In 2025, Penn State Altoona men's basketball head coach David McGreal was presented with a unique proposition: to assemble a roster of men's basketball players from Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference schools and serve as its coach throughout a short European tour. The roster would consist of players who graduated following the 2025-26 season and would compete in Portugal against several professional teams in May 2026.

Through his connections he established as a member of an NCAA national committee, McGreal was approached with the opportunity by EuroBasket, a professional basketball organization associated with FIBA, the international basketball federation. The coach jumped at the chance.

"EuroBasket reached out to me while I was on the national committee and asked if I'd be interested in rounding up 10 graduating seniors from the AMCC and coach them in a European tour," said McGreal. "I told them it would be an absolute honor and started the process."

From there, McGreal began "recruiting" his team from across the AMCC while working with a licensed FIBA agent to take care of details for the upcoming trip.

"I appreciate all the coaches who allowed me to recruit their seniors before our 2025-26 season even started, because without that cooperation, this trip probably wouldn't have happened," McGreal stated. "Thanks to coaches Dave Niland [Penn State Behrend], Chris Klimchock [Pitt-Greensburg], and Daniel Smay [Pitt-Bradford] for helping me put our roster together with their seniors."

The 10-man roster of graduating AMCC seniors came together quickly, comprised of Mason Blankenberg, Matthew McDonough, and Michael Sopko from Penn State Behrend, Michael Bigley, Jackson Byer, Matthew Marinchak, Trent Rozich, and Joziah Wyatt-Taylor from Pitt-Greensburg, Coby Farley from Pitt-Bradford, and Kaden Claar from Penn State Altoona. When Sopko suffered a season-ending injury during the conference season, McGreal swapped in Penn State Altoona alum Saivon Word, who played for the Lions from 2021-23, to take his spot.

The AMCC team departed for Portugal in May, set to play four different teams from divisions two and three of the Portuguese professional basketball league. In addition to its games during the approximate weeklong visit, the team took excursions to various parts of the country.

The team's first stop of the trip was Portugal's capital, Lisbon, which the group used as its home base for several days. The team ventured out to visit landmarks such as Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle and also spent time on the beaches of Cascais. After Lisbon, the team spent its last days of the trip in Povoa de Varzim, a beachfront town north of the city of Porto.

"Part of the experience was taking different excursions," said McGreal. "It was a lot of walking, but each place had amazing, beautiful views."

On the court, the AMCC team excelled, going 4-0 while scoring over 100 points each game. The group jelled quickly and defeated all four opponents they faced: Lisbon Select, CD Povoa, GDAS, and Galitos Aveiro.

Link 1: Balanced Attack Powers AMCC to Back-to-Back Wins on Portugal Tour

Link 2: AMCC Tour Team Runs Through Portugal with Convincing 4 Game Performance

"The guys played amazingly well together. There were zero egos, and you could see how much they enjoyed playing together on the floor while also enjoying their time together off the floor," said McGreal. "It was also a great opportunity for me to coach Kaden and Sai one last time. Both meant so much to our program, so I'm glad they had this opportunity and that I got to do it with them."

Claar, a guard from Portage, Pa., who played from 2023-26 for Penn State Altoona, relished the entire experience of the Portugal trip.

"Representing our conference on an international stage was an incredible honor," he stated. "Playing alongside some of the best players in our conference while experiencing a new culture in Portugal made it a truly unforgettable experience."

Likewise, Word, a guard from Upper Marlboro, Md., who played for the Lions from 2021-23, savored the opportunity.

"I feel an immense honor to have played under my coach one last time. Sharing the court with the best players in the conference was not just a privilege, but a true blessing," he said. "This experience was unforgettable, and I am genuinely grateful to have been part of such a remarkable journey."

After a highly successful first year partnering with EuroBasket, McGreal is already looking ahead to next year to provide the opportunity to another group of AMCC graduating men's basketball seniors.

"I'll be reaching out to some coaches shortly, and as of now, we are planning on going to Spain or back to Portugal," he said. "It's a great opportunity for AMCC players to represent our conference and institutions internationally."