August 18, 2015
By Kitija Laksa

Let me tell you first about what we did yesterday. About seven of us went to Laia Flores' house. It was Ariadna, Maria, Laura Ferreira, Shalethia and Alisia. We all went to Laia's house in Mataro. We went there by train, which took about 40 minutes. It was fun because we saw all the little cities outside of Barcelona. On one side of the railroad tracks there were towns and on the other side, there were beaches. We all enjoyed the views.

Laia's mom made us lunch. We had paella, spaghetti and french fries and some other foods. It was a lot of different food so someone had at least one thing that they liked. We had fun. We played games like table tennis and monopoly. We just had a good time and enjoyed ourselves and the time we had together. We were there for about six hours until we left at about 6 p.m.

Then we went to Ariadna's house to say hi to her family. They live in Mataro as well. It's a pretty small city. I really liked it there right next to the beach and the weather was great. Then we went back to our hotel in Barcelona.

The experience of this whole trip has been awesome. I've loved being here. I've loved every moment the men's and women's team has been together. It's been great to have all of these games so early in the year and to be able to play with my teammates. I'm new here and it's important for me to get to know everyone.

I've had so much fun playing here. This has made me feel even more comfortable with my choice to be here at USF. It couldn't be better. I like the coaches. I like the team. I like the way we play. I don't feel like I'm totally new here. I feel good. I feel wanted. I feel like I'm at the right place.

It was even more fun to have some of our donors and administrators on the trip. It was amazing to feel how loved we are. It was a pleasure to be here and it's still a pleasure to be a USF Bull. 

August 17, 2015
By Bo Zeigler

Yesterday was probably the best dinner we had as far as everyone experiencing the different types of scenery and culture that was around us. It was about 9 p.m. and the sun was setting. It looked beautiful along the water and the yachts that were docked nearby. The guys are realizing that they are outside of their comfort zone, but continue to try new things. I tried the squid last night. Man, that was tough. I think that was tougher to try than the snails we had earlier on the trip. The guys certainly do appreciate everything that they've got to experience on this trip and the administration, alumni and boosters that have made it happen.  

Today was a fine-tuning day for our game tomorrow. We had a good practice. Coach wanted us to better execute a few things on the floor because we were sloppy in a few areas in our last game. We got some shots up. Ruben hit about 20 shots in a row. Coach was trying to instill a bit of confidence in Jahmal because he's going to play a big role for us this year. We worked on a 2-2-1 zone for the next game that we play to add a little bit more pressure on our opponent as well as conserve some energy. So we just worked on some different things today.

We've been away from Tampa for nine days now, but I don't think anyone is ready to go home yet. It's been hard to find some of the guys sometimes because they haven't been just lying around the hotel. They are always out seeing the city and exploring the culture here.

I think more than anything we are just looking forward to getting back on the floor and earning a win. We are 1-2 right now after tasting victory on Saturday. We know we've been playing against a good group of teams out here with professional athletes and Tuesday will be no different. We want to limit our turnovers tomorrow. We feel like if we commit less turnovers and rebound the ball better than we can give ourselves a shot to win.

It's been a great trip overall and it's been great to bond with the women's team who know about having success. We want to have a winning culture with both programs at USF. We appreciate the donors for everything they did for us and for bringing us out here. It's been a great opportunity for everyone on this team and one that we will remember forever. 

August 16, 2015
By Micah Kroll

It was our educational day today in Barcelona. Our trip started by going up a mountain that overlooked the city. A lot of people took selfies. I mean, a lot, like 10 people bought selfie sticks while we were there for about 7 euros. I think Nehemias and Alisia's broke as soon as they got them so they got new ones. There was a lot of sightseeing today, which was really nice. We liked this educational day better than the one in Madrid. We seemed to have a lot more fun here. The museums that we went to just aren't our style. We actually got to see what Barcelona and Spain looks like. Everyone took a bunch of pictures today.

Then we went to Olympic Stadium where the 1992 summer games were held. Alisia really liked that because she used to run track in high school. She said her high school coach would have been amazed to see her there. It was cool to look at the track and imagine the event going on back then.

