To Commemorate Memorial Day, SMU Basketball is Flying to … Africa?

class="blogImageCaption">Longest road trip in Mustangs' history?

If ZZ Top can appear on American Idol, I guess anything’s possible. Even SMU’s basketball team embarking on an African Tour.

The squad, led by head coach Matt Doherty, leaves Sunday for a 12-day trip to Senegal and South Africa. Why? Good will. Recruiting. Opponents they can actually beat.

SMU, including Senegalese players Bamba Fall and Papa Dia, took an anthropology class called People of Africa and will keep online journals of their trip. They’ll take tours of Johannesburg, zip past Nelson Mandela’s house and go on a safari in Dakar. Oh yeah, they’ll also play three exhibition games before returning June 5.

Don’t know if the trip will help SMU come next fall. But it can’t hurt. -- Richie Whitt