CONWAY – The Coastal Carolina women’s basketball team and head coach Jaida Williams announed Tuesday that the team will be taking part in a unique travel and playing experience as the Chanticleers will travel to Cuba for a week-long trip from Aug. 11-17.

“We are so excited to announce our upcoming Cuban tour,” said Williams. “This will be an experience of a lifetime for our student-athletes and an amazing bonding experience for our team. In addition to all of the cultural benefits this trip will provide, our team will be able to gain valuable playing experience against an extremely talented Cuban women’s national team. It truly is an honor for our program to take part in this experience.”

The Chants are scheduled to play a trio games against the Cuban women’s national team in Havana early in the trip, and the remainder of the week will include cultural tours, sight-seeing and an overall unique learning experience throughout Cuba.

Coastal will depart from the United States on Sunday, Aug. 11, and arrive in Havana later that day. The initial afternoon in Havana will include a tour of the city.

The Chants will play their first of three games against the Cuban women’s national team on Aug. 12 at 10:30 a.m. (EST) at the Coliseo de la Ciudad Deportiva. An hour prior to the game, the two teams will join together to host a kid’s clinic for local children. The remainder of the day will include lunch at Parque Central and a Four Square walking tour.

The second game will be played the following day on Aug. 13 at 10 a.m. at the same location. After the game the team will visit the local craft market, and in the evening the Chants will take salsa dancing lessons at the Center for Arabian Society.

The third and final game will take place Wednesday, Aug. 14 at 10 a.m. That afternoon, the Chants will take a tour of the United States Embassy in Cuba before departing for Varadero on the northern coast of the country.

The remaining two days in Cuba will be spent touring Varadero before the team returns to the U.S. on Aug. 17.

A daily blog will be published on GoCCUsports.com following the team and providing first-hand accounts from the student-athletes of their experiences throughout the trip. Fans can also follow along with the team by visiting the Coastal Carolina women’s basketball Twitter and Instagram accounts (@coastalwbb).

NCAA rules allow for a foreign tour by an intercollegiate team once every four academic years. Coastal’s tour is being managed by Sports Tours International.

This will be the second time that Coastal Carolina will be represented in Cuba. The Chanticleer men’s basketball team made the trip in August of 2015 prior to the 2015-16 season.

Courtesy: Coastal Carolina Athletics