Published: August 19, 2008 10:24 pm      

MEN'S BASKETBALL: UB touring courts in Canada

Another Buffalo team is playing preseason games north of the border.

On the heels of the Bills’ Toronto Series debut, the University at Buffalo men’s basketball squad began practicing Tuesday for a series of exhibitions against Ontario college teams over the Labor Day weekend.

The Bulls will play four games in four days, taking advantage of an NCAA rule that allows teams to take a foreign trip every four years. They open at Brock University in St. Catharines on Aug. 29, then visit McMaster University in Hamilton (Aug. 30), Queen’s University in Kingston (Aug. 31), and finish up at Carleton University in Ottawa (Sept. 1), according to Jon Fuller, a team spokesman.

Since the games will be played after the fall semester begins, coach Reggie Witherspoon will be allowed to bring freshmen forwards Mitchell Watt and Titus Robinson.

The trip will also be a homecoming of sorts for junior forwards Adekambi Laleye and Max Boudreau, who hail from Ottawa and Montreal, respectively.

While relying heavily on local products Greg Gamble (Niagara Falls) and Byron Mulkey (Niagara-Wheatfield) last season, the Bulls finished 10-20, with a 3-13 mark in Mid-American Conference play. They lost to Miami by one point in the opening round of the MAC Tournament.

UB is among at least a dozen teams, including defending national champion Kansas, playing in Canada over the Labor Day weekend.

While the Bulls will likely face stiff competition, particularly from Carleton, a Canadian

Interuniversity Sport Final Four participant last season, they’ll benefit most from a 10-practice head start to the 2008-09 campaign.

Before taking his Canisius team to Italy last week, coach Tom Parrotta noted the benefits of these preseason practices.

“We’ve been able to input our offensive and defensive systems in mid-August and we’ve been working on them for a week,” he said. “Not only will this trip be an educational experience off the court, but it has also allowed us to grow on the floor as well.”

The Golden Griffins won their first exhibition game of the tour Tuesday, defeating Pallone Tensostatico via Respighi, 89-54, behind 19 points from Chris Gadley, an Amherst native who sat out last season after transferring from Hofstra.