Mikal Bridges and Phil Booth to play in Europe with Global Sports Academy

Villanova's Mikal Bridges and Phil Booth will be heading overseas to travel with Global Sports Academy on a Goodwill Tour of Belgium, England and Holland beginning later this week.

Booth averaged 5.8 points per game in addition to 1.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists as a freshman last season. The 6'7" Bridges sat out last year and will be a redshirt freshman this season.

Playing against elite talent in the summer is important for all basketball players, and especially for the Villanova Wildcats, who will face an uptick in competition with a more difficult non-conference schedule this season. We have seen Ryan Arcidiacono take advantage of international play last summer, and other Villanovans have participated in GSA tours in previous years; Tony Chennault and Darrun Hilliard went in 2013 while Kris Jenkins and Darryl Reynolds went last summer.

This year's trip lasts from August 6-14 and the GSA Goodwill Select Team will play a total of five games throughout the three countries.

The 10-member team which will be coached by SMU's director of basketball operations Jay Duncan will include players from Hofstra, West Chester, SMU, Villanova, Eastern Washington, Wake Forest, Lehigh and St. Bonaventure.