Missouri State men’s basketball assistant coach Kent Williams will coach a team comprised primarily of United States collegians this summer as representatives of Athletes in Action on a basketball tour of Poland.
Williams, who is completing his second season with the Bears, will serve as the head coach of the 12-player squad. The team includes Missouri State junior-to-be Kyle Weems, as well as fellow Missouri Valley Conference standouts Garrett Stutz and Toure Murry of Wichita State, and R.J. Mahurin of Indiana State.
The rest of the squad includes Preston Medlin (Utah State), Joe Bertrand (Illinois), Aleksander Marcius (Purdue), Levi Knutson (Colorado), and Baylor regulars A.J. Walton and Cory Jefferson. Two native Poles, Hubert Radke and Marek Popiolek, will also be joining the U.S. players when they arrive in Poland on May 29.
“This is a great chance for the players to see some great competition over the summer, and be a part of a great organization like Athletes in Action,” Williams said. “They will be competing against a pro style of basketball and getting real-game experience against great international players.”
Williams, who toured Poland with Athletes in Action in 2002, said the experience of traveling with other American players is one Weems and the rest of the American squad will always remember.
“The No. 1 thing is experiencing Europe and what it is like to play overseas,” Williams said. “For a lot of these guys with aspirations of playing pro ball in Europe, they will get a taste of that. The opportunity is really good for a player’s maturity when they return to their teams here.”
The AIA team will play two games against Poland’s 23-and-Under National Team during its tour along with a pair of games against Polish pro teams. The squad will also conduct five practices before returning to the United States on June 7.
Story courtesy of Missouri State athletics.
