuesday August 9 where they will take part in guided tours of the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and San Lorenzo Leather Market. They will then have free time in the city on Wednesday August 10 to explore and learn about Italian culture.
Pitt will travel to Vicenza on Thursday August 11 for his second game of the trip. The following day the team will travel to Trieste for two days to experience guided city tours as well as a day trip to a beach in Portoroz, Slovenia and a visit to Piran, Slovenia.
The last two days of the trip (August 14-15) will be spent in Venice where the group will enjoy guided tours of the Doge’s Palace, Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square. Everyone will have the opportunity to experience a gondola ride down the Grand Canal while enjoying a final meal in Italy before returning to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, August 16.
“This trip will also give us the opportunity to develop and grow as a team with 10 team training sessions and two matches against international competition,” said White. “It’s a great opportunity to see what our team will look like much sooner. The time spent together is sure to translate into a better basketball team on the court this season and we are excited to see that come to fruition. The most rewarding part might be the opportunity to represent this amazing university around the world. »
Allowed to embark on an overseas tour every four years by the NCAA, the Panthers made their last overseas trip in 2017 when they traveled to Italy and played three games against international competition.
Panthers return three starters and seven of their top eight scorers from a season ago, including senior guard Dayshanette Harris who led the Panthers in averaging 9.6 ppg, 2.9 apg, and 2.9 rpg while shooting a team-best 75.6 percent from the free throw line.
senior companion amber brown has been one of the most consistent performers for the Panthers throughout her career as she started all 80 games averaging 8.7 ppg and 6.7 rpg in her impressive three seasons. Brown had a strong junior campaign as she posted career-high 9.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 1.9 apg while shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and adding 29 steals. Roi Liatu returns for her junior campaign after proving to be a dependable point guard for the Panthers a season ago when she averaged a career-high 7.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg. King also posted a pair of monster games in the Virgin Islands a season ago, posting back-to-back double-doubles with 10 points and 19 rebounds and 23 points and 19 rebounds, respectively.
Pitt will welcome five newcomers for the 2022-23 campaign as their recruiting class is made up of three freshmen and two transfers.
The Panthers added a point guard Channise Lewis of Maryland and Gaby Hutcherson from Ohio State in the transfer portal this offseason to bring experience and leadership to the team. Lewis struggled with injuries for most of her five-year career at Maryland as she played in 77 career games while earning 45 starts at point guard for the Terrapins. She posted career averages of 25.4 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 39% from the floor and 36% from behind the arc. His career assist-to-turnover ratio is 2.7, which ranks among the best in the nation among returning players for the 2022-23 season. A former five-star recruit and No. 12 prospect in the 2020 signing class, Hutcherson saw limited minutes in 36 games for the Buckeyes while averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds and shooting 35.2% behind the arch. She helped Ohio State qualify for the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Panthers’ three freshmen this season will bring much-needed shooting and goal-scoring abilities to Pitt’s roster. local star Aislin Malcom stays close to home after wrapping up one of the best high school careers of a WPIAL player as she helped lead Chartiers Valley to a 110-7 overall record, including a 64-game winning streak Pennsylvania state record, and won three WPIAL titles and a state championship. She earned All-State honors three times while finishing her career as her school’s all-time leading scorer (1,770 points) and all-time leading three-pointer (280).
L’ancien WVU s’engage Marley Washenitz et Avery « As » Strickland will look to make an immediate impact for the Panthers. Washenitz is a two-time West Virginia Player of the Year and a four-time All-State selection who wrapped up an impressive career with 2,000 points, 781 rebounds, 512 steals and 464 assists. She led her team to a state title and finished her senior season averaging a career-high 29.2 points per game. Strickland is a three-sport (basketball, softball, track and field) star who led her team to a 28-9 record and a state title game appearance during her senior season as she averaged 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5. Fly.
Pitt’s full non-conference schedule and details on when season tickets go on sale will be announced in the coming weeks.
