Bears In France: Brown Men's Basketball Daily Trip Recap
8/19/2023
Follow along for daily updates from the Brown men's basketball team's trip to France!
Day Ten
It is our final gameday here in France as the team prepares to battle AC Monaco Basket at 6pm local time.
It is also our final day in beautiful Nice as our plane departs for the states tomorrow morning.
A little bit about Nice: as most of you know it is located on the Mediterranean Sea just 19 miles from the Italian border.
Around 350 BC, the Greeks founded a settlement here and named the town after the goddess of victory – Nike (pronounced nee-SAY).
Later, under Italian control, it was eventually conquered by French Revolutionary troops in 1792 and has remained under French control since that time, albeit with strong Italian influence because of its past and proximity to that country.
The English upper class were attracted to Nice as a vacation destination thanks to Queen Victoria who chose to spend many winters here.
The Colline du Chateau is a hill on the east side of town where a waterfall sits atop the hill. It contains a viewing platform offering spectacular panoramic views of Nice.
The Promenade des Anglais is a promenade along the Baie des Anges (Bay of Angels) where walkers, runners and bikers can be seen at all times of the day or evening.
On Sunday, before the Bears’ game, the team bused to Monaco for a walking tour of the city. Monaco is a sovereign city-state so the travel party had their passports handy for entrance to the principality if needed.
Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it is bordered to the north, west and east by France and French is the official language of Monaco.
Prince Albert II presides over the monarchy of this very small sovereign state. With an area of less than one square mile, it is the second smallest sovereign state only larger than Vatican City. And, with a population of around 35,000 people, it is the most densely populated country in the world.
Like Nice, the views are breath-taking. It has the world’s lowest poverty rate and highest number of millionaires and billionaires per capita in the world.
Tourism and banking are its two biggest sources of income and sports are a big part of the country with Formula One’s Monaco Grand Prix taking place annually, AS Monaco FC and OS Monaco competing in men’s and women’s soccer respectively and AS Monaco playing in the European basketball league.
Former UConn and NBA star Kemba Walker plays for AS Monaco’s top team, as does former Houston Rocket Dontas Montejunas and former Providence College Friar Alpha Diallo.
So, after seeing the sights, it was time for the Bears to hoop it up against its under 21 team as they looked to go 3-0 on their trip overseas. The problem is, taking the few-mile ride from Monaco to the arena turned into quite the challenge.
Without boring you with the details, let’s just say it took a LOT longer for the team bus to get there than originally planned.
The Bears walked into the arena just 10 minutes before the scheduled opening tip (6pm local time). Fortunately, Coach Martin talked with the AS Monaco head coach who agreed to delay the start of the game.
Despite an abbreviated warm up, (the game tipped off at 6:15pm) the Bears did not seem fazed by their late arrival.
Sparked once again by their tenacious defense and unselfishness on offense (25 assists on 37 FG’s), Brown jumped out to a 26-21 lead after one quarter with Kalu Anya (13 points total) helping them get off to a solid start.
Then, Brown would take control of the game in the second.
Led by a barrage of Kino Lilly threes including one with 2 seconds remaining in the half, Brown seized control in the second quarter by outscoring AS Monaco 27-9.
Lilly nailed 6 of his 7 threes in the first half where he scored 20 of his game-high 27 points. His three at the half had the Monaco fans cheering for more.
While Lilly was lighting it up, Nana Owusu-Anane was displaying his all-around game in the first half with 5 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. He would finish the game with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists.
The Bears defense forced 15 first half turnovers keeping in line with their stellar efforts in their first two games here in France and, just like that, Brown led 53-30 at the break.
A very workman-like second half on both ends of the floor allowed the Bears to increased their lead to as many as 36 points behind the likes of Lyndel Erold’s two-way play (9 total points).
Starters Aaron Cooley (11 points) and Felix Kloman (10 points, 6 steals) once again turned in rock-solid performances as did the Brown bench led by Erold, Sam Klores (3 points, 4 assists), Malachi Ndur (5 points) and AJ Lesburt (7 points) whose transition dunk was one of the many Bears’ highlights of the night.
Erold’s put back in the final minute put the Bears over 100-points as they cruised to a well-earned 101-70 victory over AS Monaco Basket.
“I thought we finished the trip with our best performance,” said Brown head coach Mike Martin. “We shared the ball really well on offense which led to our best shooting efficiency out of the three games. We also continued to generate offense from our defense. I appreciate how our players have approached each game during this trip.”
With the win, the Bears finished the trip a perfect 3-0!
