Tennessee basketball's 10-day tour through Italy is 'more than just games'

During the season, Tennessee basketball road trips are business trips. The Vols are focused on winning games, not their surroundings, when away from home. But the upcoming 10-day tour through Italy is a different story.

“I think when you go on these trips it is as much to reward these guys for a commitment to us and give them an experience,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said earlier this week.

Tennessee will arrive in Italy on Monday and will play three exhibition games against the Lithuanian U21 National Team and A.S. Stella Azzura while also taking a boat tour of Lake Como, a tour of the Florence Cathedral as well as sight-seeing at the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Colosseum and Vatican City before returning home on August 9.

Tennessee scheduled to play three exhibition games in Italy

The exhibition games will be played on August 4, August 5 and August 7.

Experiencing a different culture, Barnes said, helps set up his players for what could be next in their basketball careers.

“As you know, they all want to be professional basketball players,” he said. “Some of them have been to different countries. You can think about the guys we have had here that are playing overseas, I think it is a great time to get exposure to a different country and to people that will see them as well — realize there is a vast world out there. There are a lot of basketball opportunities around the world.” 

Tennessee has had seven players selected in the NBA Draft during the Barnes era, with Julian Philips the most recent at No. 35 overall to the Chicago Bulls, selected early in the second round in last month’s draft.

But there’s far more to the professional basketball world than just the NBA.

“As much as I like them and they would like to play in the NBA, it is difficult,” Barnes said. “We have had some guys, I could name and sit here for an hour naming guys that have gone abroad and done extremely well.” 

Rick Barnes: ‘It’s more than just games on this trip’

And, after a summer in Pratt Pavilion, the change in competition is a good change of pace for the Vols.

“With this team, we’ve been going at each other here all summer,” Barnes said. “Going out and playing a couple games over there is a good thing but it is more than just games on this trip.”

For Barnes himself, it’s also about being exposed to one of his favorite brands of basketball. 

“I love it,” Barnes said. “I love going there. I think their brand of basketball is great. I remember back in the day, we would play exhibition games and European teams would come over whether it be a national team or whatever. Back then, they played the exact opposite of what American teams did. They exposed you. 

“They were playing the way that the NBA has become today — spread offense and always talking about help defense, they took great advantage of help defense back then. Looking back on it, I am really amazed it took all of us college coaches and even pro coaches to an extent so long to adjust to what they were doing because they way they play has always been so difficult to guard. 

“Now,” Barnes added, “a lot of people are just spreading people out and it has become a positionless game in some ways. The fact is, it is fun seeing different styles. I love it. Every chance I get, I will watch European basketball. I think they have great concepts.”