The Sagrada Familia was the best place that we went to. Our tour guide was with us the whole day and she was telling us what everything was and what it all means. My grandmother told me that was her favorite spot so I bought her a rosary which has the roses from there. They've always told me about it but I've never been there until now. My grandma saw it many years ago, but it probably looks different now since it's still under construction and has been for 133 years. So I was really excited to take pictures and show her when I get home and get her something from there since she's so religious. I bought a cross there. So did Neena. Our family is very catholic. My grandmother lives in Tampa now, but she is originally from Spain. So I have a little bit of Spanish in me. I don't know any Spanish though, but I can pick up a few things that people say.

We also went to the Maremagnum Shopping Center for lunch, which is was right next to the Mediterranean Sea and near the Olympic Village. Most of us got pizza and all ate it in 10 minutes. It was a good break from the Spanish food.

Tomorrow we have another day off from competition, but we will get to practice here at a gym near our hotel.

August 15, 2015
By Chris Perry

I woke up early and went to breakfast with my teammates. Then I went back to sleep because I'm still not right on time with the whole time zone change. We all met for our pregame meal at 3:30 p.m. Today's game was good. I had a better game than usual because it wasn't as hot in the gym like it was our first two games. Finally I got to enjoy myself while playing. The experience has been really good so far. I've been bonding a lot with my teammates. We've been playing chess lately. Things like that really brings people that aren't usually together, together. Like Nehemias and I for example.

We got a win today! The games here are so much different than back home. They are so physical and then today they called a lot of touchy fouls on us. We would try to post up or get good position in the lane and a foul would be called. We'll have to readjust on Tuesday when we play. We were up by about 15 the whole game so it was a pretty comfortable win.

Roddy had a great game. His size is such a huge advantage for him. He has an ability to get into the paint. He's so strong and he's always going to be bigger than the other point guard because he's 6-4. Having a tall point guard makes things easier for everyone else.

We were at a team dinner last night trying new things. I hate things that have gravy on it. They brought out these snails and everyone tried it. Bo and I were the last two people to try it and we didn't say too much because we didn't want to be in the spotlight, but then there were people with their phones taking pictures. I put a lot of salt on it and swallowed it whole so I don't really know what it tasted like. Bo would know what it tasted like because he actually chewed it. The food in that place was amazing though, especially the chicken. I'm happy we got to try some new things and everyone tried it. The comradery on this trip has been great. Tomorrow we have another educational day here in Barcelona.

August 14, 2015
By Nehemias Morillo

We woke up around 8 a.m. this morning to put our bags on a truck to be delivered to our hotel in Barcelona. After that we ate breakfast before going to the train station just down the street from our hotel. I have never been on a train before. It was really fancy inside. There was a monitor on the wall that told us how fast the train was going. The fastest I saw it at was 280 kph. It took about three hours to get to Barcelona on the train. I noticed a lot of mountains on the ride before I fell asleep. We got to Barcelona at 3:30 p.m. The first thing I noticed about Barcelona was how crowded the streets are with people. Ruben told me that Barcelona has a lot more tourist and Madrid is more about history and culture.

In Barcelona we are staying at a nice hotel called Le Meridien.  We checked in at about 4 p.m. and got on the bus for practice at 5:30 p.m. Our practice was shorter than normal, but we went over some things to get prepared for tomorrow's game.

I've never been to Spain before, or as we call it in the Dominican Republic, the motherland. In history, Spain conquered the Dominican Republic and some South American countries. So that's why we call Spain the motherland because we get a lot of our history and culture from Spain. There are also a lot of Dominican's in Spain.

The game of chess is back. We've been playing it so much lately after I ordered a roll out chess board off of Amazon. I got it specifically for this trip and I'll be bringing it on the road this year. Our director of basketball operations, Jerry McCullough, finally beat me. But I'm pretty sure he cheated. He really knows how to play though. He's not a beginner like Roddy, Jake or Ruben. Chris Perry was really good early on, but he got cocky. I've been playing since I was 15 when my brother taught me how to play. I have some experience.

For dinner, the women's and men's team, along with our coaches, staff and donors went to another fantastic restaurant called Los Caracoles. We ate calamari, pork, chicken and snails. Believe it or not, we all tried the snails. It was a great time and another great day here in Spain. 

August 13, 2015
By Laura Ferreira

Today was an educational day for us. On this trip we will earn up to three hours of an upper level elective as we learn about the culture and history of Spain. This morning after breakfast, we met with our professor from USF, Dr. Patrick Finelli. He told us the plan for the day before we walked from our hotel to a museum called Museo Del Prado. It was a really nice building. It was big with some amazing paintings that are over 500 years old. We got together as a team to discuss what we saw and share opinions of the different art on display. Then we ate a quick lunch before heading to another museum called Reina Sofia. On the way there we had another opportunity to see the streets and the cool buildings that are in Madrid. The museum was really nice. It featured more modern art. There were a lot of paintings from Pablo Picasso. I'm very familiar with Picasso because in Portugal, we studied a lot of his work in school.

