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Cal womens basketball preparing to open season in Paris
For the first time ever, the Cal Womens basketball team will open its season overseas in France.
Berkeley, CA - For the first time ever, the Cal Women's basketball team will open its season overseas in the city of light.
What we know:
The UC Berkeley team will play Vanderbilt to open their season on Monday, Nov. 3 at Adidas Arena in Paris.
It is the first time the team has been invited to attend the Oui-Play Paris 2025 showcase, featuring some of the best women's teams from the U.S.
Head coach Charmin Smith has spent 18 seasons with Cal and is now in her sixth year as head coach.
She said she feels honored the team has been asked to play in the showcase.
"I'm excited," Smith said. "This is what we've been working for… to put Cal on the map and be on the national stage and to be recognized as one of the premiere teams in the country."
Prepping for Paris:
The team has spent the past few weeks studying French.
Some players visited children at French immersion school, Ecole Bilingue De Berkeley where they played games and participated in French trivia.
Others took a tutoring class with a French PhD student who was on France's Olympic swimming team, to brush up on common French phrases.
San Francisco chef Matthew Dolan of 25 Lusk cooked up French delicacies, including chocolate pastries and sandwiches, on the court of Haas Pavilion, alongside Warriors and Cal hypeman Franco Finn.
Players Sakima Walker and Taylor Barnes shared their thoughts on the experience after tasting escargot for the first time.
"I thought it was pretty good," Barnes said. "I was hesitant about the snail, but I'm glad I tried it because it ended up being not too bad."
"The way he presented it, and just the smell of the butter and the aroma… it really spoke to me, and I was like, OK, I'm going to try it," Walker said. "It was really good."
The team left for Paris on Wednesday. They will visit the U.S. Ambassador to France, attend a dinner cruise on the River Seine, and take a tour of the Louvre Museum.
While the players expressed excitement about shopping and sightseeing, coach Smith said the experience is ultimately a business trip.
"The must-do is try to win the basketball game," she said.
The backstory:
The team is coming off one of their best programs in recent history.
With seven newcomers and six veterans, the Bears are hoping to get back to the NCAA tournament just as they did last season.
"I don't think it will hit me until we land," Barnes said. "Honestly, this is such a crazy experience and I can't believe it."
The Bears are hosting a watch party for the game on Monday, Nov. 3 at Cali Sports Bar & Kitchen on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley.
The team's home opener is set for Sunday, Nov. 9 at Haas Pavilion.