Colleges: Bridgewater State Men's Basketball Team Playing in North Carolina

By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University men's basketball team will be visiting two of the nation's most notable college arenas today.

As part of a trip to North Carolina to take part in the Guilford College Holiday Classic, the Bears were scheduled to practice at Duke University in the morning and attend a University of North Carolina game at night.

The day was to begin with a practice session at the Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, thanks to a connection that BSU associate head coach Mike Donovan has at the school.

"We're excited about that,'' said head coach Joe Farroba before the team left for North Carolina on Tuesday. "I just think the kids see it on TV, the fans that are there, how that whole thing is there.

"There's been some great basketball games there that you watch on national television. It's a great thing. If you're a college basketball fan or player, it's probably one of the best venues to play there in the country. To just practice there will be quite a positive experience for our team.''

A trip to the Duke Basketball Museum on campus will follow the practice.

Tonight, the BSU players and coaches will be at the Dean Smith Center (the Dean Dome) in Chapel Hill to watch North Carolina play Monmouth.

The Bears will play two games in Greensboro, facing Greensboro College (5-3) Thursday at 5 p.m. and host Guilford College (7-2) on Friday at 7 p.m.

Guilford is where former Celtics player, coach and executive M.L. Carr played college basketball.

"It's a lot of work during the year to raise money with a golf tournament, clinics and camps, but it's been a real positive thing,'' said Farroba, who has taken the Bears all over the country during the semester break. "When it's all said and done, I tell people all the time that we're not a basketball team, we're a basketball program.

"When we have alumni get-togethers, this is what kids talk about, the trips, going to Florida, Texas, San Diego. This fits right into it.''

BSU is off to a 6-3 start with three straight wins, the last coming over Endicott, which was ranked 20th in the nation.

When the Bears return home, they will be playing three games in five days next week, including the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference opener at Framingham State on Jan. 7.

"The teams we'll play in North Carolina are very good teams,'' said Farroba. "We'll be playing up in terms of the league they are in.

"This kind of competition and playing in a different environment makes it tougher. In the long run when you come back, you're better prepared for your league.''