Men's Basketball Release (2005-06) - Guilford Hosts Italian Jr National Basketball Team - Guilford College
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GUILFORD TO PLAY ITALIAN NATIONAL JUNIOR MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM
Greensboro, NC (11/8/05) -- Guilford College's men's basketball team
opens the 2005-06 season with an exhibition game against the Italian Junior
National Team Wednesday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m. The contest will be played in
Guilford's Ragan-
Brown Field House.
Head coach Tom Palombo's Quakers return nine letter winners and three starters from last year's 15-12 club that matched the school's Division III record for wins in a season (15) and reached the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament (ODAC) semifinals for the first time since 1994. Sophomore Ben Strong, a 6-10 center, is Guilford's top returning scorer. He averaged 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last year, and led the ODAC with 48 blocked shots (1.7 per game).
This marks the second straight year Guilford has played the Italian Junior National Team. The Quakers won last year's meeting, 74-60, in a game played in Guilford's Alumni Gymnasium. Italy's senior national team drew worldwide acclaim by winning the silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. The bulk of the team Guilford played last year went on to win the bronze medal at the 2005 Under-18 European Championships in July. Center Mitchell Poletti played on the third-place team and is on the Italian roster for Wednesday's game with Guilford. The Italian's head coach, Gaetano Gebbia, coached against Guilford last year and directed Italy's under-16 team to seventh place at the 2005 European Championships.
Tickets are available at the Ragan-Brown Field House and cost $4 for adults, $2 for youth ages 6-18. Children under six receive free admission. Contact Guilford's Athletic Department at 336-316-2190 for more information.