UConn Athletic Communications / Aug. 4, 2023

MONTE CARLO, Monaco – The UConn men's basketball team had to deal with some fierce competition on Friday during Day 3 of its foreign tour, but it came on a volleyball, not a basketball, court.

The Huskies spotted an open volleyball court at the Baia Bella Beach Club, where the team had stopped for lunch, and it wasn't long before they had procured a ball, chosen sides, and had the restaurant patrons watching the serves, sets, slams and blocks with delight. Unconfirmed reports tagged junior Samson Johnson and sophomore Apostolous Roumoglou as the game's standout players.

Friday was the only day of the nine-day trip that was a day away from basketball for the Huskies. The UConn party started the day of perfect weather by boarding a two-deck catamaran at Fontvielle Harbour and was taken out to the Mediterranean Sea. Along the way were stops for diving (let's call it jumping) off the catamaran into the clear blue water, as smaller dinghies pulled up alongside to ferry the UConn party to the Baia Bella Beach Club for a leisurely lunch and, as it turned out, the volleyball competition.

The trip back to the team hotel provided a little more excitement as the perfect weather day had a complete turnaround. Just as the catamaran was docking, Monaco was hit by an intense thunderstorm, with high winds and a deluge of driving rain. The sight of some 40 members of the UConn party wrapped in towels and scurrying for the team bus was clearly a source of amusement for the locals.

One hour later, it was again bright and sunny.

Saturday will bring a different kind of excitement as the Huskies will play Le Cannet Basket, the first of three games on their trip, at 8 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EDT) at a venue about a 1-hour drive from the team hotel.