STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford hopes a tour to Spain will bring his basketball team closer together.
The 10-day trip could be exactly what the Cowboys need after a rocky patch that has seen defections from the program, a series of injuries and unwanted off-the-court issues.
The team departed Wednesday morning and will play four games while it’s gone, two in Barcelona and two in the Canary Islands. Ford says the coaches left their families behind so their entire focus would be on the players. He has planned several team-building exercises and sightseeing trips in hopes of creating unity.
Center Phillip Jurick, who started 16 games last season before being one of the players lost to injury, will not make the trip after being charged with marijuana possession.
