COUGARS TO PLAY EXHIBITION GAMES IN FRANCE
7-17-07
 CALDWELL,
N.J. - The Caldwell College men's basketball team will travel to
France this summer to play four exhibition games against French
amateur teams. The defending Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
champion Cougars depart on August 8 and return on August 18.
“We are fortunate that our administration has been supportive in
providing us with the opportunity to have such a great experience,”
said Mark A. Corino, Caldwell’s Executive Director of
Athletics. “Once again, it’s an example of the institution’s
commitment to the overall experience of our student-athletes.”
The Cougars will play two games against A.D.A. Blois on August 11th
and 12th before facing Hagetmau-Doazit on August 14th. The final
game will be against Denek-Urcuit in Bayonne on August 16th. Blois
is located to the southwest of Paris, about thirty miles outside
Orleans. Doazit and Bayonne are in the southwest corner of France
near the Spain border.
“Not too many of our players have ever been outside the country, so
this is a tremendous opportunity to see a different culture,” Corino
said. “It also gives us a chance to come together as a team in the
summer and play against some good competition.”
Eleven players return from last year’s squad that went 19-12 and won
the CACC Tournament to advance to the NCAA Northeast Region
Tournament. They are center Michael Luzzi (Mount Arlington,
NJ/Morris Catholic), forwards B.J. Suchy (Ronkonkoma, NY/Our
Savior), Manny Perez (Egg Harbor, NJ/Egg Harbor), Sam
Cricelli (Brighton, England/Culham), Matt Cohen (Forked
River, NJ/Manasquan) and Tyrone Royster (Asbury Park,
NJ/Asbury Park), and guards Hans Stelzer (Selden, NY/Our
Savior), Michael Wise (Whitesboro, NJ/Middletownship),
Adam Sabree (Detroit, MI/Renaissance), Carl Augustin
(Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep) and John Reed (Wall,
NJ/Wall). All 11 returnees will be going to France, as will
sophomore guard Eddie Crockett (Passaic, NJ/Passaic), who
transferred to Caldwell from Nicholls State this past spring.
The team will be accompanied by Andre Vatin, a former professional
basketball coach in France who is organizing the trip. Vatin has
known Cougar assistant coach Dave DeFerrari for the past 10
years.
“Andre has been trying to get us to come over to France ever since I
came to Caldwell five years ago,” DeFerrari said. “It’s exciting
that we’re finally able to make it happen, and I thank Andre for all
he has done to organize our tour.”
Fans can follow the Cougars while they are in France by visiting
Caldwell’s athletics website at info.caldwell.edu/athletics.
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