Howard Jr. Returns After Foreign Trip

DETROIT -- Before stepping back on campus to begin the fall semester University of Detroit Mercy junior forward Juwan Howard, Jr. had just returned to the United States after representing the Titans in competition on a tour of Belgium, England and Holland in August.

The traveling team, which was assembled by Roy Blumenthal, Founder and President of the Global Sports Academy, played five games on an exhibition tour. In Belgium, the squad competed in Antwerp, Brussels, Bruges and Ghent, while also playing one contest in Amsterdam. In addition, the group took a tour of London along the way.

Howard was teammates with UIC’s Hayden Humes, whose thoughts from the trip can be seen here.

“The Global Sports Academy gave me a chance to showcase my basketball ability in different countries,” stated Howard.  “I was able to see some new parts of the world while also playing basketball. It was overall a great experience that will help prepare me for the season. I will always remember that basketball is universal and no matter where you go or in any language people understand basketball.”

"This tour was a tremendous opportunity for Juwan to compete in," Detroit head men's basketball coach Ray McCallum said. "He missed a portion of games at the end of the regular season last year, so it was great for him to be able to get on the court and square off against some very competitive opponents.”

Howard started the first 27 games for Detroit last year and finished his first season with the Titans averaging 7.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures 13 times - including a stretch of seven-straight games, which consisted of a season-high 18 points at Syracuse.

Northwestern University assistant Patrick Baldwin coached the squad, which consisted of 11 NCAA Division I student-athletes.

Juwan Howard, Jr. – Detroit
Ryan Sawvell - Evansville
Brandon Burnett - Indiana State
William Spradling - Kansas State
Denzel Brito - Loyola (Md.)
JerShon Cobb - Northwestern
Sanjay Lumpkin - Northwestern
Ronnie Johnson - Purdue
Kris Davis - SIU Edwardsville
Patrick Stewart - SIU Edwardsville
Hayden Humes - UIC

(Release courtesy of Detroit athletics media relations)