The NCAA allows teams to travel internationally once every four years, and the Raiders also went to Italy in 2019 when Trey Calvin and Tanner Holden were freshmen.
They’ll play a handful of games and visit famous sites July 27-Aug. 6. And though he has a veteran squad, Nagy knows they’ll bond and get a boost from the competition.
They went 3-0 during their last excursion.
“It’s mostly good for that, but we also get to practice 10 days before we go,” he said. “It allows us to get a little bit ahead from where we would be — and then not have to practice as long and jam things in.
“We’ll have plenty of stuff in. The key is not to burn the guys out when you take a trip like that.”
Nagy’s wife, Jamie, will join him on the Italy part of the itinerary, but she’s going home with the team afterward because son Tyler and daughter-in-law Brooke are expecting a baby.
The eighth-year coach and his daughter, Natalie, are going to Israel and spending two weeks in Tel Aviv because she was accepted into an advanced program for competitive dancing there.
Nagy is excited about that leg of the trip because he’ll be able to check off a bucket-list item. He’s a committed Christian and has dreamed of being able to visit the Holy Land.
“It’s instrumental to my faith. I’ve read the history and know all about it. And I’ve got a guy over there who can help me get to the right places,” he said.
The pair will fly from Italy to Tel Aviv, and then he’ll rent a car to get to Jerusalem.
“I’ll be doing a lot of driving back and forth,” he said. “I have to figure out how to work Natalie into some of that stuff, but she dances from 10 to 4 every day, right in the heart of the day. And from what I’ve seen of Tel Aviv, traffic is awful.
“It’s going to be a little bit of a battle. And that’s a long time to be away from home. I’ll be ready to get back.”
Nagy has been upbeat over recent developments in the program — for good reason.
Holden is back after a year at Ohio State. And while he hasn’t yet been cleared to play this season, the Raiders know at some point they’ll have the two-time first-team All-Horizon League pick in the lineup.
In mid-March, Calvin, a first-team all-league selection last season, announced he was coming back for his fifth year after considering offers to move to a higher level.
“We were coming off the NCAA tournament (in 2022) and felt great, and all of a sudden you feel terrible because guys are leaving,” Nagy said.
All-league forward Grant Basile joined Holden in the transfer portal, landing at Virginia Tech.
“This spring, we didn’t have a great season (finishing 18-15), but we feel like we’re having a great spring.”
Nagy picked up a star from the DivisionII ranks in Malone’s Bo Myers. The 6-foot-5 wing scored 1,739 points in four years.
But after the school announced the transfer, the news release was pulled from its website when the staff realized Myers hadn’t officially enrolled yet.
Nagy isn’t permitted to talk about the player until that happens.
About the Author