Penn State men’s basketball set for trip to Bahamas

Lamar Stevens is looking forward to competing with his teammates and heading to the beach during the Penn State men’s basketball team’s trip to the Bahamas.

From Friday through Aug. 11, the sophomore forward and the Nittany Lions will play three games in the islands in the Atlantic Ocean during the foreign tour. The trip will give the players the opportunity to build chemistry as they prepare for this season.

“I think we’re going to be really good,” Stevens said. “I think just going out there, having the experience, putting in time with my brothers and coaches, that’s going to be great for us.”

Penn State made its last foreign trip in 2013 — programs can take international trips every four years — when the Nittany Lions went to Belgium, France and England. The Nittany Lions will stay at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort during this year’s trip, which will offer the first glimpse of the program’s freshmen in Jamari Wheeler, Trent Buttrick and John Harrar.

Stevens wants to see how the rookies jell with the rest of the roster, which also includes 7-foot transfer Satchel Pierce, who sat out last season after spending two years at Virginia Tech. The Nittany Lions will use the trip to develop as a team on and off the court.

“I’m just going to look at it more like a vacation trip and just try to bond with my team and get closer as a unit,” Penn State guard Tony Carr said.

It won’t be Penn State junior guard Josh Reaves’ first trip to the Bahamas. But he doesn’t remember much from his time at the islands when he was younger.

“The one thing I do remember was going on a banana boat,” Reaves said. “It flipped over, so that wasn’t a good experience.

“I’m just ready to get there, just ready to play, compete with my teammates.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2017 at 2:44 PM with the headline "Penn State men’s basketball set for trip to Bahamas."