Owatonna Grad Goes on International Basketball Trip

Owatonna High School graduate Nolan Malo says he has always wanted to study abroad but his basketball schedule with Gustavus Adolphus makes that a challenge. Then along came Beyond Sports, a company that takes athletes around the world to sightsee and play their sport internationally.

Malo, an incoming sophomore for the Gusties, traveled to Spain recently with teammate Marten Morem. They played four games and helped put on a camp for local youth according to a report from the Gustavus Athletic Department.

"I've always wanted to study aboard but with basketball going first semester, J-term, and second semester I wasn't able to take time to do it so it made the decision pretty easy. All around it was just a great experience. It felt like a vacation as I was able to submerge in their culture and just in general experiencing Spain was cool but being able to play and meet those guys we played with and against was a cherry on top."

Malo earned All First-Year honors in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after averaging 9.9 points per game for the Gusties. He also grabbed over five rebounds per contest and started 25 games.

Fellow sophomore Morem appeared in all 26 games for Gustavus, averaging four points and a rebound in over 11 minutes per outing.

Morem was also pleased with the trip to Spain, "The trip was great because we were constantly sightseeing, but we still had plenty of freedom to experience a different yet beautiful culture on our own." He added, "Overall the basketball was great competition as the game had high intensity and was a great place to showcase our talent. I looked at this Spain trip as a way to go abroad while not missing any basketball during the season."

Most of the players on the basketball team were Division III athletes along with players from Canada and the Virgin Islands.

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