Mastodon men’s basketball gearing up for Portugal and Spain tour

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FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s basketball team will travel to Portugal and Spain for an overseas tour and study abroad program Aug. 8-16.

The Mastodons will play three games during the trip while learning and participating in the local culture.

Fans can visit GoMastodons.com for a blog documenting team activities. The @MastodonMBB instagram and Twitter accounts will also feature updates along the way. The ‘Dons will spend the majority of their time in Lisbon and Barcelona. Trip activities include a tuk tuk tour of Lisbon, attendance at an FC Barcelona football match, and a Barcelona bike tour. The ‘Dons will face Portugal Elite on August 11, Mataro Select on August 13 and Barcelona Select on August 15.

“Our team is enrolled in a three-credit class that teaches them about Spain and Portugal so they can really enjoy this special study abroad opportunity,” the head coach said. Jon Coffman said.

Throughout the summer, the ‘Dons learned about Spanish and Portuguese culture, language, history, architecture, art, business, law and more.

The NCAA allows teams to tour overseas once every four years to allow student-athletes to experience cultures abroad. The Mastodons traveled to Italy in 2018 and Canada in 2014.

Several former juggernauts have played professionally in Portugal and Spain. In 2022 former Mastodon Frank Gaines played for Beneficia (Lisbon) and beat another former Mastodon Max Landis’ FC Porto (Porto) for Portuguese 1st Divisional Championship. DeAngelo Stewart played in Portugal for Vitoria SC this year and Brent Calhoun played in 2018 for Marin in Spain.

The tour also allows for 10 additional practices to prepare for the event.

~Feel the rumble~

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