Fox Cities News

When planning the Lawrence University men's basketball trip to Greece, head coach Casey Korn had two priorities: brotherhood and basketball.

"We got to do it as a team and one of the things we talked about after the last game, yes, it was a basketball trip, but there are going to be very few vacations that you get to do with 10 of your best friends," Korn said.

The Vikings spent 10 days traveling and played three games in Greece. The team visited Athens, viewed historic icons like the Acropolis, cruised around the Greek isles, and spent countless hours enjoying it all together.

"After this trip, I feel like we almost have an unbreakable bond now," said sophomore forward Nicholas Gouriotis. "Going into it we were all really good friends, but after this trip, it's like we are brothers. As I said, the games were really fun, and it was nice to see how everyone got better since the season ended. It made me more excited for next year where we will surprise a lot of people."

The comments from Gouriotis brought a smile to Korn's face. It's exactly what he hoped would happen with the team.

"It's such a great opportunity for team building and relationships," Korn said. "You're experiencing something for the first time; you're speaking a language for the first time; first time for one guy on a plane."

Sophomore guard RJ Gamble remarked on many enjoyable and humorous experiences during the trip. Gamble noted that the Vikings had a knack for stopping at every ice cream stand for taste testing and was amazed by the picture-postcard views, especially on Santorini.

"This trip will always stick with me," Gamble said. "The memories, the inside jokes, the countless videos of us all at some point catching some zzzz's. The trip has allowed me to put into perspective how much the guys in this group matter to me and how much we all want to be connected."

While introspective after their return, they enjoyed serious belly laughs on the trip. Korn relayed an anecdote where Gouriotis and assistant coach Jerome Foster were standing near the Greek flag at the cruise ship's stern when a gull did its business on them.

"That just means good luck," they said while breaking up with laughter.

"There are going to be countless things similar to that which these guys will remember forever," Korn said.

The Vikings played three games against teams from Greece during their 10-day trip. Despite not winning any games against experienced professional players from Greece’s teams, Korn saw many positives.

"It showed us we've made some big-time gains, but there is still a lot that we have to do," Korn said.

"We don't know exactly what we're going to look like next season, but it gave these guys a chance to implement things they've been working on."

Gamble mentioned that competing against quality teams gives all Vikings reasons for optimism.

"We are just scratching the surface of this group's potential as we bring our experiences in Greece back to the Midwest Conference," Gamble said. "Our group has a lot of confidence coming into next season, and I think playing international competition opened our eyes to realize there's always more work ahead."

Additionally, during their stay in Greece, they gained an honorary team member—Anastasios—their tour guide who became very attached to them.

"It was almost a tearful goodbye because of how close he got to our team," Korn said. "He connected with everybody and sat on our bench during games."

With fresh memories from this experience still vivid among participants' minds including players’ parents and athletic directors who joined them in Greece—Korn quickly vowed his intent:

"We're going try doing it as often as NCAA allows us,” he concluded “It's about growing both personally & programmatically.”

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