Coach Mike McConathy takes his Northwestern State basketball team into international competition Sunday night as the Demons land in Canada for a six-day stay and begin the first of four exhibition games.
The Demons will play Sunday night at 7 PST against Quest University. They get the next day off from competition, then play Vancouver Island University on Tuesday at 6 PST, and face Victoria Select on Wednesday and Thursday in a pair of 5 p.m. contests before returning home next Friday.
“You really don't know from one night to the next what the competition level will be, but my guess is it will test us, especially without having everyone on our team out there,” said McConathy. “I'm not terribly worried about our record at the end of the week. The important factor is the experience – on the basketball court, sure, but also the opportunity to visit another country, a somewhat different culture, and to learn and grow from that and pick up some lifelong memories.”

The Demons will have a 14-player roster for the trip. They will be without one veteran, junior guard Tyler Washington, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery. Three newcomers – junior forward DeQuan Hicks, junior guard Brison White and freshman forward Brandon Williams – will not travel since they have not established academic residency at NSU.