VICTORIA – The University of Victoria men's basketball team is leaving no stone unturned as they look to challenge for a U SPORTS championship in 2023-24 with a stacked preseason schedule, including an international trip to the Bahamas. The Vikes are heading to Nassau, Bahamas, from August 6th through 13th to play a pair of exhibition games against two top NCAA Division 1 teams in Xavier University and Penn State University.

"This is huge for us and our program, to get an opportunity to play two NCCA programs which both made the second round of the NCAA tournament last season. It's a great chance for us to get together early, to bond as a team, and to face some really tough competition," said head coach Craig Beaucamp.

Penn State finished the 23-14 campaign in 2022-23 that saw the Nittany Lions advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Xavier welcomed back head coach Sean Miller last season and responded with a 27-10 campaign that featured a run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen.

The Vikes are coming off a second-straight Canada West title which earned them a number No. 1-seed in the 2023 U SPORTS Final 8 tournament before taking fourth place in the country. The games will be an excellent test for the team, who graduated captain and powerhouse forward Dominick Oliveri and will be looking for leadership from Diego Maffia, who is coming off his rookie season in the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) with the Vancouver Bandits.

Beaucamp, who enters his 21st year as the Vikes head coach, will be returning from a busy summer representing Canada as an assistant coach with Canada's U19 men at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Basketball Championship from June 24-July 2, in Debrecen, Hungary.  

"It's always an honour to represent Canada, and we've made some great inroads at the age group level to be competitive on the world stage over the last few years," said Beaucamp.

"It's a unique opportunity and great professional development for me to work with some of the top players in our country at the U19 level and spend time around the top coaches and players in the world. It's always special to be a part of a team in a world championship year."

2023 BAHA MAR HOOPS SUMMER LEAGUE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, August 8
Xavier vs. University of Victoria, 4:30 p.m. ET
Penn State vs. The Bahamas, 7 p.m.
 
Thursday, August 10
Penn State vs. University of Victoria, 4:30 p.m. ET
Xavier vs. The Bahamas 7:30 p.m.

ABOUT BAHA MAR HOOPS
As part of Baha Mar Hoops, the resort welcomes more than 20 NCAA teams for a three-tournament, regular-season event each November as well as holds a summer league that includes exhibition games against international competition as part of a foreign tour.