Nebraska Wesleyan University basketball coach Cam Schuknecht has announced details of a summer trip to Estonia for the Prairie Wolves men’s basketball team. NWU will be in Estonia Aug. 10-20 to play three games in preparation for the 2011-12 campaign.
“I believe there is a great advantage to extra practices and games throughout the summer,” said Schuknecht. “We get time on the floor and time together as a team that we wouldn’t normally get.”
NCAA allows schools to take team trips overseas once every three years. Nebraska Wesleyan will be able to hold practice from Aug. 1-9 to prepare for competition in Estonia. All returning NWU players will be making the trip in August.
After starting practice on Aug. 1, the Prairie Wolves will arrive in Estonia on Aug. 10. Dates for the games are not yet set, but NWU will have three games against: Rakvere Tarvas, Tartu Rock, and BC Paru.
In addition to the games, the Prairie Wolves will have time for sightseeing and relaxing. NWU will spend times in the following cities; Tallinn, Helskinki, Rakvere, Tartu and Parnu. They will visit Old Town and the Estonia Museum in Tallinn, take in a Ski Resort and Tree Climbing in Tartu and see Beach Park in Parnu.
“This trip allows our team the opportunity to compete against athletes from another country, while learning about and experiencing the cultures, customs and history of Estonia,” Schuknecht added. “The memories of this trip will last a lifetime.”
One player on the current NWU roster, sophomore center Sass Karemae, will be returning to his native homeland. Karemae has been a part of the NWU basketball team for the past two seasons. Nebraska Wesleyan has had several students from Estonia as they currently have a student exchange program with Tartu University.
Estonia is a state in the Baltic Region of Northern Europe and used to be part of the USSR. It is bordered on the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west of the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia and to the east by the Russian Federation. Tallinn is the capital city of Estonia.
