Being from Chicago, Brandon McGee knew what he was getting weather-wise when he committed to his Midwest neighbor Indiana. But he received a warm surprise when he learned the Hoosiers would be traveling to the Bahamas before the start of fall classes.
"I didn't expect it at all," McGee said. "It's a real bonus."
The Hoosiers will return home this weekend to spend time with their families before returning to Bloomington to prepare for their Bahamas Tour.
Due to the overseas tour, which teams can only do once every four years, the Hoosiers are entitled to extra practices other teams non-traveling teams aren't privileged to.
"That's why we don't get too long of a break," Eric Gordon said. "We have to get 10 practices in before we go."
But Gordon won't be far from his family when the team embarks on their Bahamas trip. Gordon's entire family will accompany him on the tour.
"That's where my mom's side of the family is from," he said.
Thanks to his relatives, Gordon has been to the Bahamas several times. But the likely court leader next season doesn't think he would make an adequate tour leader.
"I don't know about that," he laughed. "But when we get down there hopefully I'll be able to show the guys around."
Although the team has been looking forward to the trip, it remains a little bit of a mystery, even to the players.
"They haven't told us who we're playing yet," McGee said. "They say it's a surprise."
All of the recruits at Noblesville Wednesday night agreed that they've become close with one another and play well together.
"We've been gaining chemistry since the freshman stepped on campus," Jordan Crawford said. "'Toine (Jamarcus Ellis) and Dre (Thomas) were here a month before us. When we got to campus the whole team was already getting to know each other."
Crawford said he was looking forward to going home, but knows what is ahead of him when he returns to Bloomington.
"I'm looking forward to it, we've got a couple of hard practices in front of us"
