Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball going global with three games in Italy, Croatia

The Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team captivated the nation last year from Iowa City, to Seattle, to Dallas on their magical run to the Final Four. So, why not take things even bigger and better?

That is precisely what the Hawkeyes are doing. The Iowa women’s team is going to Italy and Croatia in August to play three international games over the stretch of August 4-16. Why not make things global when you have the biggest star in women’s basketball in Caitlin Clark? She took America by storm and now can do the same globally.

Per Iowa’s official site, the team will take an international tour to the Amalfi Coast, Dubrovnik, Naples, and Split. The opponents have yet to be released. These exhibitions will be an experience for the Hawkeyes to travel abroad, experience Italy and Croatia, and spread the rapidly growing game of women’s basketball as some of the best ambassadors of the sport.

“We are incredibly excited to have the resources and opportunity to expose our program and give our players an opportunity to travel abroad. It will add tremendous value to their life experience, education and allow our team to get practice and game reps we wouldn’t get otherwise,” Iowa head women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder said of the upcoming summer trip.

Longtime starter Gabbie Marshall made the decision to return to Iowa City for another season with the Hawkeyes. Now, she gets to take part in this historic trip for the program.

“We’re all super excited to share this trip with our teammates that haven’t been overseas yet. It should be a great team bonding experience for us,” Marshall said.

It will be the program’s first overseas expedition since the Hawkeyes traveled to Spain in the summer of 2019.

This news comes on the heels of more local news regarding the schedule for next season. Iowa’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will both be playing in Des Moines on Dec. 16 at Wells Fargo Arena. This doubleheader of games will see the women take on Cleveland State and the men face Florida A&M.

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Story originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire