University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Grow and Flourish in Europe
October 10, 2019 | Women's Basketball
By Dom Palumbo, UTSports.com
Being a NCAA student-athlete is filled with a multitude of perks.
For starters, many have a quality education paid for to some degree. Each team and each player on that team gets a set of gear before the start of each season. The meals are great. There is an unmistakable bond between teammates and coaches.
One thing that at times may get overlooked, are the opportunities to travel and see parts of the country and world one never thought they would see.
This past summer, Lady Vol basketball had that opportunity during their 10-day European excursion. For many of the players, this was a completely new experience, that provided memories, while allowing the ladies to learn both on and off the floor.
"I thought the trip was good," senior Kamera Harris said. "I felt like we learned a lot. We played three games out there. It was a good learning experience to really get a feel for the game with your new team. It was nice. I enjoyed it. It was nice to see everything. There's a lot of history and it was a great learning experience."
"From my perspective the trip was a lot different then what I initially thought, but it ended up being pretty fun," junior Rennia Davis added. "From a basketball standpoint we got to see how it is to play with each other for the first time and how we get up and down. From a culture standpoint I got to see a lot of stuff I've never seen before, because I've never been to Europe before."
During their time overseas, the Lady Vols visited the Netherlands, Belgium and France, playing three games over a ten-day span, taking on local teams from each country.
On the court, the Orange & White dominated all three contests—winning by an average of 48 points per game—seeing production from every part of the roster, gaining a chemistry and flow with each other under head coach Kellie Harper's new system.
"This trip showed us that we have things to learn and with Kellie having a different system than what a lot of us are used to, we got to see how much more we have to do to be affective in her system," Davis said.
While the performance on the court allowed Harper to learn about what she could see from her squad this season, the real learning, occurred in the small moments that allowed the Lady Vols to truly put their experience on Rocky Top into perspective.
"(Moments like Europe) come very rarely when you have an opportunity to put things in perspective," Harper said. "When we walk in the gym that we are going to play in and we relate it back to what we have played in, it's unbelievable the opportunities that we have. Just little things like that. Hopefully when you have those moments, you can allow your players to take it in and realize how fortunate and how blessed they are with everything that we have here at the University of Tennessee."
In Europe there's different foods to try. A normal, non-carbonated water is often more difficult to find. The people are different. The cultures are different. The place as a whole is different.
From Instagram candid pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower. To the beaches of Normandy. The world's most expensive and famous paintings inside the Louvre. The eclectic red-light district of Amsterdam. To exploring the world's most expensive chocolates in the streets of Belgium.
An all expenses paid adventure across the world to get a taste of what life is like somewhere else. The history is palpable, creating an environment that allowed the Lady Vols to understand how far the game they play can take them.
"I think it's very beneficial for student-athletes to take trips like this," Harris said. "Educationally I think it's great to see the different cultures, but also basketball takes you places and it shows you where you can go and how far you can go with it. It was nice to play different teams with different cultures and it's a great experience and everyone should be able to experience that."
In the sport of women's basketball, the opportunities to play at the next level overseas are often abundant. Journey's across the world like this, can often provide a sneak peek at a potential life that could await them when the eventually leave the city of Knoxville.
"For me it gave me a whole new perspective," Davis said. "I know for me specifically if I didn't play basketball I never would have gone to Europe. But, since I do play basketball and may potentially play overseas, it gave me a head start learning that I need to start trying new foods and talking to different people."
A perspective unlike any other. When the experience of an NCAA student-athlete is discussed, we see, know and understand what takes place when they're on campus.
However, what may not always be understood is how that experience can continue to be improved. It begins with trips like this one. Trips across the world that provide time to learn and grow, both on and off the floor.
Together.
As a team.
With the goal of returning Lady Vol basketball to the top of the women's college basketball mountain.
Being a NCAA student-athlete is filled with a multitude of perks.
For starters, many have a quality education paid for to some degree. Each team and each player on that team gets a set of gear before the start of each season. The meals are great. There is an unmistakable bond between teammates and coaches.
One thing that at times may get overlooked, are the opportunities to travel and see parts of the country and world one never thought they would see.
This past summer, Lady Vol basketball had that opportunity during their 10-day European excursion. For many of the players, this was a completely new experience, that provided memories, while allowing the ladies to learn both on and off the floor.
"I thought the trip was good," senior Kamera Harris said. "I felt like we learned a lot. We played three games out there. It was a good learning experience to really get a feel for the game with your new team. It was nice. I enjoyed it. It was nice to see everything. There's a lot of history and it was a great learning experience."
"From my perspective the trip was a lot different then what I initially thought, but it ended up being pretty fun," junior Rennia Davis added. "From a basketball standpoint we got to see how it is to play with each other for the first time and how we get up and down. From a culture standpoint I got to see a lot of stuff I've never seen before, because I've never been to Europe before."
During their time overseas, the Lady Vols visited the Netherlands, Belgium and France, playing three games over a ten-day span, taking on local teams from each country.
On the court, the Orange & White dominated all three contests—winning by an average of 48 points per game—seeing production from every part of the roster, gaining a chemistry and flow with each other under head coach Kellie Harper's new system.
"This trip showed us that we have things to learn and with Kellie having a different system than what a lot of us are used to, we got to see how much more we have to do to be affective in her system," Davis said.
While the performance on the court allowed Harper to learn about what she could see from her squad this season, the real learning, occurred in the small moments that allowed the Lady Vols to truly put their experience on Rocky Top into perspective.
"(Moments like Europe) come very rarely when you have an opportunity to put things in perspective," Harper said. "When we walk in the gym that we are going to play in and we relate it back to what we have played in, it's unbelievable the opportunities that we have. Just little things like that. Hopefully when you have those moments, you can allow your players to take it in and realize how fortunate and how blessed they are with everything that we have here at the University of Tennessee."
In Europe there's different foods to try. A normal, non-carbonated water is often more difficult to find. The people are different. The cultures are different. The place as a whole is different.
From Instagram candid pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower. To the beaches of Normandy. The world's most expensive and famous paintings inside the Louvre. The eclectic red-light district of Amsterdam. To exploring the world's most expensive chocolates in the streets of Belgium.
An all expenses paid adventure across the world to get a taste of what life is like somewhere else. The history is palpable, creating an environment that allowed the Lady Vols to understand how far the game they play can take them.
"I think it's very beneficial for student-athletes to take trips like this," Harris said. "Educationally I think it's great to see the different cultures, but also basketball takes you places and it shows you where you can go and how far you can go with it. It was nice to play different teams with different cultures and it's a great experience and everyone should be able to experience that."
In the sport of women's basketball, the opportunities to play at the next level overseas are often abundant. Journey's across the world like this, can often provide a sneak peek at a potential life that could await them when the eventually leave the city of Knoxville.
"For me it gave me a whole new perspective," Davis said. "I know for me specifically if I didn't play basketball I never would have gone to Europe. But, since I do play basketball and may potentially play overseas, it gave me a head start learning that I need to start trying new foods and talking to different people."
A perspective unlike any other. When the experience of an NCAA student-athlete is discussed, we see, know and understand what takes place when they're on campus.
However, what may not always be understood is how that experience can continue to be improved. It begins with trips like this one. Trips across the world that provide time to learn and grow, both on and off the floor.
Together.
As a team.
With the goal of returning Lady Vol basketball to the top of the women's college basketball mountain.
Players Mentioned
G/F
/ Women's Basketball
F
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