The Charlotte men's basketball team will compete in three games as part of a week-long tour of Costa Rica Aug. 4-11, the program announced Wednesday.
"We are thankful to Mike Hill, our entire administration, and especially our cohort of basketball supporters and donors who made this trip possible," head coach Ron Sanchez said. "It is an incredible opportunity for our student-athletes to have the experience of playing and traveling abroad. We are excited about getting on the floor and playing together before the season really gets started. We also know this will be a unique experience for our guys to spend time together off the floor. We hope it will be special for everyone involved."
Charlotte is allowed 10 practices leading up to the team's departure. The Niners are scheduled to play three games upon arrival in the capital city of San Jose, including two against the University of Calgary and one vs. the Costa Rican National Team. The contests will be governed by FIBA rules and played on a FIBA-lined court held in the 5,200-seat BN Arena.
Other activities planned throughout the trip include a visit to the Holy Spirit Orphanage in San Jose and team-building excursions such as rafting and ziplining in the city of Herradura. The Holy Spirit Orphanage includes a homeless shelter, food bank, health center, small animal farm, clothing resource store and education center.
Charlotte's 2022-23 roster is headlined by key returners Aly Khalifa, Robert Braswell IV, Jackson Threadgill and Brice Williams, who looks to benefit after a redshirt season. Other returnees include Daylen Berry, Isaiah Folkes and Musa Jallow. Newcomers to the squad are veteran graduate transfers Josh Aldrich and Tre' Gipson and sophomore transfers Igor Milicic Jr., and Lu'Cye Patterson. Freshmen Nik Graves and Rich Rolf round out the recruiting class.
Sanchez enters his fifth season and the helm of the Charlotte program and will be joined on the bench by newly-hired assistant Kevin Smith and the recently-promoted Aaron Fearne as associate head coach. Additionally, assistant Vic Sfera and director of player development Byron Dinkins both return for their fifth seasons. The Niners are looking to build upon their 17 victories a year ago, the most for the program since 2013-14.
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