After experiencing the culture of France and all that it has to offer and enjoying a great team-bonding moment, the Bears will head back to the United States tomorrow better prepared for the upcoming 2023-24 season which opens up November 6th in Hamilton, NY against Colgate.
Until then, au revoir from France and GO BEARS!
Day Nine
The sun was shining again in France for the Bears as they awoke for the first time in the city of Nice in the French Riviera.
The team thoroughly enjoyed their first evening in the city with trips to the beach and then dinner at local restaurants before walking around and enjoying the sights in this vibrant town.
This author decided to head out for an early jog along the Mediterranean and thought that he had gotten a jump on the rest of the travel party. Not true! On his way westward along the shoreline, he spotted V.P. of Athletics & Recreation Dr. M. Grace Calhoun and daughter Ella on finishing up their 5-mile run.
Associate head coach TJ Sorrentine also made it out for his morning run on the same beach where a very memorable moment took place some 15 years ago when Sorrentine and the Bears last visited Nice.
For those of you who don’t know what happened, I went to the archives of Russ Tyler’s Friends of Brown Basketball report from that year so that we could all take a trip down memory lane. Here it is:
Brown Assistant Coach TJ Sorrentine, ambling along the beach with his enormous retinue in tow, was approached by a chap who was later identified as Nicholas McHarg, an immensely successful seafront real estate entrepreneur and longtime Commissioner of the Nice
International Beach Basketball League.
Claiming to be an authority in “hoopology”, McHarg uttered seven simple words which
were the equivalent of the nastiest and most ludicrous remark in the annals of mankind to the 2,000 point and 500 assist University of Vermont performer: “You don’t look like a basketball player.”
The gigantic crowd emitted a collective gasp and was nearly paralyzed in silence by McHarg’s faux pas. With his bulging eyes revealing him to be in an almost demonic state, the former America East Player of the Year swiftly attempted to restore his honor by challenging McHarg to a duel, while his followers quivered with anticipation.
TJ’s clash with the Commish was to consist of a single game of one on one to 11, and while breathing fire, he lashed out in a ruthless, cutting voice: “I will play backwards,
barefoot, left-handed, right hand tied behind my back, blindfolded, wear a 100 pound weight belt, and spot you 10, win by two. I won’t take a shot inside the four point line, and I am certain you will quit within three minutes because I will defend you so closely that when you breathe out you will feel me breathe in, you washed up, washed out piece of repulsive sea-foam.”
TJ’s throng exploded in deafening applause with the rejoinder of their champion while McHarg, getting the drift of TJ’s level of rage and competitiveness, sheepishly departed, a portrait of absolute emptiness and despair.
Meanwhile, TJ’s euphoric entourage tried to embrace him all at once and then hoisted him to their shoulders and carried him away like a king.
After reading that outstanding piece, this author bowed to Tyler’s greatness and wanted to surrender his position as reporter of the trip. But, alas, duty calls and the show must go on.
And that it did for the Bears on day 9.
After breakfast and a little down time, a noontime walk to a biking excursion awaited the Bears and it was enjoyable!
Splitting up in groups of 15, the team and travel party rode their bikes throughout Nice, stopping along the way to see certain sights and receive an education on much of its history.
Much fun was had by all leading into an evening where folks would, again, explore the city, enjoy a nice dinner at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel for a good night’s rest in preparation for their third and final game of this trip at A.S. Monaco Basket tomorrow at 6pm local time (12pm Eastern Time).
Tomorrow’s game will be broadcast live to the Brown Athletics YouTube page. Should there be any technical issues, it will be uploaded to YouTube shortly after the conclusion of the game for all to see.
Until tomorrow, au revoir from Nice!
Day Eight
Another travel day for the Bears. And, like the last one, this one was just as sweet coming off a convincing win over Elan Cahlon Thursday night.
Elan Chalon has one of the best reputations of any basketball program in France or all of Europe for that matter when you consider the amount of players that they have had drafted by NBA franchises.
Some players that played for Elan Chalon (and the NBA team that drafted them) include Clint Capela (Houston), David Michineau (New Orleans), Joffrey Lauvergne (Memphis), Mathias Lessort (Philadelphia) and Thabo Sefolosha (Chicago) just to name a few.
The team boarded the bus shortly after 10am in Lyon and headed south on their trek to Nice and the French Riviera.
Along the way, a stop was made in another historic town in the south of France by the name of Avignon.
