Men's Basketball Italy Trip Diary - DAY 9 - Providence College Athletics

Aug. 26, 2002

*Note - Assistant Coach Bob Walsh will chronicle the team's trip through Italy. His reports will be posted regulary on www.friars.com. Reports on all the team's game action are available on www.friars.com.

Day 9 - Florence to Poppi

Our guys awoke today fired up for our final game. As much as we stressed the cultural experience and team unity aspects of this trip, we still compete for a living and no one likes to get beat. After losing two in a row, we talked as a group about finishing the trip strong and ending on a high note.

The day started with what was supposed to be a quick trip to Florence for some sightseeing and some shopping. Our tour guide took us through downtown Florence to the Duomo and Michelangelo's statue of David. The Church (Duomo means "House of God") was incredible, similar to the one we saw in Milan. Our guys were amazed at the architecture and the fact that it took 140 years to build.

Just after noon we broke up to do some shopping in the streets of Florence. There was an incredible selection of outdoor shops set up similar to what we see in New York City during the BIG EAST Tournament on Canal Street. Most of bought some small gifts to take home.

We wanted to get back to the hotel in the early afternoon to get some rest, but thanks to a storm that jammed up traffic downtown, we could not get back to our hotel until 4:00 p.m. It was time to eat, dress and get back on the bus.

Our guys were pumped up to see Marty Conlon show up at our hotel to join us for the game. It is cool to see how much he still cares about PC. He would end up taking the bus with us to the game, not arriving back afterwards until 3:30 a.m.

In our pre-game staff meeting were concerned about fatigue. Rob and Leland both were not going to be able to play, leaving us again with only nine bodies in uniform. We also had a longer day in Florence than was expected and the ride to the gym took over two hours.

When the ball went up, however, our guys were fired up and playing with energy. We went with Kareem, Rome, Tuukka, Ryan and Marcus. We were able to control the game early. We were playing Livorno, another team from the top division in Italy that featured Keith McLeod from Bowling Green and Rodney Elliott from Maryland.

We worked the ball inside effectively, but stalled at the end of the first quarter to trail 15-14. The game was extremely physical, and we worried on the bench that the refs might loose control. We battled back in the second quarter despite still committing too many turnovers to take a 33-30 halftime lead.

Led by the trio of Kareem Hayletts, Marcus Douthit and Ryan Gomes, we attempted to seize control of the game in the third quarter, opening up a 10-point lead. Unfortunately, Livorno started pumping in shots and they cut our lead to 2 at the end of the frame.

The fourth quarter was an outright battle and Kareem continued to make big plays to keep us on top. For the fourth time in five games, he did not miss a shot, finishing an astounding 16-18 in Italy. We opened up a 66-60 lead with 3 minutes to play, but after a steal, a stop and some deep three-point baskets, Livorno had 9 straight points and a 69-66 lead.

Off of a missed free throw and with no time left, Sheiku Kabba executed a perfect pick and pop play with Maris Laksa, and Maris poured in the game-tying 3 with 5 seconds to go. The stunned home crowd applauded our competitiveness and we were headed into overtime.

We scored the first 3 points of overtime, but could not sustain our momentum as Livorno's deep bench wore us down. They opened up a 4-point lead and then rode their free throws to secure an 83-81 win.

Marcus Douthit had his best game tonight on what we hope will be a breakout trip for him. He made 9-19 shots and finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 blocks in 29 minutes. Ryan Gomes also had his best game in Italy, knocking in 11-16 shots to finish with 25 points and 10 rebounds.

Kareem Hayletts was once again outstanding, going 4-4 from the field to end up with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Rome Augustin led the defense once again and also helped out with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Maris Laksa chipped in 12 points, making 3-5 three pointers. Tuukka Kotti gave us another steady contribution with 4 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Overall, the only disappointing aspect tonight was the result. We were shorthanded and certainly leg tired and we hopped off a 2.5 hour bus ride and really competed. The bus ride home was tough, but a lot of guys stayed up. I could hear Abdul singing songs and Kareem, Rome, Chris, Steve and Tuukka talking about managerial finance class.

This trip has been outstanding, but reality is starting to hit our guys tonight. I hope they were taking good notes on the Renaissance today - Western Civ starts on Tuesday.

GO FRIARS!

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Nebraska on November 7, 2026 at TBA

Providence College Athletics

Men's Basketball Italy Trip Diary - DAY 9

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