Yesterday at the game, we played really well. We improved on the things that we did wrong the day before. Coach was happy because we ran the floor really well. It was a fun game for me to play in because my mom, sister and two of my friends got to see me play. It was really nice to have someone from Portugal to see me play and it was the first time that any of them got to see me play in a USF uniform. They were here cheering and waving a big Portugal flag. It felt great to have that support.

This is my first time in Madrid. There is so much history there. Everywhere you go there is a historic building or monument. Portugal is kind of like this, but it's very different from America. The center of Portugal's capital city, Lisbon, is kind of like Madrid. 

A lot of my teammates keep talking about the food here, but I like it. I actually prefer it over American food. I keep telling my teammates to try new things and get out and explore the city. We are so fortunate to have a chance like this. It's been an unforgettable experience so far. Tomorrow we will travel to Barcelona on a train. I can't wait to experience another new city. 

August 12, 2015
By Courtney Williams

I woke up this morning and had some breakfast. I'm still getting used to the food here so I'm trying to adjust the best way I know how. I figured watermelon for me at breakfast is the best thing for me at this point. I'm still adapting to the time change so I went back to sleep in the room until we had to leave on the bus at 1 p.m. for our game.

The gym was an hour away from our hotel which allowed me plenty of time for a nap. We got to the court about an hour and a half before the start of the game so we could check things out and get used to the rim. This court was much better than the one we played on yesterday. It had a better grip so we aren't sliding anywhere. The only problem with this court was the out-of-bounds line. It was kind of tricky because we are so used to running wide. Coach Fernandez always says “run wide, run wide.” On this court, there were a lot of different lines on it from when they play handball there. There was a thick blue line on the court beyond the thin white line for basketball that threw people off.

Overall, we played way better than yesterday. We jumped on them early and kind of killed their spirit. The difference was that we were ready to play. Yesterday, everyone was trying to get into the flow. Also, in yesterday's game, coach played so many different lineups. Today he stuck with eight or nine until the fourth quarter. We were really comfortable playing with each other. We also defended well and got out and ran the floor. I thought Kitija really played well today. She was making shots and ran the floor well. Shalethia also played well. She ran the ball for us and pushed the tempo. She made our team fast today.

It's been a great time here in Spain. I like it a lot better than South Korea. South Korea was way more foreign than Spain. I don't eat the food here that much, but I didn't even touch the food in South Korea. I tried to be open, but I didn't like any of it. Here in Spain, it's more Americanized. There is an H&M, McDonalds and Steak & Shake right down the road. Another reason I like Spain over my trip to South Korea is because of my teammates. It got lonely in South Korea. So I'm really enjoying myself here. 

August 11, 2015
By Roddy Peters

I was really anxious to finally be able to play in a game so I didn't go to sleep until 4 a.m. last night. Then when I finally went to sleep I woke up around 7 a.m. and went back to sleep again. We had breakfast in the hotel at 9 a.m.

The whole day I was worried about the game, but coach told me to be stress free and loose so I started to relax and when it was game time I was fine. During the game, my teammates and I did a good job especially in the first three quarters. We did a good job of playing together as a team. We had a lead for most of the game, but we got a little fatigued at the beginning of the fourth quarter. I had some cramps towards the end of the game because it was pretty warm in the gym. So some things started to break down for us, but we can learn from that. I am just happy to start playing again after sitting out a full year. It's been hard for me because I really wanted to help them last year. So now I'm finally getting a chance. Coach has given me the green light to lead the team so now all I have to do is take on the challenge every day which is going to be hard, but I know I can do it.

So far in Spain, I've been having a great time. My teammates and I have been hanging out together and with the women's team. At home we don't hang out with the women's team that much so this trip has really opened things up. I'm getting to know the women's players a lot better now. They are pretty cool and it's been great getting to know them.

I just want to tell all the Bulls fans that they are going to be really satisfied with what we do this year. We have some big things coming in the future.The biggest challenge over here in Spain is just talking to people in general because I don't know any Spanish. I now regret not taking Spanish as serious as I could have in high school because I could have used that now to talk to people. I've just been relying on Ruben and Nehemias to talk to people for me. Now after I get back to the U.S., I'm going to try to learn some Spanish.