The team visited the town center, but not without some challenges. The team bus tried to make it down some very narrow one-way streets to deliver the team to the center of the downtown area, but reached a point where he could advance no further. With backing out of that one-way street being the only option, it took a while for the always-congenial bus driver to maneuver his way in reverse to the main road stopping incoming traffic in a maneuver that would have made Ralph Kramden proud.
After being safely delivered to the edge of the town center which is surrounded by medieval walls, the team spent an hour walking the streets and grabbing lunch before boarding the bus and continuing its journey to Nice.
An interesting sidenote about Avignon and those medieval walls that surround the town: the city was once under papal control and a place where many popes once lived in the 14th century. It remained under papal control until the French Revolution in 1791.
On to Nice it was and a 6 o’clock arrival for the team at the Hotel Aston La Scala.
Located just a couple of blocks from the beach, the team decided to put on their sandals and shorts and head to the Mediterranean Sea for a swim. The beach was rocky which led to a lot of laughs as the guys “ooohed and ahhhed” their way to the water. Once in the water, it was beautiful!
Birthday girl Emily Sorrentine was there with husband and associate head coach TJ Sorrentine and their two daughters Stella and Callie. They enjoyed the water themselves until Callie decided to build her own castle out of rocks on the beach. (A present for her mother, no doubt).
After that, it was time to hit the streets which are as vibrant as any you will ever see anywhere. Restaurants, outdoor cafes, shops, gelato stores, you name it! It was an absolute festive beehive of activity in a gorgeous tropical paradise.
Tomorrow, the team will test their cycling skills as they plan to go on a bike tour of Nice. It will be the Brown Bears own Tour de France, if you will.
Be sure to check out the photos from day 8 in the link below and check back with us again tomorrow for another daily recap.
Until then, so long from the French Riviera!
Day Seven
Following a good night’s rest at the Sofitel Hotel, the Bears were up and at em’ Thursday morning with an optional morning lift, breakfast and then some time to explore the beautiful and historic city of Lyon, France.
Located in the southeastern quadrant of the country, it is located on the Rhône and Saône rivers and was the former capital of Guals during the Roman Empire (31 BC – AD 476).
Many of the Bears decided to take the day to explore the city and learn about its history and were very happy that they did.
Just a short walk from behind the team hotel brings you to the base of Fourvière Hill into a section of town with narrow streets made of cobblestone with shops, restaurants and cafes.
As you ascend Fourvière Hill either by foot or by Funiculaire, you will see the Ancient Theatre of Fourvière which was built in two steps. First in 15 BC a smaller ampitheatre was built seating about 1,800 with the final construction and second ampitheatre completed in the 2nd century. That one is said to seat close to 20,000 spectators and was used for theatrical plays, gladiator fights and even public executions.
The area was unearthed during archaeological digs between 1956-1976.
Just a few steps up the hill to its summit is the Basilica of Our Lady of Fourvière or Notre-Dame de Fourvière basilica which was completed late in the 19th century.
With a statue of the Virgin Mary atop it looking down on the city, the views from atop the hill are quite breathtaking and worth a look should you ever visit town.
One other landmark on that same hill very close to the basilica is the metal tower of Fourvière. It looks like a miniature Eiffel Tower and, believe it or not, was built three years before they started construction on the Eiffel Tower.
As the day wore on, the thermometer continued to rise with temperatures reaching a sweltering 106-degrees. Because of that heat, the decision was made to push the start time of the team’s game against the Elan Chalon Moose back to an 8pm start local time to give the gym some time to cool down.
Following a 90-minute bus ride to their destination, it was time for the Bears to play some basketball again.
Unfortunately, the 30-minute delay didn’t necessarily have the desired effect as the heat was also on inside the Le Colisee’, but that didn’t seem to bother the Bears.
Brown came out of the gates fast racing out to 15-point lead after one quarter 29-14 sparked by their solid defense for a second straight outing as well as great ball movement and unselfish play on the offense.
Defense remained the constant for the Bears throughout the game as they held Elon Chalon to 14 points in each of the first three quarters and just 16 in the 4th.
That stingy defense forced 34 Moose turnovers, many of which led to transition buckets for Brown.
“Our players did an outstanding job of setting the tone tonight with their intensity and physicality,” said Brown head coach Mike Martin. “Our defense was disruptive and created offense for our team in transition. We also shared the ball really well against a defense that had great size and length. Our scoring balance was excellent.”
