Men’s Hoops: Spain Foreign Tour Blog

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team travelled to Spain for its 2024 Foreign Tour, taking place August 5-15. The Fighting Irish spent time between Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. Every four years, Notre Dame teams are allowed to make a foreign tour trip and compete in games while abroad.

This time around, the Irish competed in one game per city, building team cohesiveness and camaraderie both on-and-off the court. Time was well spent exploring and embracing the culture of Spain. Below you will find city-by-city updates, photos and videos of how the trip went.

DAY 1

After a long travel Monday that saw the Irish go from South Bend -> Chicago -> Newark -> Madrid, Notre Dame pushed through the jet lag and immediately took in the sights and sounds of Madrid on Tuesday. The first stop was the Las Ventas Bullring. A controversial topic, yet important history to the country of Spain, the Irish toured the historic stadium and learned the vast history of bullfighting.

Next was a bus tour through the heart of Madrid, which made several stops along the way.

After checking into the hotel and a getting in a much-needed power nap, the Irish freshened up for what was an unbelievable dinner at Asador Donostiarra. The squad was treated to course-after-course-after-course of authentic Spanish cuisine or should we say Tapas.

Not to mention our Associate Athletic Trainer for men’s basketball Nixon Dorvilien got to celebrate his birthday with some special dessert!

DAY 2

Day two started with a 30-minute bus ride to the training facility at ESC LaLiga & NBA Pavilion. The Irish got back to work and let’s just say the energy was high.

Later that evening for dinner, the Irish hopped up on the bus and took a 30-minute ride north of the city into the mountains. All they knew was that they were going to the Finca Cerro Longo Bull Ranch for dinner and a ‘show.’

When the bus pulled up to the entrance we were told to turn the engine off and wait. Then we were completely surrounded …

And that was just the introduction. Next, we settled into the main area of the ranch where the staff served snacks and refreshments, while we got to peer off into the distance and enjoy the beautiful views of Madrid with grazing bulls nearby. We then hopped into small trucks to explore the field where the biggest bulls roamed.

We then settled into the ranch pavilion and was served the best bbq experience one could ask for — chicken wings, steak, burgers, lamb chops, and chicken kabobs. We weren’t sure if we were sweating because of the intense Spanish heat or because of the meat sweats.

Finally, the ‘show’ part of the evening and no one really knew what was in store, but boy was it a treat.

DAY 3

If you are making a trip to Europe, you have to take in a little footy and that’s how day three started. The Irish got a VIP private tour of the Atletico Madrid soccer stadium. We learned about the rich history of a club that started in 1903, its plans for expansion to add to the community, then went behind the scenes of the 70,000-seat stadium.

With all the sightseeing of Madrid done, it was time to play a basketball game.

So Notre Dame went back to its regularly scheduled programming — pregame meal at the hotel … arrive at the venue 90 minutes before … warm-up … go to work.

The result was an 89-65 victory over the Madrid All-Stars.

The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year Markus Burton paced the Irish with 15 points. He also tallied four rebounds and four assists. Joining him in double figures were his fellow sophomores Logan Imes and Braeden Shrewsberry, who each recorded 11 points. Freshmen Garrett Sundra impressed with nine points and nine rebounds. Grad transfer Burke Chebuhar also poured in nine points to go with his six boards. Also, how about this stat, the Irish were 16-of-38 from three-point range.

MADRID RECAP VIDEO

DAY 4

It was time to venture off to Valencia and we traveled via bullet train out of Madrid. It was the smoothest two hours of travel you could ask for. Once we got to Valencia we immediately bussed to the Marina beach club, where their skydeck restaurant was reserved for us. Let’s just say, the video did not do this view justice.

A four-course meal was in store for us at The Marina. It started with a tomato salad, then meatballs, then the main event we were waiting for – authentic Valencian paella. Then of course dessert!

After lunch we got settled into our hotel and relaxed for a bit. For dinner, the bus dropped us off in the Old Town District of Valencia. You could feel the history in all the old buildings and the beautiful architecture.

DAY 5

Day five started with a light practice and shoot-around in the morning.

Once the Irish put in the work, the afternoon activity was one everyone was looking forward to – downtime at the Valencia beach.

The evening activity was left up to the student-athletes and staff members. Some found places to cheer on Team USA in the Olympics, supporting Women’s Soccer (ND’s own Korbin Albert) and Men’s Basketball. Some went back to the Old Town district and found another nice restaurant to try out. Some got tickets to the Valencia FC exhibition match that night.

DAY 6

The last day in Valencia started on a really neat note. We travelled to the City of Arts & Sciences. The pictures below will not do the beauty and the uniqueness of the architecture justice. We walked through the main museum and naturally had to take a picture with the giant Valencia sign.

The City of Arts & Sciences is made up of amazing buildings such as the Hemisfèric and the Oceanogràfic and stands out for its avant-garde architecture, work of the renowned Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela.

In the evening it was time for game two and Notre Dame took care of business, defeating the Valencia All-Stars 78-60. Markus Burton led with 21 points with an efficient 8-of-12 from two-point range. Burton also earned eight rebounds, six assists and seven steals.

J.R. Konieczny had his best game on the trip with 14 points and six boards. Tae Davis flirted with a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds. Kebba Njie had a team best nine rebounds to go with his six points.

VALENCIA RECAP VIDEO

DAY 7

On day seven the Irish hopped on a bus from Valencia to Barcelona and just a little over halfway stopped in the beautiful little port town of Cambrils. There, the group hopped on a big catamaran that took us 15-20 minutes out into the Mediterranean Sea and dropped anchor. It was three hours of pure bliss, sunshine and a fantastic lunch that was prepared on the grill.

DAY 8

It was the first full day in Barcelona and no time was wasted. At 10:30 a.m., the Irish departed on their sightseeing tour. First stop, the Museu Nacional D’art De Catalunya. Up there, we soaked in the amazing Barcelona views and took a team pic.

Next, was a short trip down the road to Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, home of the 1992 Olympic games.

After a trip through the port and downtown areas, the Irish ended up at one of Barcelona’s most iconic spots: Basílica de la Sagrada Família. It is the largest unfinished Catholic church in the world.

Fruit of the work of genius architect Antoni Gaudí, the project was promoted by the people for the people. Five generations now have watched the Temple progress in Barcelona. Today, more than 140 years after the laying of the cornerstone, construction continues on the Basilica.

An afternoon break was followed by game prep. The mission at hand – go 3-0 in games on this foreign tour.

The final game against Barcelona All-Stars went wire-to-wire. It marked another huge game for sophomore Markus Burton, plus late-game heroics from Tae Davis. It all resulted in a 76-74 victory. Some game highlights to note:

• Davis finished with 6 points and a team-high 9 rebounds
• Burton led with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting, which included three triples
• Kebba Njie with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting
• Braeden Shrewsberry rounded out the Irish in double figures with 12 points – three made triples
• Freshman Garrett Sundra – 9 pts, 8 rebounds

DAY 9

The final full day in Barcelona became a choose-your-own adventure. There was a bus which could take you to Sitges (Costa Brava), or you could explore on your own and shop. The Irish later regrouped in the evening for a wonderful and delicious farewell dinner. Not only was it served Tapas style, but it was dinner with a view!

BARCELONA RECAP VIDEO