By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – Two-time defending Ohio Valley Conference champion the University of Tennessee at Martin women’s basketball team will embark on a foreign exhibition tour to The Bahamas as part of the team’s preparation for the 2021-22 season.
The trip will see the Skyhawks depart on Thursday, July 29 for Nassau before returning on Wednesday, Aug. 4. UT Martin will play two international goodwill games along with spending time practicing, touring the country, and conducting team-building exercises.
The Skyhawks will play their first of two games on Saturday, July 31 against the Bahamas All-Stars. On Sunday the team will take the day off and embark on various team excursions including the Flying Cloud Catamaran Cruise. UT Martin returns to action for its final exhibition game of the trip on Monday, Aug. 2 against Nassau Select.
“We are very excited about this opportunity,” said UT Martin head coach Kevin McMillan. “We planned on taking this trip last year as a reward for our seniors but we had to postpone it because of the pandemic. At the end of the day though, it probably was for the best because we have such a young team and can take advantage of this opportunity as we focus on implementing our system and continued skill development. Most importantly, this trip will be a great experience for our players as they get to learn about other cultures and we hope it will jump start the development of our team chemistry.”
The NCAA allows teams to take a foreign trip once every four years. UT Martin’s most recent international summer trip was to Costa Rica in 2016.
UT Martin returns two starters and five returners for the 2021-22 season, including guards Paige Pipkin and Seygan Robins. The Skyhawks also welcome back Emma Davis, Kyannah Grant, Hayley Harrison, Raegan Johnson and Haley Nichols to the fold.
The Skyhawks welcome eight new players to the program in Taylor Dupree, Holly Forbes, Mia Hurst, Shae Littleford, Gabi Melby, Shanice Simpson-Whitely, Ella Thompson and Tylei Wofford-Byrd.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information