By Celina Dietzel ‘17

The Prairie Fire men's basketball team returned from Costa Rica on September 2 after an eight-day trip full of competition, community service, and team-building.

The trip was made possible by a Knoxstarter crowdfunding campaign organized by the team and funded by 152 donors.

The Prairie Fire competed in two games against the Costa Rican Mixed National Team, falling in the first game and winning the second. Head Coach Kevin Walden says the extra competition and 10 extra practice days will give the team a head start on the season. "This will lend a hand in uniting our team, so we can hit the ground running on October 15," which is the day when practice for the 2016-17 season begins. 

The team also participated in two basketball clinics with elementary school students.

Although there were two guides present to help with translation, the athletes were challenged to come up with ways to communicate with the young students.

"It was a learning experience for our guys. They had to communicate a little differently than they would normally," said Coach Walden.

But the clinics were more than just work. "All the screaming and jumping around by the kids when the guys were throwing down dunks really gave us all a good feeling that we were doing something beneficial," said player Marko Protic ‘19 in a blog post on the Prairie Fire website.

"They were taking pictures and selfies with us, and our guys really enjoyed that. It was a fun experience overall," said Coach Walden.

The team members spent their time in San José, La Fortuna, and the Pacific Coast, where they had the chance to visit a hot spring and go whitewater rafting and ziplining.

"It was the first time most of us had gone rafting so we were all a little nervous and didn't know what to expect," said Walden. "All of us did it, so they got to see me on a different level; I got to see them on a different level."

Although the NCAA permits teams to take similar trips every four years, this is the first time the men's basketball team has taken advantage of the rule in recent years, and Walden has already seen excitement for another trip.

"For our first-years on campus, their number one question is: Are we going to do this again? And I know it's definitely something we'll look into every four years."