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Scots Return From Four-Game Trip to Germany, Austria
The College of Wooster men’s basketball team spent the end of its summer vacation in central Europe, as it recently returned from an 11-day trip (Aug. 12-23) to Germany and Austria, where the Fighting Scots played four exhibition games, while taking in unique sightseeing tours. It marked Wooster basketball’s second such trip overseas, as a previous team visited, and played in, England and Scotland prior to the 2000-01 academic year. The NCAA permits such international tours once every three years. One difference between the visits to Europe was the caliber of competition Wooster played. In 2000, the Scots had their way with all four opponents, winning by an average margin of 21.5 points. This time, Wooster’s 15 players from its 2003-04 squad, which went 26-4 overall and advanced to the "Elite 8" of the NCAA Div. III Tournament for the second-straight season, split four games. "We requested a higher level of competition," explained veteran Scot head coach Steve Moore. "I think by playing good competition, it will end up helping our team a great deal in the long run. Because of the challenges we faced, it put our team in a real good learning situation." After cruising down the Rhine River on the first day, Wooster got right into its basketball schedule, taking on MTV Kronberg. The Scots led early on and were up by one at halftime before Kronberg rallied for a 10-point victory (77-67). Senior post players Blake Mealer (Wauseon, Ohio / Liberty-Benton) and Matt Schlingman (Ashland, Ohio / Ashland) shared team scoring honors in that one with 14 points. Sightseeing followed, highlighted by a visit to the castle that towers over the city of Heidelberg and a two-night stay in the medieval town of Rothenburg. Then, the Scots took on the Crailsheim Merlins, who were led by a former member of the Bosnian National Team. Mealer had another notable game with a Wooster-high 18 points and 11 rebounds, but Crailsheim built on a one-point halftime lead and won 97-83. The Scots spent much of the next day on a long bus ride to the Bavarian village of Inzell, stopping to see notable churches in Ulm and Ottobeuren. Next on the itinerary, Wooster traveled to Salzburg, Austria, where it saw the great composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s birthplace before getting ready for the third game. The Scots earned their first victory of the trip in convincing fashion, as they thrashed UBBC Salzburg 86-44, behind Tom Port’s (Avon Lake, Ohio / Avon Lake) 18 points and a 10-rebound night from Tim Vandervaart (North Canton, Ohio / Hoover). The traveling party agreed that the following two days of touring were some of the most memorable, and emotional. They visited Adolf Hitler’s "Eagle Nest," which sits atop the Bavarian Alps near his southern headquarters during World War II, as well as Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp. Wooster wrapped up its international basketball experience by pulling away late for a 73-53 win against FC Bayern Munchen, sponsored by Germany’s most renowned professional soccer team. Port starred with 17 points and 10 rebounds. The Scots concluded the trip in Munich, where they enjoyed a meal at the Augustiner Keller. On their last day, they took a cable car up the Zugspitze, Germany’s highest point (9,724 feet) for a magnificent view, descending into Austria, and then visited the famous Neuschwanstein Castle. Moore was pleased with his team’s play in Europe, noting that "Kyle Witucky (Zanesville, Ohio / Zanesville) had a very good trip, in regards to his games," but more importantly, he was thrilled that this Fighting Scots’ squad got the opportunity to make a lifetime of memories. "The trip (was), we think, extremely valuable in regard to the basketball aspect. It (gave) us that playing opportunity in the off-season and a chance to evaluate our personnel … where we were playing against good competition. "The non-basketball aspect — the cultural experience, sightseeing, and educational experience — without a doubt is a big part of why we schedule a trip like this. What we learned … provides long-lasting memories for our players and this kind of trip ends up being one of their greatest experiences while they’re in college." Below is a list of the Wooster players who went on the trip, and their notables statistics from the four games played:
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