As basketball season begins, looking back on a summer trip to remember

It’s nearing tip-off for the 2024-2025 men’s basketball season, but Northwestern had a summer to remember.

The Wildcats took a tour of Italy and Greece, playing three exhibition games in late August. The 10-day itinerary included stops in Venice, Florence and Athens.

The NCAA allows teams to conduct a foreign tour every four years, and this was Northwestern’s first trip since visiting France and Italy in 2019.

On the journey, players bonded while taking in historical sights and learning about the history of architecture and influential historical figures. On the court, the ’Cats played professional teams from Serbia and Greece — for some players, it was their first taste of international competition.

“This trip was an amazing experience for our team to not only to compete but build camaraderie leading into this new season,” said graduate student Ty Berry, who started in 23 games in 2023-2024 before missing the end of the season due to injury.

Last season, Northwestern finished third in the Big Ten Conference, tying a single-season school-record by winning 12 games in conference play. Under the leadership of Sullivan-Ubben Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Collins, the ’Cats reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and finished with a 22-12 record.

With all that in the rearview mirror, Northwestern is making final preparations for the new season before a home exhibition on Oct. 30 against Lewis, followed by the opener on Nov. 4 against Lehigh.

These are some of the shots Northwestern Now gathered among the hundreds of images captured by Northwestern Athletics photographers on the trip.