To that last point, the Bears had six players in double figures led by senior forward Malachi Ndur’s 16. Junior forward Nana Owusu-Anane was next with 15 points. The trio of Aaron Cooley, Felix Kloman and Kalu Anya also chipped in with 12 points while junior guard Kino Lilly Jr. had 11 points and a team-high 7 assists. Anya was credited with a team-high 7 rebounds while Owusu-Anane chipped in with 6 assists.
The Bears also finished the game with 23 steals led by the starting frontcourt of Owusu-Anane and Anya, each or whom had 5.
Next up for Brown will be their final game of the trip against AS Monaco Sunday night at 6pm local time (12pm Eastern Time). You can catch the game live on the Brown Athletics YouTube page barring any technical issues. If there are, the full game will be uploaded to YouTube and available shortly after the conclusion of the contest for you to watch at your convenience.
The Bears will stay the night in Lyon before heading to Nice in the French Riviera for the remaining few days of the trip.
Be sure to check back with us each day for updates on what the team is doing.
Until tomorrow, Au revoir from France!
Day Six
The morning after is always better coming off of a victory which the Bears were doing when they awoke in Paris for the final time on the trip on Wednesday.
After another great breakfast, the team and travel party boarded the bus for the long trip southeast to Lyon.
On the way, the trip was broken up with a stop in a small town called Dijon. Before we tell you what was done by the Brown Men’s Basketball Team in Dijon, let me first answer the question that you are probably asking yourself as you read this story.
Does the town’s name have anything to do with what we all know and refer to as Dijon mustard? The answer is, “yes.”
According to Wikipedia, Dijon mustard originated in 1856, when Jean Naigeon of Dijon substituted verjuice, the acidic "green" juice of not-quite-ripe grapes, for vinegar in the traditional mustard recipe. In general, mustards from Dijon today contain white wine rather than verjuice.
So, Dijon mustard was, indeed, invented in this town but the mustard is mostly produced elsewhere today.
What did the Bears do in Dijon? Eat, drink and be merry.
The team was treated to some traditional French fare with different breads, meats and cheeses. And, for those of age, a sampling of a smooth Chardonnay called Bourgogne which, in this writer’s uneducated opinion, was a nice, dry wine with strong hints of apple.
After the food and wine tasting was over with, it was back on the bus for the remaining two hours of the 5 ½ - hour trip to Lyon.
Stepping off the bus, you could feel the heat as temperatures reached 100-degrees in Lyon today. They are expected to hit a high of 106-degrees tomorrow.
The team had the evening to itself to go out to dinner and explore the town as they prepare for the quick turnaround from Tuesday night’s first game to game two of their trip on Thursday night against Elan Chalon.
That game will start at 8pm local time, 2pm Eastern Time and will be broadcast on the Brown Athletics YouTube page. A link will be posted within an hour before the opening tip with the exact link to watch the game on the @BrownU_MBB Twitter page.
a’ demain, bonne nuit de Lyon, France!
Day Five
Gameday!
There was a pep in the Bears’ step at breakfast Tuesday morning knowing that their first game of their 3-game trip to France would be played tonight. Seeing the sights and experiencing the French culture has been fantastic, but the team was looking forward to playing against another opponent for the first time in a while.
But before the Bears would hit the hardwood, they would head to Princes Stadium to visit the home of the Paris Saint Germain Football Club.
A morning tour of the home of one of the world’s most famous soccer players – Kylian Mbappe – would serve as the day’s appetizer with Brown’s game against the Viry-Chatillon Basketball Club later that day being the main course.
A sweltering heat greeted both teams as they entered the Espace Edmund Delfour gymnasium about 90 minutes before the scheduled 7:30pm tip.
Athletic trainer Tori Bouchard and strength coach Dave Downey did a great job preparing the team for this moment and were well equipped with plenty of fluids to keep the team hydrated.
Head Coach Mike Martin sent out a starting five of Kino Lilly (Jr.), Kimo Ferrari (Sr.), Aaron Cooley (Jr.), Kalu Anya (So.) and Nana Owusu-Anane (Jr.) to face their French opponents and the Bears came out solid to start executing their offense unselfishly and playing good, aggressive defense.
Both teams committed a number of turnovers in the later stages of the first 10-minute quarter. Those turnovers kept the game close with the Bears holding a 21-17 lead after one.
Kalu Anya’s offense (16 points for the game) got Brown going in the first before their defense smothered the home team in the second quarter.
Led by Kimo Ferrari’s four steals, the Bears stingy defense led to good offense helping the team pull away from Viry-Chatillon as they outscored the hosts 25-12 in the second quarter for a 46-29 halftime lead.
