Red Wolf MBB preps for trip to the Dominican Republic
The Arkansas State men’s basketball team will get a head start on the 2022-23 season with a foreign tour to the Dominican Republic in August. The Red Wolves will play three games during the nine-day trip from August 5-13.
The foreign tour will feature contests against the Dominican Republic National Team (Aug. 7), Dominican Republic Select Team (Aug. 8) and Dominican Republic U-22 Team (Aug. 10). Game times and venues will be announced at a later date. During the trip, players and staff will conduct a basketball clinic for local kids on Saturday, August 6.
“We are excited to be able to take this group on a foreign tour and gain valuable experience this summer,” said A-State Head Coach Mike Balado. “The bonding that results from extra practice and the games against high level competition will be very beneficial. The educational and cultural experiences that come with visiting the Dominican Republic will be invaluable to this group as well.”
The NCAA allows teams one foreign trip every four academic years. With the foreign trip, teams are afforded the opportunity to conduct 10 team practices prior to departure. The men’s basketball program’s last international trip came in August of 2013, when the Red Wolves traveled to Canada.
A-State returns seven letterwinners and welcomes eight new players to its roster for the 2022-23 campaign. The Red Wolves finished with an 18-11 record last season. Caleb Fields is the Red Wolves’ top returning player after averaging 7.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game last season. Markise Davis (6.2 ppg), Malcolm Farrington (4.3 ppg), Antwon Jackson (3.3 ppg), Avery Felts (3.2 ppg) and Nicolas Tingling (0.8 ppg) are also returning. After appearing in two games before a season-ending injury, Caleb London is back in action as well.
The Red Wolves newcomers include true freshmen Terrance Ford Jr. (Victory Rock Prep) and Izaiyah Nelson (Marietta HS) and transfers Julian Lual (McCook CC), Omar El-Sheikh (Assumption College), Alaaeddine Boutayeb (Florida State), Detrick Reeves (John A. Logan College) and Mak Manciel (Henry Ford College).
