Per GoBearcats:
University of Cincinnati forward Jarrett Hensley is flying the friendly skies the first week of August for an exciting opportunity of basketball and culture with USA East Coast, a team of top nationwide collegiate talent.
The trip runs from August 1-9, with the first two days in New York City (Columbia University) followed by games August 5-7 in Barcelona. It also pays homage to the 30-year anniversary of the Men’s Basketball Olympic Dream Team that immortalized itself there. The team will follow its footsteps with activities, time with some of the participants and a trio of friendly contests against some of the best players Spain’s Liga ACB has to offer.
“Coach (Wes) Miller and I had an end-of-the-year meeting like how he does with every player,” Hensley said. “He brought it up to me about an opportunity to play in Spain, and I was really interested. I knew immediately it would be a good opportunity to play against grown men and meet new people as well to connect with. I was real excited. Shoutout to him for that.”
Hensley’s other prior international trip was to the Bahamas, and he says he does know a “little bit” of Spanish.
“My parents were happy for me,” he said. “I think they were just excited for the opportunity I got. They had never been to Europe or anything, so my mom made sure to tell me to take lots of pictures of what I see and what I eat. My dad knows it’s also a great opportunity to play against some great players.”
Hensley’s teammates are coast-to-coast, ranging from Cal State Northridge to Duke and Providence. Utah Jazz assistant Alex Jensen is the team’s head coach.
Hensley appeared in all 33 games for Cincinnati last year, averaging 7.6 minutes per contest. He did play 57 minutes over the final four games, his most of any stretch on the year, and says that he looks forward to carrying that momentum into his second year at UC and third of his collegiate career.
“It’s weird to think you’ll be wearing that USA across your chest, but I’m excited,” Hensley said. “I think for me it’s to keep building that confidence from the beginning of the year and build off that.”