August 10, 2015
By Laura Marcos Canedo

Before I tell you about today's adventures, yesterday was an exciting day for me. We got here to Madrid at about 7 a.m. local time and even though I was expecting to see my parents on this trip, I didn't expect see them right after we landed. But as soon as we got past the gate, I saw them standing there waiting for me. I was like, “oh my gosh, my parents are here!” I was really surprised. Everyone on the team knows them, so it was pretty cool. They brought tortilla española for the entire team which is a typical dish here in Spain. The rest of the day was fun. We walked around as a team and went to some new places. Some of my teammates went to Steak & Shake with the guys because that was the first American place they saw. Then we ate at a really nice restaurant with some of our great donors. It was cool seeing my teammates eat some other things like octopus and things that we don't have in the U.S.

Today was spent getting used to the six-hour time difference and getting a practice in. My roommate Shalethia Stringfield and I slept most of the morning before heading with the guys to practice at 1:30 p.m. It was a warm day outside which made it warm in the gym. It was funny though to see my teammates' faces when they walked in the gym, because they are not used to this type of facility. It was just a practice gym and the ones that we will play games in will be much better. Still they are not used to having no air conditioning in the buildings. It just shows how fortunate we are to have a facility like the Muma Center. It was a fun trip hanging in the back of the bus with the guys and girls together. Doing things like that helps us become a closer Bulls family.

We get to interact with each other a lot on this trip. Today after practice, Chris Perry and Bo Zeigler came with Micah Kroll, Neena Pacholke and I. They wanted me to show them around and also answer questions like, “where can I go get some burgers? Where can I get some chicken fingers?” Here we don't eat those a lot. But they did get to go to KFC which is right down the street from our hotel. So both the men's and the women's team have spent a lot of time together already. I can't wait to play our first game tomorrow. It's so cool to be able to compete for my school in my country!

August 9, 2015
By Ruben Guererro

We woke up around 7:30 a.m. in Tampa. We got dressed with our new shirts for the trip. We
arrived at Muma at 8 a.m. and all of us, both the men's and women's team ate breakfast at Champs. When we got to the airport at 10:30 a.m. the weather was nice. Then it started storming like crazy for about an hour. So we got delayed. First it was about 20 minutes, then it was an hour. We finally got on the plan and headed to Washington D.C. We boarded the plane in D.C. right after we landed and headed for Madrid. The flight was long. I watched about three movies. I watched We Are the Millers and Grown Ups. Then I watched some kind of documentary about Egyptians. I forgot the name of it. I didn't sleep at all. I watched those three movies straight through the night. The flight was okay. We had some turbulence for about an hour. For me who has done it many times it was like a normal flight. But for some people who have never been out of the states it was weird. But it wasn't too bad. I was expecting a longer flight. It was definitely different for them with nothing but movies and music for about seven hours.

Then we got to Madrid. We had two big busses. One for the men's team and one for the 

women's. The guys were surprised because the roads were narrow. It wasn't like it was in America. There was a lot of graffiti. My teammates were like, “Wow, this is really different.” Then we got to our hotel, The Westin Palace, a really nice hotel. It's different for them because we have a lot of art and pictures on the walls and the ceilings which is different than in America. Then we unpacked. Roddy (Peters), Nehemias (Morillo), Jake (Bodway) and I walked around with Carlos, who was with the management company that helped organize this trip for us. He took us to Plaza, which is a big square where people meet to go shopping. Then we went to The Royal Palace, which is where the royal family in Spain used to live. They have since moved out of Spain. For Jake, Nehemias and Roddy, they had never seen anything like that in their lives. It was really surprising for them. Even the places where people live, you can see all the art and history just by looking at the windows and the doors.

We went to a little market and walked around and ate some food. We got back to the hotel and slept because we were so tired from the time change. We slept for about five hours. Then we got dressed and went to this really nice restaurant that Richard Gonzmart took us to, El Barril De Las Letras. It was with our whole travel party, which included the women's team. I liked the food. I ate octopus, calamari and then I ate two steaks, mine and Jake's. Then I ate two deserts, mine and Jake's. Then we went to the mall to get some clothes and then went back to the hotel. Tomorrow both teams will head to the gym to practice for Tuesday's games.