BARCELONA, Spain – Austin Peay State University basketball team's international tour has come to a close, but you can still see a near-play-by-play of the eight-day trip below.
This trip marked the program's first outside the United States since 2012, and features a trio of exhibition contests, community service activities, and plenty of sights to see.
Below, we' kept up with all things happening with the team in The Land of Cervantes.
This story was updated daily.
Sunday, Aug. 4 | The Travel Day
9 a.m. – The team arrives at F&M Bank Arena and is greeted by 2017 Austin Peay Hall of Fame member Drake Reed and his parents. After talking with the APSU great for a few minutes, the team rolls out at 10 a.m. on the dot.
1:30 p.m. - The whole team got through security pretty quickly, and most got Shake Shack or the various BNA delicacies ahead of our 2:05 p.m. flight.
2:05 p.m. - Flight is delayed due to weather in Philadelphia. The new flight is 3 p.m., which gives us just enough time to get to Philly and catch the plane to Barcelona, which is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. (ET).
5:05 p.m. - There were a lot of delays. We're wheels up heading to Philly now. Don't think we'll make that plane that leaves in 45 minutes, considering the pilot just said it's a one-hour, 40-minute flight.
Now in Eastern Time
8:15 p.m. - Landed in The City of Brotherly Love. Director of Basketball Operations Travis Allen is going to get some more information on outgoing flights, while the rest of the team grabs some food.
11:15 p.m. - The trip across the pond will have to wait until tomorrow. So we're catching a train and then a hotel for the night.
Monday, Aug. 5 | The Travel Day: Part Two
12:01 a.m. - After a train ride and walk, the team pulls up to the hotel. It's lights out and time to hit the hay for travel day número dos.
12:15 p.m. - Got the new game plan from Travis: brunch at 11, leave at one, grab lunch, arrive at the airport around four, then fly across the Atlantic at 7:15 p.m.
9 a.m. - I'd be willing to bet that was some of the best sleep most people on this team had ever got, it was for me at least. And now we're just waiting to check out of the hotel.
11:00 a.m. - Happy birthday to Isaac Haney. The guy - who we learned today - takes a bite of his pancake and then drinks the syrup. But this is also the guy who downed a Cracker Barrel syrup before proceeding to drop 32 points at North Alabama last season, so we'll let him have that one.
4:30 p.m. - After lunch at Chickie's and Pete's – a now must-stop for a Philly Cheesesteak when in Philadelphia - we head to the airport through security, and now we're just waiting to board the plane.
6:10 p.m. – Another delay...
6:55 p.m. - After more than a few delays over the last 30 hours, it's finally about time to board. We're scheduled to get to Barcelona about 9:45 a.m. local time.
Now in Central European Summer Time
Tuesday, Aug. 6 | We made it!
9:20 a.m. - And we're here.
I would like to apologize to anyone that has post notifications on for our pages. Because as soon as I hit send on the "The Govs have landed" post, I realized it was like 2:30 a.m. back home. First of all, I appreciate you for having those on. Secondly, sorry, but there's going to be a lot of that over the next week.
10:30 a.m. - Got through customs (first stamp in the passport for a lot of guys), everyone got their bags, and now it's off to the hotel for brunch.
11:45 a.m. - From sandwiches with little Gov flags, to fruit, and assorted cheeses and meats, brunch at the hotel was every bit of a delicacy and a warm welcome to Spain.
12:20 p.m. - After the quick brunch, we're off to Sagrada Familia, one of Barcelona's most famous landmarks and the oldest and largest unfinished Catholic Churches in the world - with construction beginning in 1882 by Antoni Gaudí.
1 p.m. - The teamed tour around the beautiful and historic Sagrada Familia. From the historical aspect of the 142-year-old basilica, to its present beauty with the stained glass, and the future plans to have it done between 2030-33, it truly was a great way to begin out time in the country.
4:15 p.m. - Everyone is hanging out in the hotel until we head down to the lobby for a Paella cooking class and then dinner.
5:20 p.m. - The team, staff, and entire travel party load the bus and we're off to Cookiteca to learn how to make paella and have dinner there.
7:30 p.m. - The group was separated into four different groups and competed for who could make the best paella. And as you would expect, it was a very spirited couple hours with plenty of trash talk.
8:15 p.m. - After group and team photos, everyone loaded back on the bus and headed to the hotel for some more than well-deserved rest after a day that felt like a few.
10 p.m. - Lights out. Tomorrow is the first game day for the 2024-25 Governors.
