UMD Men’s Basketball Sets Sail for Spain Summer Tour

A mix of work and play. The team will spend days soaking in the culture and some rays, making stops in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.

DULUTH, Minn.- Coming off an extraordinary, history making postseason run, the Bulldogs men’s basketball team has returned some old faces, added some new ones and are shaping up for another great season. But first, the team will get their first taste together on the hardwood, overseas as the Bulldogs set sail for their Summer Tour.

UMD is set to head to Spain next week. The trip has been four years in the making, since the Bulldogs last traveled to Costa Rica in 2019.

UMD will hold practices and play four games over a ten day span, all while making memories that will last a lifetime.

The good teams have talent, but the great teams have chemistry and that’s exactly what head coach Justin Wieck wants to ensure his team builds before tipping off this upcoming season.

“We’re together a lot but every year you have some new faces, you have new players. We have three guys that red shirted last year that’ll play this year, four new freshman as well, so we’re trying to get those guys some minutes, get them on the floor, kind of see what college basketball is like a little bit and just kind of get engrained into our culture, into how we practice, into how we play, should help us start from a higher point next fall,” says Wieck, “So, just a lot of time for our guys to really enjoy a different culture and really get a chance to do something they might not get to do the rest of their life. To me it’s a mixture of trying to really focus on basketball these next ten days when we’re practicing and then really enjoy that experience once you’re there.”

A mix of work and play. The team will spend days soaking in the culture and some rays, making stops in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. The Bulldogs have some activities planned to look forward to during their time.

“For me personally, the beach, catch some rays, swim a little bit. But, very interested to see what the talent is like over there in terms of basketball and see how we compete and how we match up to some of the teams over there,” says senior forward Lincoln Meister.

“I’m excited to see our guys play but I’m a beach guy so I’m excited to go to the beach and hangout and just get a chance to really bond. We have a couple new coaches, four or five new guys as well so a great chance for these guys to get to know each other,” says coach Wieck.

The team pulls out of Duluth on August 7 for ten days in Spain where the Bulldogs will face off with four Spanish club teams.