That trend would continue in the third as the Bears went on an 8-0 run coming out of the locker room on their way to winning the quarter 32-12 for a 78-41 advantage heading into the final frame.
Brown’s size was too much for Viry-Chatillon to handle as Nana Owusu-Anana scored a game-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds. He was one of five Bears in double figures with Anya (16 points, 8 rebounds), Kino Lilly (13 points), Aaron Cooley (12 points) and Felix Kloman (10 points).
All ten players that took the court scored for Brown with Lyndel Erold (7 points), Kimo Ferrari and Sam Klores (6 points each), Malachi Ndur (5 points) and AJ Lesburt (2 points).
Another absolute highlight worth mentioning was the impromptu cheerleading squad assembled by Brown’s Vice President of Athletics and Recreation Dr. M. Grace Calhoun.
With many families on the trip, Calhoun coordinated the cheer squad which consisted of Kate Calhoun, Keira, Avery and Teagan Martin, Thea and Reagan Tyler and Stella and Callie Sorrentine with assistance from Russell Tyler.
That spirited group performed some well-coordinated cheers for the Bears at both halftime and after the game drawing cheers from fans of both teams in the gym.
In the end, it was a 96-58 triumph for the Bears in front or a near-capacity crowd and a solid start to their trip.
“It was great to be back on the court in a competitive situation,” said Brown head coach Mike Martin. “We did some great things at both ends of the floor once we settled in. Obviously, we have a long way to go but you can see the potential for what our team can be.”
Tomorrow the Bears will hop on the bus for the 5+ hour trip from Paris to Lyon where they will play the second game of their trip Thursday night against Elan Chalon at 7:30pm local time (1:30pm Eastern Time).
For now, Au revoir from France!
Day Four
Before we recap day 4 for the Brown Bears trip to France, this author has to add one more highlight from day 3 which was a glaring omission on his part.
Russ Tyler ’71, P’00, P’02 uttered what is currently the one-liner of the trip.
As the Bears gathered in the lobby of the hotel to go out for a nice team dinner, Associate Head Coach T.J. Sorrentine was raving about the fact that so many on the trip got to experience a once-in-a-lifetime moment by visiting the Louvre and seeing the Mona Lisa. To which Tyler responded, “T.J. come on! Would you rather see the Mona Lisa or Kino Lilly’s last-second shot to beat Princeton at the Pizz?”
Everyone was laughing hysterically including the Leonardo da Vinci of that shot himself. Lilly, sitting a few feet away, heard Tyler’s response and could not hold the laughter in.
Despite the absolute beauty of the Mona Lisa, all in the group concurred that Lilly’s game-winning shot was the masterpiece of choice.
Now, onto day 4.
The sun was shining once again in Paris as the Brown Bears awoke from their slumber in the Crowne Plaza Paris Republique hotel.
Again, the Bears fueled up with a hearty breakfast before boarding the bus at 10:15am local time to head due east to a town called Noisy-le-Grand where they got in a morning workout at The One Ball gymnasium for basketball in preparation for their first game of the trip tomorrow night against Es Viry-Chatillon Basketball Club.
While at the gym, Bears’ head coach Mike Martin bumped into a familiar foe. University of Rhode Island forward and French native Josaphat Bilau was working out on one of the other courts in the complex. Bilau had 5 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots against Brown at the Ryan Center in Kingston, RI last December in the Bears’ first-ever win in that building – a 59-58 triumph thanks to a Kalu Anya offensive rebound and dish to Kimo Ferrari who drained the game-winning three with less than a minute to play.
Bilau exchanged greetings with a few of the Brown players as they exited the building with Coach Martin saying the final goodbye to the Rams’ redshirt junior. “Great to see you Josaphat,” Martin said. “We’ll see you soon in a couple of months. Try not to block too many of our shots!” Laughs were exchanged the two went their separate ways.
Good sweat accomplished, the Bears boarded the bus back to the team hotel for a few hours of R&R. A few in the group decided to pay a quick visit to the Louvre before the team’s 4:40pm departure for the Bateaux Mouches Pier for their cruise on the Seine River.
The team and travel party chose to sit on the upper deck of the boat to take advantage of the setting sun, beautiful breeze and spectacular views and they were not disappointed. You can see the many pictures from the cruise in the link below to photos from day 4.
The team returned to the hotel just before 8pm where the rest of the evening was theirs to walk the streets of Paris and grab a bite to eat.
A good night’s rest will be in order as the Bears have a busy day tomorrow. In addition to playing their first game at 7pm here in Paris (1pm Eastern Time), they will also make a morning trek to Princes Park – home of the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club.
