Gopher hoops team prepares for Canadian tour

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MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota men's basketball team began early fall practice yesterday to prepare for an international exhibition trip to Canada.

Power forward Trevor Mbakwe of St. Paul returns to the team after serving a year-long suspension while his court case was pending in Florida. He was reinstated to the team after the case was resolved without an admission of guilt earlier this month.

He was with the team on the court for practice yesterday and will travel with the squad to British Columbia for three exhibition games against Canadian college teams early next month. He says his goal is to lead the Big Ten in rebounding and blocked shots this season.

Tags: gophers basketball, proam, basketball