Wednesday, Aug. 7 | Game Day and More Sight Seeing
9:15 a.m. - After breakfast the Govs got on the bus and took the 20-minute drive to the arena.
10:30 a.m. - It's August 7. And the Govs are playing basketball. It may as well be Christmas. The team is warming up. Also, I know it's a common thing not to have air conditioning in buildings, but man. Basketball gyms are typically warm, but not this warm.
12:50 p.m. - We're at the half, Govs lead 40-36 and look good. Quan Lax has scored 12 points. Man, can that guy shoot the ball.
2:30 p.m. - Heading back to the hotel now. Govs fell at the buzzer, but what a showing by a team, espececially considering the circumstances that we've talked about above.
6:30 p.m. - The team broke into a couple of groups and went for a truly amazing walk around downtown Barcelona and a tour of the Gothic Quarter. Words could not do it justice, so check out the Day 4 gallery above.
10:30 p.m. - Cecconi's for dinner. Now, let me tell you about Cecconi's. They started with pizzas, then brought out Burrata, meatballs, and then agrodolce. And that's just the appetizers. Then the main courses were risotto, paccheri, clams, and a beef filet. And they brought those for everyone to share. And then there was tiramisú and peach crostata. It was a meal of a lifetime, and I don't think I'll be able to eat for the rest of this trip.
11 p.m. - With everyone back in their rooms, another Barcelona day is in the books. Right back at it for another game day tomorrow!
Thursday, Aug. 8 | Darius Goes Crazy
9:15 a.m. - Same start to the day as yesterday. Everyone got up, had breakfast and now it's off to the arena for game 2-of-3!
12 p.m. - Starters take the court and it's time for tipoff in Barcelona!
12:45 p.m. - We're at the break, Govs lead by 20, Quan Lax leading the way with 12 first-half points. Got a good feeling about this one.
2 p.m. - Wow, Darius Dawson. 21 points? Those dunks? And what a dunk by Hansel Enmanuel in the second quarter too! If you want to see more, check out the full recap, or check the Govs' social media channels (@GovsMBB).
3 p.m. - After hitting the showers, the squad is off the Barcelonetta for lunch. After some brief research, it looks like we're eating good this afternoon and evening!
5 p.m. - Stuffed. After what seemed like an endless amount of appetizers, some of the best salmon I've ever had, we're off to the beach for a little over an hour.
6:45 p.m. - The team went down to the Barcelonetta Beach, got some sun, and now it's back to the hotel before walking to dinner.
8:15 p.m. - Brief walk over to dinner at Tragalúz. Once again, everyone is stuffed. From the steak, to fish, and the risotto, which I chose, personally, that was amazing. And then there was pistachio ice cream and - a new personal favorite - tiramisu.
10:30 p.m. - The guys were watching the USA vs. Serbia Olympic Men's Basketball game. There were a few dead phones along the way, but we watched the USA seal the win on the streets of downtown Barcelona - there is no telling what the locals were thinking seeing a bunch of guys screaming and yelling while staring at a phone, but there were definitely a few laughs.
11:30 a.m. - It's off to bed and preparing for a three-hour train ride to Madrid tomorrow for Clarksville's Hometown Basketball Team!
Friday, Aug. 9 | See Red Friday in Madrid
9:50 a.m. - The travel party is loading up and we're heading about 30 minutes away to hop on a train and head to Madrid.
10:58 a.m. - All aboard! The Govs are headed to central Spain by train. We all loaded up and most - myself included - fell asleep within minutes. So, I apologize for the lack of travel photos from that ride. Next stop, Madrid.
1:40 p.m. - It's off the train, and back on a bus to the hotel.
2:15 p.m. - We pulled up to the hotel - Hotel Wellington, you've got to look it up; it is nice, nice - and had an assortment of meats, fruits, and other things for lunch.
4:30 p.m. - After an hour-long practice at tomorrow's game's site, the team loads back in the bus for the hotel to shower and get ready for a tour of Madrid.
6:30 p.m. - We toured the Royal Palace of Madrid - which is home to the Spanish Royal Family including King Felipe VI. We also toured places like the first restaurant in the world, multiple centuries-old buildings. and learned about numerous aspects Spanish and Madrid culture and history.
8:15 p.m. - We all received a per diem for dinner, which myself, Officer Mike Williams, and manager Yota Kimura used to get… Little Caesars. Authentic, I know. After regrouping, everyone headed back to the hotel for some shut-eye before tomorrow's 12 p.m. (CEST) game.
Saturday, Aug. 10 | Govs Win: Part Dos
7:45 a.m. - It's another beautiful (and hot) day in Madrid! After getting up and getting breakfast, we're off to the arena for our third and final game of the trip.
