EMORY, Va. - Sophomore guard Tharon Suggs (Raleigh, N.C.) will be traveling overseas to represent the United States as a member of the USA D-3 National Team on the Brazil Tour 2019.
USA Sports Tours & Events announced the rosters and coaches for the USA D-3 Men's & Women's Basketball Teams consisting of NCAA Division III basketball players from throughout the United States recognized at the national, regional and conference levels.
Suggs finished the 2018-19 season with second-team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference honors after averaging 16.2 pointers per contest, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He scored in double figures in 22 games with nine 20-point outings. Suggs added a career-high of 29 points on January 9 against then-No. 22 University of Lynchburg.
"This is an outstanding group of male and female basketball players that come from 13 different state and 16 different colleges and universities from across the United States," said Ron Smith, Director of USA Sports Tours & Events. "We feel that we have some of the best of the best, representing almost every region in the country. These players have been high achievers both on the court and in the classroom. They represent everything good that the NCAA Division III institutions have to offer."
The national teams started the Brazil Tour 2019 in Orlando, Florida on July 8. The tour runs from July 8-17. After team orientation in Orlando, the team departs for Sao Paulo, Brazil. The teams will practice in the city of Jundiai, Sao Paulo on Tuesday, July 9. The USA D-3 Basketball Teams will play a doubleheader (Men & Women) on Wednesday, July 10 in the city of Jundiai, which is in the state of Sao Paulo. The Jundiai men & women are both U22 teams. On Thursday, July 11, the USA D-3 Teams will travel to the city of Sao Paulo and play against U22 teams from Sao Paulo. U22 Teams are the junior teams to professional organizations.
The USA D-3 Teams fly to Rio de Janeiro on Friday, July 12. The teams will play on Sunday, July 14 vs. Queimados. The USA D-3 teams will play their final games on Monday, July 15 at Fluminese Clube in Rio. The team will depart Brazil on Wednesday morning of July 17 and return to the USA at 6:15 p.m. that evening.
While in Brazil the teams will experience educational, cultural, and social aspects of Brazilian life through city, school and sports club visits. While in Rio the team will be staying on the famous Copacabana Beach and touring the Christ the Redeemer Statue and Sugar Loaf Mountain, two of the most recognizable landmarks in the world.
Recently-hired Emory & Henry Head Men's Basketball Coach Ben Thompson coached the USA D-3 men's basketball national team on last year's Brazil Tour. On that trip, the team finished a perfect 5-0.
"It was a huge honor for me to represent our country at last year's tour, and I am so excited for Tharon to experience some high-level international basketball and all the great educational and cultural experiences that will take place in Brazil and South America," said Thompson.
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2019 Brazil Tour Tentative Game Schedule
Wednesday, July 10 - USA D-3 Men vs. Jundiai
Thursday, July 11 - USA D-3 Men vs. Sao Paulo
Sunday, July 14 - USA D-3 Men vs. Queimados
Monday, July 15 - USA D-3 Men vs. Fluminese
2019 USA D-3 Men's Basketball Team - Brazil Tour
Andrew Eberhardt LeTourneau Univ.
Andrew Fitch SUNY Canton
Preston Granger Hope Coll.
Danyon Hempy Wooster Coll.
Doug Levy John Jay Coll.
Conor Riordan Simpson Coll.
Jake Ross Springfield Coll.
Tharon Suggs Emory & Henry Coll.
Randall Walko The Coll. of New Jersey
Nathaniel West LeTourneau Univ.
USA D-3 Men's Head Coach – Greg Mitchell (Head Coach, Hope College)