MORAGA, Calif. — Saint Mary's Men's Basketball announced on Wednesday the dates and schedule for their foreign tour to Australia beginning on the first week of August. The 12-day tour is the first for the Gaels since 2018, and marks a return to Australia where the Gaels will play six games.
 
Saint Mary's will leave the Bay Area on the night of August 2 on a flight to Sydney, Australia, where the first four days of the tour will take place. After landing on August 4, the Gaels will have a few days to practice before the first of two games in Sydney, taking place on Sunday, August 7. SMC will travel to Melbourne after their August 8 game, and then head to Perth on August 11 where the tour will wrap up.
 
The Gaels will play six games during their time down under, beginning with a matchup against the Hills Hornets on August 7. This begins a stretch of four games in four days, as the Gaels will also play the Centre of Excellence (where Kyle Bowen and Alex Ducas attended), Melbourne United, and the Knox Raiders. Games conclude against the Perth Wildcats (Aug. 12) and the Joondalup Wolves (Aug. 14).
 
These games will serve as a great chance for the Gaels to get game repetitions against some of the best that Australia has to offer. For example, Saint Mary's will get a chance to face both teams that reached the NBL Grand Final in 2021: the Perth Wildcats (runners up) and Melbourne United (Grand Final champions).
 
Saint Mary's 2022 Foreign Tour Game Schedule
Date           Team                                Site                                          Time (Local)   Streaming
Aug. 7        Hills Hornets                    Castle Hill, Sydney                 3:00 pm           LISTEN
Aug. 8        Centre of Excellence       Alexandria, Sydney                10:00 am
Aug. 9        Melbourne United            Keilor Park, Melbourne           7:30 pm           LISTEN
Aug. 10      Knox Raiders                   Boronia, Melbourne                7:30 pm           LISTEN
Aug. 12      Perth Wildcats                 Floreat, Perth                          TBA                 LISTEN
Aug. 14      Joondalup Wolves          Joondalup, Perth                     5:00 pm           LISTEN
 
New for the 2022 foreign tour, five of the six games will be broadcast live via The Varsity Network and TuneIn, with Brian Brownfield on the call. This will allow fans access they have not had during previous foreign tours. There will also be increased coverage of sightseeing and interviews shared regularly via all social media platforms @SMCGaels.
 
Per NCAA rules, the Gaels will be allowed 10 practices starting towards the end of July to help prepare for the tour.
 
Saint Mary's has had a long pipeline of players from Australia under head coach Randy Bennett. Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills, and Jock Landale have all reached the NBA after spending time in Moraga. This year, the Gaels added another player from Australia, the first new addition on the roster from Australia since 2019. SMC has had at least one player from Australia on the roster every year since Bennett took over in 2001.
 
This year, Harry Wessels (Boddington) joins Alex Ducas (Geraldton) and Kyle Bowen (Perth) on the roster, forming a trio of Gaels from down under. Ducas and Bowen are entering their senior seasons while Wessels is beginning his Saint Mary's career.