The UW Oshkosh men’s basketball team will be traveling to Europe next May where the Titans will play exhibition games in Berlin, Paris and Prague. 

The 11-day trip, funded entirely through donations and fundraisers, will immerse the athletes in new cultures while competing against professional club teams from across the pond.

“We wholeheartedly believe this time together sets the foundation for us to compete into March each year,” UWO head coach Matt Lewis said. “Our program’s mission is to excel in the classroom and on the court, contribute to the broader community, build our Titan basketball family and have fun in the process.” 

UWO will be granted 10 additional practices from the NCAA because of their foreign trip, providing the Titans with an opportunity to practice during a time in the season where Division III teams are not usually allowed to have contact with coaches.

An itinerary for the trip shows the team taking a river cruise through Prague, a tour of the Terezin Concentration Camp, a bike tour of Tiergarten Park in Berlin and a stop at the Eiffel Tower.

“The opportunity to visit different countries and cultures is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Titans guard Hunter Plamann said. “The best part about the trip is that we will be traveling with a great group of people, and we will make memories that will last a lifetime.”

The Titans, defending Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions, have taken two other European trips with a 2016 journey to Italy and a 2019 venture to Spain.

Lewis said that UWO’s previous two trips proved to be a formative experience for the team.

“It helped build bonds that would carry over to the locker room and court, as well as years to come for our alumni,” he said. “Coming together as a Titan family to experience new places, people, food and cultures builds our own championship-level program.”