Taking advantage of the NCAA rule that allows college teams to take a trip abroad once every four years, the Utah women’s basketball team spent 10 days in Europe during the month of May.
During the trip, the team got the chance to see the capital cities of three different countries: Stockholm, Sweden, Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark. In addition to sightseeing, the Utes played a game in each country. In Sweden, the Utes faced the professional team Sallen Basket. Norway gave them the opportunity to play against the Norwegian national team, and while in Denmark, Utah played a hybrid of the two top teams in Denmark, Falcon and SISU.
The trip also provided an opportunity for sophomore guard Awa Kalmstrom to show her teammates her home in Sweden.
“She got the chance to play in front of her family and friends, which was exciting for her,” said Utah head coach Anthony Levrets.
The Utes didn’t hold any practice sessions before their trip to Europe because Leverets wanted his team to be able to adjust to the teams during game play.
“We knew nothing about the teams we were going to play,” he said. “This was great chance for the younger players to get some minutes as well.”
One major adjustment Utah had to quickly get used to was playing with FIBA rules as opposed to NCAA rules. For example, FIBA uses a 24-second shot clock, which Levrets said forced the Utes to play at a faster pace and shoot more often. This resulted in Utah scoring more baskets as it beat each opponent by more than 20 points.
“I love the fast game play,” said forward Taryn Wicijowski, who played under the FIBA rules as a high schooler in Canada. “It forces the player to be in better shape and make quicker decisions.”
While the basketball side of the trip was important, Levrets wanted the occasion to be about more than just what happened on the hardwood, giving the team the chance to focus on the experience of being in Europe.
“This is an experience that can’t be replaced,” he said. “It is a chance for the athletes to experience another culture other than their own.”
The team got to tour castles and other landmarks while learning about Europe’s history.
“They learned the other side of (U.S.) history and how World War II affected these countries as well as our own,” Levrets said.
In addition, the team got the chance to visit with a group of Somali immigrant women through an outreach program.
“We got to learn so much from the women and about their lives,” Wicijowski said, adding that some of the women they met have started their own catering business.
The team also got to mix basketball and the cultural experience when it hosted a basketball clinic for children in Denmark. The camp focused more on having fun than drills and fundamentals.
“Years down the road we will remember this as a great experience for us,” Wicijowski said.