CTInsider.com covers Connecticut, a postcard-sized state with an impressive history and some great institutions, including the renowned Yale University. Harvard University has the most Supreme Court justices – but Yale is close behind in this ranking.
Most of these alumni care about other kinds of rankings, about the rankings of their alma mater’s sports teams, especially the Yale men’s basketball team. Anything good for the team is worth reading, and CTInsider editor David Borges focused on the team’s recent visit to Greece, which aside from being a fun trip also was presented as a team-building exercise – with games. against the Thessaloniki All-Stars as well as the University of Calgary.
“The 10-day Yale excursion, which began August 6 in Thessaloniki and ended August 16 in Athens and a few days on the water, was a life-changing experience for all who made the trip,” writes Borges.
“It was phenomenal,” senior captain August Mahoney said. “It blew us away, much more than we expected. Seeing a different culture than most of us had ever seen in our lives was eye-opening and a great time to bond with coaches and teammates.
Borges found a Hellene in the team. “It’s no surprise that John Poulakidas, a junior on the Yale men’s basketball team and a second-generation Greek-American, really enjoyed the Bulldogs’ recent trip to Greece. He even brought his parents with him.
The article noted that “the team visited monuments like the Parthenon and the Acropolis. They dined on Krabo Beach and at a restaurant owned by Yale Hoops alumnus Steve Leondis, and took a ferry to the island of Aegina, where they rented paddle boats and enjoyed their last day of journey.
It’s a pleasant surprise to read that “the highlight seems to have been a visit to the Meteora Monasteries, a steep rock formation in Thessaly on which Eastern Orthodox monasteries were built.”
Senior captain August Mahoney said:
“Seeing the rocks and how they were built so long ago, it was a beautiful thing to see.”
Head coach James Jones, a history buff and big fan of the movie “300,” agrees.
“The history of the country is amazing, the way things were built, the time it took to build them… The architecture and science that must have gone into it… these places still standing today, they are simply incredible structures.”
“It was great to bond with the guys,” Mahoney said, adding that “we went to practices and hung out with the guys for 16 days in the summer was amazing.”
After being so immersed in history, they are ready to create history themselves – as exceptional basketball players and individuals.
Read more on thenationalherald.com
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, The Greek Islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek Tourism Report
Photo source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Gunnar Klack
