KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The 2016-17 Western Michigan men's basketball team has started the first of its official full-team practices this week leading up to its European trip later this August.

Once every four years, NCAA programs are afforded the opportunity to participate in a summer tour or an in-season tour. Foreign tours not only allow teams to get an invaluable head start on the competition, they also enable student-athletes a chance to travel abroad they might not otherwise have due to the high demands of collegiate athletics.

This summer's tour will be the fourth for the Broncos and head coach Steve Hawkins. Entering his 14th season, Hawkins has led the Bronco squad on three trips overseas and was also part of one as an assistant coach at WMU.

The Broncos will play four games over their stay, Aug. 21-31, making stops in Amsterdam, Ghent, Normandy and Paris.  

An added benefit of a summer tour is that teams are allowed up to 10 days of practice leading up to the trip. Western Michigan held the first of its 10 practices Monday, Aug. 1, marking the first time the six returning Broncos and the eight freshmen (two redshirts and six true newcomers) took the floor together.

"There are several elements of the benefit to a foreign trip in the summer," Hawkins said. "The obvious are team-building, camaraderie and the unbelievable opportunity to get kids outside their comfort zone and show them there is a great big world out there. The real basketball benefit comes from these 10 days of practice we wouldn't otherwise have."

The Broncos return six players from last year's roster, including the top three scorers in junior point guard Thomas Wilder (18.0 ppg), senior wing man Tucker Haymond (15.9 ppg) and junior post Drake LaMont (7.8 ppg). Wilder was a Second-Team All-Mid-American Conference selection and led the MAC in scoring during conference games from start to finish, averaging 20.4 ppg against league opposition.

Other returners include sophomores Josh Davis, Seth Dugan and Bryce Moore. Moore and Dugan saw their numbers grow in their first year and Davis had flashes of superb potential but had his freshman campaign slowed down by injuries.

WMU has two returning redshirt freshmen, 5-9 guard Ryan Wade and 6-4 combo forward Joeviair Kennedy. Rounding out the roster are six true freshmen eager to get their careers started at Western Michigan, 5-10 guard Brandon Allen, 6-6 forward Adida Ikongshul, 6-8 forward Brandon Johnson, 6-5 wing Reggie Jones, 6-4 guard Jared Printy and 5-11 guard Jarrin Randall.

"With eight freshmen, we are able to put in the large muscle groups of our system over the 10 practice days - offense, defense, mentality and all the other things we are trying to do," Hawkins said. "We get to establish early in the summer that this is the way Western Michigan basketball is played. It will really benefit us being such a young team."