The Bayou Bandits are going international.

Head coach Will Wade will be taking his McNeese State Cowboys to El Salvador for a summer trip in preparation for the upcoming season.

The Cowboys will travel to the Central American country for three games against international competition. McNeese will play the national teams of El Salvador and Colombia, and one professional team from the region. The trip will take place between Aug. 8-15.

“It is a great chance for our team to get some time to play together,” said Wade. “In today’s game, when you put new teams together every year, it is good to get extra time and do some activities as a group.

“You get a chance to know each other better and do some bonding.”

College programs can go on summer trips once every four seasons. McNeese last went in 2019 when now Athletic Director Heath Schroyer took the Cowboys to the Bahamas in his second season as the basketball coach.

“It was a phenomenal opportunity to represent McNeese State University in a foreign country,” said Schroyer at the time. “It was an unbelievable experience from a cultural standpoint. I think our guys got a lot out of it and we got better as the week went on.”

It will also give the Cowboys some extra time on the practice floor. McNeese will be allowed 10 official practices to prepare for the trip. 

That will be especially good for Wade and his staff considering the seven newcomers he has brought in during the offseason. All are expected to be on campus and make the trip.

“I think every coach likes extra practice time,” said Wade. “We have a lot of new guys who we can use the time to get to know our system.

In his first season at McNeese, Wade turned the program around, posting a 30-4 record and winning both the tournament and regular season Southland Conference championships. 

The Cowboys earned their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2001 as well last season, falling in the opening round of the Midwest Regional to Gonzaga. The Cowboys earned a best-every 12th seed in that tourney.

Wade has said his goal is to win a game this year and had a big recruiting season to improve on his first year on the McNeese bench.

However, the trip won’t be just about basketball according to the coach.

“It is a good chance to expose our guys to different cultures and styles of basketball,” said Wade. “They will get to see other parts of the world and experience a lot of new things.”

McNeese will open the season on Nov. 4 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. There the Cowboys will take on South Dakota State, another Mid Major, in the Sanford Pentagon. 

The Cowboys will also play games against Mississippi State and Alabama, along with taking part in a three-game tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands over Thanksgiving break.

McNeese, however, is still looking for Division I teams to play them in the Legacy Center, where the Cowboys went 18-0 last season.