AU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NOTEBOOK: Tigers set for European vacation

How did you spend your summer vacation?

Starting Friday, the Auburn women’s basketball team will have a pretty good answer.

The Tigers begin a 10-day, three-country tour of Central Europe on Friday. The trip will take Auburn’s players, coaches and support staff to three European capitals: Prague (Czech Republic), Bratislava (Slovakia) and Vienna (Austria).

For head coach Nell Fortner, the trip was a no-brainer. AU returns the core of last year’s team, which made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in four seasons. Stars DeWanna Bonner, Sherell Hobbs and Whitney Boddie will all be seniors.

Expectations for the 2008-09 season are high.

“We always felt like this would be the year we made a strong push to win a championship,” Fortner said. “A trip like this gives you a few extra days to practice in the summer, and it helps you build team chemistry.

“It gives you a few extra games under your belt, more experience, and that pays off for you.”

And, of course, it gives the players a chance to soak in some European culture. AU plays four games in 10 days, leaving plenty of time for sight-seeing.

The agenda includes tours of all three capitals, as well the Terezin concentration camp in the Czech Republic.

Overseas travel is nothing new for Bonner, who played for the United States’ Under-21 National Team in Russia last summer. But she is the only Auburn player who has ever been to Europe, according to Fortner.

Bonner says she’s looking forward to the trip.

“It’s going to be a great bonding time for our team,” she said. “We’re going to go over and play some great games and enjoy getting to see another part of the world.”

PG Boddie back in good standing
Fortner said Boddie is in good academic standing and participating in offseason workouts with her teammates.

Boddie missed the final 21 games of last season after being declared academically ineligible in late December. But Fortner says Boddie has regained her eligibility and will join the team on the trip to Europe.

“Her grades have been very good this summer, and she’s ready to go,” Fortner said. “We’re glad to have her back.”

Tigers snag three verbal commitments
With a little more than two months remaining until the early signing period, Auburn has verbal commitments from three top prospects.

The trio — forwards Blanche Alverson and Pascal West and guard Nicolle Thomas — are expected to sign with AU when the early signing period begins in mid-November.

The 6-foot-3 Alverson, of Buford, Ga., is the highest-profile recruit in the class. ESPN.com ranks her as the No. 48 prospect and the ninth-best forward in the country.

Alverson, who plays shooting guard for her high school team, averaged 15.8 points and 7.7 rebounds as a junior.

The 5-foot-10 Thomas, from Moultrie, Ga., is a versatile player in the mold of current AU standout Hobbs. Thomas plays both guard and forward for Moultrie’s Colquitt County High, where she averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and five blocks as a junior.

West is a 6-foot-8 forward from LaGrange, Ga. The tallest player on Auburn’s current roster is 6-foot-7 forward KeKe Carrier.

cmickle@oanow.com | 737-2561