Talk about a road trip to remember: Four Guilford men’s basketball players and coach Tom Palombo spent a week in Barbados in July competing against some of the country’s best players. Not just competing, but winning.

The U.S. group of players coached by Tom finished the tournament 4-0, including a wild rally in the last game in which the team rallied from a 12-point deficit with less than 2 minutes to play to win in regulation. That the victory came against the island’s national team of players only made the week even more fun, says Tom.

“Crazy, awesome ending to the game and the week,” says Tom. “I think the guys really enjoyed themselves.”

Julius Burch ’23 MBA ‘24, Tyler Dearman ’23 MISM ’24, Luke Proctor ’25 and brother Gabe ’26 competed on the team. They were joined on the trip by Adam Brazil of ODAC rival Hampden-Sydney College (Va.) and other college standouts.

Barbados is located in the eastern Caribbean. As you might expect, the players filled their time on the island with more than just basketball. The team stayed at a beachfront hotel, enjoyed a catamaran cruise and toured the country’s rainforest in an SUV.

“Just something new every day,” says Luke, who is returning for his senior year. “We got to really experience the culture and get to know the people who were awesome.”

Tom led a team of players competing in Austria and Italy in 2014. He says experiences that combine sports with education are an excellent opportunity for student athletes to see how they his players he hopes. “Just another benefit of college athletics,” says Tom, whose son Caleb played on the PhD Hoops USA Junior team on the trip. “I’m thankful to have had the opportunity and I know the guys were, too.”

The Barbados trip was organized by PhD Hoops USA, which sponsors basketball travel tours worldwide. Each player covered their expenses for the trip.