Racers going to The Bahamas this summer
MBB: College teams get to take an international summer trip once every four years
Every four years, college basketball teams are allowed to take a summer trip to a foreign country to play several exhibition games. Next month, Murray State Head Coach Ryan Miller will be taking his Racers to The Bahamas. During the late July trip, the Racers will have the chance to play three games together which will give them a head start on preparing for the 2025-26 season.
On the Racer Report Live podcast, Miller said he was thankful to the Murray State administration for providing the resources to allow this opportunity to happen.
“We have 14 new staff members and 15 new players,” Miller said. “I really want to squeeze four years of college athletics into three months, getting the guys there to know each other on a personal level and know what makes them tick. Give them the ability of, ‘If I make a play for you one time down the court, you're going to do the same thing for me next time down the court.’ To really get that identity and cohesiveness that we're looking for is very important. Plus, you get ten extra practices and you get three games. Just as a culture and putting our footprint and foundational level on this program, it’s important for us to have that.”
During the summer, college teams are limited to eight hours of organized work with the players, which includes weight training and conditioning. Getting those extra ten practices before they head to The Bahamas will provide invaluable time for this new Racer team to work together on the court.
Back in 2011, Steve Prohm took the Racers on a summer trip before he had ever coached a Division I game. In 2015, Matt McMahon got the same opportunity. Fast forward ten years, and Miller is now getting his chance to see what it’s like to be a head coach on the sidelines before the games actually count.
“That was important for me too,” Miller said. “I was telling the staff I’ve never been a Division I head coach. It was important for me to learn and be able to understand the flow of the game as a head coach. Obviously, 22 years of being a Division I one assistant, I kind of understand my role and purpose there at every single game, what I was doing, offensively, defensively and personnel wise. I had a really good grasp for that — but now it's different. I'm the head coach, so I have to understand my flow. Not only are our players learning, I'm using it to learn how I'm going to do things, how we're going to do things as a staff. I thought that was very important.”
Murray State players reported to campus this past weekend, and they will begin their individual summer workouts on Tuesday.