Red Flash Foreign Tour

After a nine-hour flight from JFK Airport to Fiumicino Airport (Rome), we arrived at the Eternal City at 11 a.m. Italian time on Friday, Aug. 3. It was there that we met our travel agent from Anthony Travel and we were off and running with a stop at the Roman Colosseum. The Colosseum is the largest amphitheater in the world and used to host gladiator battles and other public spectacles with a capacity up to 80,000 people.

After a two-hour our stop at the Colosseum we checked into our hotel and then it was off to dinner for an Italian Style Meal where we were served three pasta dishes, steak and a berry cheesecake.

Saturday was a busy day that started at the St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, the largest Catholic Church in the World. The architecture and detail of the church is breathtaking. The Vatican reserved a private chapel for us in the basement of the Basilica so that we could enjoy a team mass together. Our team chaplain, Fr. Joe Chancellor conducted the mass which was the thrill of a lifetime for him as well as our players.

Next, we received a private tour of the Swiss Guard Barracks. The Swiss Guard has served as the de facto military of Vatican City and the Pope's personal protection since the early 16th century. The players were taken into the artillery room and were in awe of the weaponry, armor and costumes of the Guard. Members of the Swiss Guard range from ages 18-30. We were surprised to learn they have a basketball team and we even got to see the basketball court where they play.

Our next guided tour was of the Vatican Museums which ends with a stop at the Sistine Chapel. The detail, craftsmanship and care behind Michaelangelo's greatest work is stunning.

Sunday's events started with a tour of the Church of San Pietro (Saint Peter's in Chains) which houses Michaelangelo's Moses sculpture. He was commissioned to create the masterpiece for Pope Julius II but was unable to finish the piece before the Pope's death because he needed to take a break to work on the Sistine Chapel. It took him 40 years to finish the sculpture.

After our morning pit stop we returned to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica because Pope Francis was scheduled to say mass from the top of the Vatican. Thousands of people crowded to listen to his 10-minute sermon. We were so fortunate to be there and say that we saw the Pope.

Our next stop was to the Trevi Fountain, the largest fountain in Rome. If you throw a coin from your right hand over your left shoulder and into the fountain, your top wish is said to come true.

Our last tourist destination in Rome was to the Pantheon, an ancient Roman Temple that has since been turned into a Catholic Church. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome.

GAME ONE - Rome All-Stars

Sunday night we played the Rome All-Stars in our first of three games on the tour. The Italian team was difficult to defend, moved the ball well and could shoot the three ball. They jumped out to an early lead after making four of their first five three-pointers but our guys responded and pulled away for a 96-57 victory. Our new guys acclimated themselves really well. Freshman Myles Thompson (Camden, N.J./Camden) led the way with 15 points and six rebounds. Sophomore transfer Ramiir Dixon-Conover (Newark, N.J./South Kent) was a spark off the bench with 12 points and Luidgy Laporal (Petit-Boutg, France/Harcum C.C.) started and finished with 10 points and six rebounds. Freshman Precious Ikediashi (Hoboken, N.J./Hudson Catholic) was active, recording five points and eight rebounds and Bryce Laskey (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) and A.J. Labriola (Altoona, Pa./Bishop Guilfoyle) also got in the scoresheet.

The veterans also played well as the depth of this team was on full display. Junior Randall Gaskins Jr. scored 14 points, senior Andre Wolford (North Olmstead, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) drained four three-pointers for 12 points, junior Keith Braxton (Glassboro, N.J./Delsea) finished with nine points and seven rebounds, senior Jamaal King (Salisbury, Md./Bishop O'Connell (Va.)) added seven points, junior Deivydas Kuzavas (Kretinga, Lithuania/St. Mary's Ryken (Md.)) grabbed eight boards, sophomore Mark Flagg (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) chipped in with six points and sophomore Dan Henry (Hamburg, N.Y./Hamburg) had the highlight of the night with a slick reverse layup for his first points in an SFU uniform. You can watch the highlights of the game as well as the trip in the embedded video below.