Don’t forget that you can watch and listen to Brown’s game tomorrow live or in archived form on the Brown Athletics YouTube page.
Until then, au revoir from Paris!
Day Three
After a much-needed great night of rest at the Crowne Plaza Paris Republique, the Bears recharged their batteries and ready to attack another day.
Many in the travel party including coaches Mike Martin and T.J. Sorrentine decided to take advantage of the beautiful morning weather and head out for an early morning run in the city.
Some jogged alongside the Seine River, others to the famous Musee Du Louvre where brides and grooms could be seen posing for pictures in front of the Louvre Pyramid. No matter where your travels take you in this beautiful city, you are bound to pass something historic or something aesthetically pleasing from an architectural standpoint.
Whether you were an early riser exploring the city or decided to sleep in, an amazing European breakfast awaited you in the hotel restaurant allowing all to fuel up for the day.
And this Sunday was about ascending the Eiffel Tower.
Getting to the Eiffel Tower by bus was the plan, but that plan changed when the party was informed that the bus driver misplaced his key to the bus.
Not to worry. Director of Basketball Operations extraordinaire Sydney Armand had everything under control with Taxi vans awaiting the travel party as they exited the hotel.
In groups of ten, the Bears got on an elevator (or l'ascenseur as they call it here in France) which took them up to heights that allowed for breathtaking views of Paris and beyond. It was a crystal-clear day so visibility was unlimited.
On the way back to the hotel, some of the players visited the Louvre and went inside to see maybe the world’s most famous painting – Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
And that’s not all. Each summer fête foraine (funfair) sets up an amusement park just steps from the Louvre so many decided to take advantage of the rides before heading back to the hotel.
In the evening, the Bears gathered for a nice team meal at a restaurant just across the street from the hotel by the name of Mon Coco. A great meal and good company was enjoyed by all.
Tomorrow, the Bears plan on getting one last workout in before their first game here Tuesday night.
Be sure to check in on BrownBears.com and Instagram and Twitter at @BrownU_MBB for the latest on the #BearsInFrance trip.
Days One & Two
Day 1 of the Brown Men’s Basketball started just before 8 a.m. behind the Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence where the Bears boarded the team bus for their trip to New Jersey.
Their first stop was to the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark where they held one final practice before heading over to Newark Liberty International Airport for their late afternoon flight to Paris, France.
Brown’s plane touched down in Paris, France just after 7:30 a.m. local time (1:30 a.m. EST) for Day 2 of their trip where they boarded a bus and headed to breakfast at a hotel near the airport to fuel up for a busy day.
After breakfast, it was back on the bus for the short drive to Paris where the sightseeing began.
Much like the odd New England summer, the Bears were greeted with a brief period of rain in the morning which gave way to partly sunny skies in the afternoon. The good news is that weather forecasts for the remaining nine days of the trip which also features stops in Lyon and Nice call for dry, sunny and warm conditions.
The first stop of the day was the Eiffel Tower. After being bused around Paris’ most famous landmark, the guys hopped off the bus to take pictures of the tower and selfies in front of it. The stay was brief as the rain was coming down at a fair clip. But, not to worry, the team will be heading back to the Eiffel Tower to ascend to the top if they wish in the coming days.
From there it was back on the bus for a guided tour of the city with sleep-deprived players, coaches and staff powering through the day.
After driving by and stopping at many landmarks, the Bears disembarked their bus again on the banks of the Seine River for a walk across the bridge to the Notre Dame Cathedral which remains under construction and closed following the April 15, 2019 fire which caused serious damage to the historic landmark. Their plan is to have the cathedral reopen next summer prior to Paris playing host to the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Then, it was back to the hotel for check-in time at 3pm local time.
The Bears grabbed their room keys and, after a pep talk from their head coach Mike Martin, headed to their rooms for some rest.
The travel party was on their own to shop, sightsee and for dinner before the team heads back to the Eiffel Tower tomorrow morning to go up into the tower and to the top if they so wish to enjoy some spectacular views of Paris.
Brown’s first game here in France will take place Tuesday, August 22nd against Paris Select at 1pm Eastern Time or 7pm here in Paris.
That game and all three of Brown’s games will be streamed live on the Brown Athletics YouTube page with Scott Cordischi and Russ Tyler ’71 on the call.
For now, au revoir from Paris!
Be sure to check back here on brownbears.com or on Twitter or Instagram @BrownU_MBB for a link to games and for daily posts on the team’s travels.
