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The Ohio State men’s basketball program spent $223,221 on hotel and airfare for a team trip to the Bahamas in August, OSU athletics spokesman Dan Wallenberg told The Lantern.
The team was in the Bahamas Aug. 5-10 to play two exhibition games against the Bahamas All-Stars and the Providence Storm.
The Lantern originally requested this information on Aug. 11 before receiving the final numbers after a third records request Wednesday afternoon.
The cost for the Atlantis hotel was $65,000, while the airfare totaled $158,221.
While on the trip, the team also participated in extra activities that included snorkeling, a three-hour catamaran tour and a trip to a USA soccer game being played nearby, according to an OSU release.
According to a search on travel website Kayak made Wednesday night, the minimum price on a round-trip flight for one adult from Columbus to Nassau, Bahamas, departing Oct. 5 and returning Oct. 10, was $528 as of Wednesday evening, while the same search on travel website Priceline showed a minimum price of $346.
According to Atlantis Paradise Island website, the cheapest hotel rooms available average a cost of $142 per night for one adult, while the average cost of the most expensive room is $539 per night for one adult.
The Lantern also requested a list of players, coaches and personnel flown by OSU to and from the Bahamas, however did not receive an immediate response from Wallenberg.
On the trip, the Buckeyes went 2-0 in their games, defeating the Bahamas All-Stars, 88-66, on Aug. 7, and dominating the Providence Storm the next day, 115-63.
Freshman forward Keita Bates-Diop led the Buckeyes in scoring against the Bahamas All-Stars, scoring 16 points, while sophomore forward Marc Loving led OSU against the Storm finishing with 19 points.
Virginia Tech transfer Trevor Thompson did not attend the trip because of NCAA transfer rules, and senior forward Jake Lorbach was not listed on the stat sheet for either game the Buckeyes played on the trip.
The Buckeyes are scheduled to begin their 2014-15 season Nov. 14 against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell at the Schottenstein Center. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
