A US Women’s Basketball Team in Morocco, Spain to prepare for new season

Columbia women’s basketball team will make its first trip overseas since 2016 on Saturday when it departs New York City to begin a one-week foreign tour in Morocco and Spain.

“The Lions” will spend three nights in Morocco and four nights in Spain before returning to the United States, the team announced on its website.

“This will be a tremendous opportunity for our players, our coaches and our entire staff to jumpstart the season together,” Columbia head coach Megan Griffith said.

“We’ll get the chance to experience something out of our comfort zone and be immersed in a different culture and a different world. I think that is something that is really unique to Columbia – we really care about our student-athletes’ lives outside of the basketball court, but we can use basketball as a vehicle to get us there,” Griffith added.

The tour will give the Lions a bit of extra preparation following a historic 2021-22 campaign that saw the team post an overall record of 25-7 and 12-2 in the Ivy League, setting program records for wins and conference wins.

Next week’s trip will include three exhibition games, one in Morocco and two in Spain.

“The Lions” will also get the chance to explore historical landmarks and attractions within the Moroccan cities of Tangier and Chefchaouen.