UA Foundation chips in $129K toward Wildcats' basketball trip to Lithuania

In a contract signed in April and obtained by the Star via a public records request, the UA Foundation agreed to pay trip organizer Complete Sports Management ("CSM") $129,070 for nearly all of the Wildcats’ ground costs during their 10-day tour. CSM will also receive all media and broadcasting rights of the UA’s three Lithuanian games.

The UA Foundation has established a “Student-Athlete Excellence Fund,” and encouraged fans to donate to it during the Wildcats’ final Four run last season, though it isn’t clear if the payment for Lithuania came from that fund or other UA Foundation funds.

Messages left Friday with the UA Foundation communications department and Senior VP Brad Terry, who signed the contract, were not returned. In addition, UA spokesman Mitch Zak said he could not provide information over where the funds specifically came from, though he said he was not speaking on behalf of the UA Foundation.

Whatever the case, the agreement suggests UA won’t be paying for ground costs out of the general UA athletic department budget, though athletics may be on the hook for airfare. Round-trip coach airfares between Phoenix and Vilnius, the route the Wildcats are taking, have been ranging between $1,000 and $1,500 this summer, indicating the traveling party’s airfare costs could be at least $50,000.

In the details of the contract between the UA Foundation and Complete Sports Management, CSM is to cover all of the Wildcats’ ground transportation and three meals a day in Lithuania for the 40-person party, as well as 35 hotel rooms (16 single rooms and 19 doubles) over eight nights. Transportation is included to all team excursions.

The contract specified that UA would be in Lithuania from Aug. 15-23, but the Wildcats actually arrived on Friday, Aug. 14, so the Wildcats will be staying a total of nine nights, possibly increasing their costs.

Arizona has 16 players, plus 13 coaches and staffers listed on its roster. If there were exactly 40 people in its traveling party, the ground cost paid by the UA Foundation breaks down to $3,226 per person. Extra traveling party members beyond 40 were to be charged $5,855 each, while fan packages including game admission, meals and hotels were priced at $6,705.

Founded in 1958, the UA Foundation posted on its mission statement that it is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing UA through philanthropy.

“Our goals are to facilitate connection, demonstrate gratitude and impact, and maximize the power of giving for the U of A and its generous donors,” the foundation posted. “Our services include managing the university’s donated assets and processing gifts to the university in accordance with the U of A’s guidelines and policies.”

In addition to helping market the University of Arizona with its appearance in the basketball-loving Baltic country, the Wildcats are also expected to gain during their trip from additional time on the court, being able to bring Lithuanian players Motiejus Krivas and Ugnius Jarusevicius home and the chance to strengthen their recruiting ties in the area.

“Arizona basketball may may seem like a really important part of this university to a lot of people, but the university is about way more things than just our basketball program,” UA coach Tommy Lloyd said before the team left. “So anytime we get to have the Block A and take it anywhere, especially internationally, it's really cool.”

The Wildcats will open play Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. against the Lithuanian national “B” team, then face the Ukraine national team on Thursday at 8 a.m. and the Lithuanian national team on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 7:30 a.m. before returning home. All games are expected to be streamed on the Arizona basketball YouTube page.