Men’s Basketball Explores Valencia
Aug 12 | Men's Basketball
VALENCIA, Spain – Rutgers men's basketball visited Valencia, a port city that lies upon Spain's southeastern coast, for three days during its tour abroad. The Scarlet Knights explored both the urban and rural offerings of the city, renowned for its oranges, futuristic architecture, beaches, and short-grain rice.
"I liked the culture," said junior Jacob Young. "Valencia was more of a vacation spot. In Madrid, they spoke mostly Spanish, but I met more people from in the United States in Valencia. The heat was similar to Texas, but with a beach."
First on the agenda was a stop at the City of Arts and Sciences, a group of futuristic buildings designed in large part by architects Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. Among the breathtaking structures are the Oceanogràfic, Europe's biggest aquarium, the Hemisfèric, the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opera house, the Umbracle, and the Ágora. Calatrava also designed the Oculus, the new World Trade Center PATH station in Lower Manhattan.
The Scarlet Knights enjoyed a guided walking tour of the old town center, featuring the Valencia Cathedral, the historic Central Market and Virgin square. Inside the Cathedral resides a cup believed by many to be the Holy Grail, as well as two paintings by Francisco de Goya.
Jet skiing in the Mediterranean Sea was on Sunday's agenda after a victory earned in elevated temperatures on Saturday night. The Scarlet Knights were greeted by record setting weather in Valencia, with Friday's 108-degree high signaling the city's hottest day in 150 years.
"Out top jet skier is either Shaq (Carter) or Luke (Nathan)," said sophomore Myles Johnson. "Luke took on some waves and hit some big jumps."
Rutgers wrapped-up its weekend with an authentic paella dinner in El Palmar, a region steeped in rice cultivation and fishing. The travel party arrived at the restaurant via boats which navigated the lagoons that help to nourish the rice fields.
"The boat trip was really nice through a type of marshland," said Johnson. "We got to watch the sun set. I didn't even know Spain had environments like that."
"That was definitely interesting," added Young. "At the restaurant, they brought us back to the kitchen to show how the paella was cooked. The food was good. It was an authentic, home-cooked meal."
On Monday, the Scarlet Knights departed for Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city, located on the Mediterranean shore approximately 75 miles south of the Pyrenees mountains and the border of France. RU plays the third of its four games that evening, squaring-off with the Mataro All-Stars in an 8:30 p.m. local tip-off.
Rutgers shot 54.2 percent (32-of-59) to defeat the CC Basketball Academy 86-47 Saturday evening in a contest halted after three quarters due to moisture on the court. Young was 7-of-8 from the field to score a game-high 19 points and help RU improve to 2-0 on the tour.
"I feel better about myself," responded Young when asked about his return to action after redshirting last season as a transfer from Texas. "My teammates have been waiting for me. Most people don't know how tough it is (to sit out). Pete (Kiss) knows. I always talked to him about it. I'm happy to be back."
Fans are encouraged to visit the team's Twitter and Instagram accounts. Highlight videos, statistics, game recaps, stories and photos will be posted throughout the tour.
"I liked the culture," said junior Jacob Young. "Valencia was more of a vacation spot. In Madrid, they spoke mostly Spanish, but I met more people from in the United States in Valencia. The heat was similar to Texas, but with a beach."
First on the agenda was a stop at the City of Arts and Sciences, a group of futuristic buildings designed in large part by architects Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela. Among the breathtaking structures are the Oceanogràfic, Europe's biggest aquarium, the Hemisfèric, the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opera house, the Umbracle, and the Ágora. Calatrava also designed the Oculus, the new World Trade Center PATH station in Lower Manhattan.
The Scarlet Knights enjoyed a guided walking tour of the old town center, featuring the Valencia Cathedral, the historic Central Market and Virgin square. Inside the Cathedral resides a cup believed by many to be the Holy Grail, as well as two paintings by Francisco de Goya.
Jet skiing in the Mediterranean Sea was on Sunday's agenda after a victory earned in elevated temperatures on Saturday night. The Scarlet Knights were greeted by record setting weather in Valencia, with Friday's 108-degree high signaling the city's hottest day in 150 years.
"Out top jet skier is either Shaq (Carter) or Luke (Nathan)," said sophomore Myles Johnson. "Luke took on some waves and hit some big jumps."
Rutgers wrapped-up its weekend with an authentic paella dinner in El Palmar, a region steeped in rice cultivation and fishing. The travel party arrived at the restaurant via boats which navigated the lagoons that help to nourish the rice fields.
"The boat trip was really nice through a type of marshland," said Johnson. "We got to watch the sun set. I didn't even know Spain had environments like that."
"That was definitely interesting," added Young. "At the restaurant, they brought us back to the kitchen to show how the paella was cooked. The food was good. It was an authentic, home-cooked meal."
On Monday, the Scarlet Knights departed for Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city, located on the Mediterranean shore approximately 75 miles south of the Pyrenees mountains and the border of France. RU plays the third of its four games that evening, squaring-off with the Mataro All-Stars in an 8:30 p.m. local tip-off.
Rutgers shot 54.2 percent (32-of-59) to defeat the CC Basketball Academy 86-47 Saturday evening in a contest halted after three quarters due to moisture on the court. Young was 7-of-8 from the field to score a game-high 19 points and help RU improve to 2-0 on the tour.
"I feel better about myself," responded Young when asked about his return to action after redshirting last season as a transfer from Texas. "My teammates have been waiting for me. Most people don't know how tough it is (to sit out). Pete (Kiss) knows. I always talked to him about it. I'm happy to be back."
Fans are encouraged to visit the team's Twitter and Instagram accounts. Highlight videos, statistics, game recaps, stories and photos will be posted throughout the tour.
Players Mentioned
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