IU prepares for trip to Bahamas

The IU men’s basketball team will kick off the 2007-2008 season this weekend by playing four exhibition games in the Bahamas. While many students would jump at the opportunity to jet to the Bahamas after the first week of classes, coach Kelvin Sampson said for the team, this trip is anything but a vacation.\n“I’ve heard a lot of people say, ‘Wow coach, you get to go to the Bahamas,’” he said. “That’s in theory.”\nWith four games in a 48-hour time span, the players will see more of 2,500-seat Kendall Isaacs Stadium than they will pristine Bahamian beaches.\n“It’s not like we are going to run back and lay on the beach or anything,” Sampson said. “That’s not really in the schedule.”\nUnder NCAA rules, schools are permitted to play against international competition once every four years. Teams are also allowed 10 practices before they depart the country. These foreign trips can be taken during Labor Day weekend or during a fall break and have become popular during the past few years.\nThe team will depart at 3 p.m. Friday from Indianapolis and arrive in 6 p.m. in Nassau. Just two and a half hours later, the Hoosiers take on the Bahamas Select Club. Next, the Hoosiers have a doubleheader Saturday with games against Guatemala at noon and the Sunshine Auto Club at 8 p.m. The tour wraps up with a 2 p.m. game Sunday against the Commonwealth Bank Club.\nSampson said he does care about the competition his team will face this weekend. For him, the 10 practices will be more valuable for the season. \n“I have zero interest in those teams,” he said. “I am just glad we get to go to 10 practices and four games. Who we play against is not important. These teams are always better than you think.”\nThis trip should be beneficial for incorporating recruits with returning players, said senior forward D.J. White.\n“I think the Bahamas trip will be good for this team, (because) it will give us a chance to get an early start on the year,” White said. “We have six newcomers who are going to be a big part of the team this year. It’s an early start for them to get to know coach ampson and how we are going to play.”\nFor senior forward Lance Stemler, these games will be his first since an off-season ankle surgery. Stemler struggled with injuries for the majority of last season, his first with the Hoosiers.\n“I was just battling through some injuries,” he said. “I’m as close to 100 percent as I’ve been, so I’m really looking forward to this year, staying healthy and working through the year.”\nThe Hoosiers enter the season with high expectations. Most publications and services put the Hoosiers somewhere in their preseason top 20. Individually, IU has arguably the best incoming freshman in the country, Eric Gordon, to complement possible All-American candidate White. The team has yet to get caught up in the hype, Sampson said.\n“E.J. (Gordon) and D.J. don’t walk around here soliciting or really get carried away with the hype,” Sampson said. “And as the year goes on, you hope it gets bigger. It’s not like we can do this on the sly.”