12:50 p.m. - We're at the half here in Madrid. Hansel Enmanuel and Akili Evans lead the way with nine points so far, and Enmanuel also has knocked down his first triple as a Gov.
2:30 p.m. - Another win for the Govs on the international stage, courtesy of six Govs scoring in double figures.
8 p.m. - The team just toured the home of Real Madrid, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The tour featured trophy displays dating from a hundred years back to the present day, showing what recent renovations will be coming to the stadium, such as a retractable pitch and roof, and more. The tour also included showing multiple other things in Real Madrid, like their basketball team's history, women's soccer, the academies, and more.
The team also learned that Messi did not, in fact, play in Madrid. I'll share a quick conversation between our tour guide and Anton Brookshire:
Anton: Messi played here, right?
Tour guide: That's like saying Tom Brady played for the Cowboys.
So, yeah.
10:30 p.m. - After a truly stuffing dinner at Casa Juan, which features foods like squid - I mean, it may be called calamari because it was squid, but can it still be called that if they bring out the whole tentacle - lamb, cheeses, spreads, tuna, and croquette… I could go on, but I'm still in a mini food coma after all that.
12:05 p.m. - Tomorrow is an off day, so most of the guys are in their rooms playing College Football or 2K I hear. We had originally planned to do some community service, but that had to be canceled due to it being August; most people in Spain have taken off. Anyway, I'm walking around Madrid, and this place truly is beautiful. Another thing that makes this different than some big cities back home is that, it's midnight, but you still feel safe. There are a few bars open, but outside of that not many people are walking around. It's peaceful.
Sunday, Aug. 11 | The Final Full Day
11 a.m. - Well, safe to say I missed breakfast. In the next hour, we're walking around the block for lunch at Del Mondo.
3 p.m. - It was another meal full of croquette, pizza, mozzarella spreads, and more. They really bring so much food out here and it all is so amazing.
4 p.m. - Decided to take a solo tour around downtown to wash tomorrow's travel gear (since I wore it for two days when we flew this way) and do some sight seeing.
7:30 p.m. - After a good four-mile walk, we're off to dinner at the Luxiorus Torcuato.
11:30 p.m. - The final full day in Madrid comes to a close. Time to do the dreaded packing and get ready for tomorrow's 7 a.m. wake-up call.
Monday, Aug. 12 | We're coming home
8:30 a.m. - Bags are packed and loaded, and we're off to the airport. It's a quick layover in Charlotte before flying into Nashville.
11:30 a.m. - No delays on this one, actually, it's quite the opposite, as we could use a delay. Our plane is starting to board now and we're still far back in customs. We've got until 12:05ish to get in the plane. I see some running in our very near future
12:20 p.m. - There was running. We made it. Gate was at the end of the terminal. But we're here and set to take off.
5:47 p.m. - We're still about four hours from Charlotte. Ive watched a couple movies, started another couple. Anton Brookshire has been watching movies in the row above me, while Sai Witt and some others are a couple rows behind me sleeping.
Now in Eastern Time
3:45 p.m. - Back in the States! Plane just landed and we're off to customs after a long, nine-hour flight.
5:05 p.m. - Just had our passports checked, now we're going to re-check our bags.
8 p.m. - Last flight for a while, as we're off to Nashville!
Now in central time
8:30 p.m. - All these time zones are really messing with me. Anyways, we just landed and are currently taxing to the terminal. So close.
10:30 p.m. - With the bus rolling into F&M Bank Area, a successful international tour has come to a close.
It was a week that I am sure none of these guys will never forget for the rest of their lives. We saw a lot of places, won a couple of games, ate plenty of great food, and this team continued to grow even closer through the triumphs and hardships that were presented to them. But through it all, I never heard anything but thanks from the guys. Which speaks volumes as to who they are as individuals.
My biggest takeaway from this past week: there is a special group of men on this team. It's August and you would have already thought they had been playing together their careers, where, in reality, most have not even known each other for six months. Now, I'm not going to sit here and guarantee anything this far from the season, but all I will say is that this is a special team, and the rest of the ASUN Conference, no, any opponent they face, better watch out.
I would like to give a huge shoutout to Complete Sports Management for taking care of us all week and helping us navigate through Barcelona, Madrid, and everything that came up throughout a very eventful week overseas.
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For additional information throughout the offseason, follow the basketball team on X and Instagram (@GovsMBB) and Facebook (Austin Peay Men's Basketball) or check back at LetsGoPeay.com.
