After playing five games in six days in Canada, Kennesaw State's men's basketball team returned home to continue making preparations for the upcoming season.

"They will compete and they care about each other," Owls coach Tony Ingle said of the most important lesson learned from the trip. "In this day and age, in a selfish time, these guys are coming together as a team. It doesn't mean that we are out of the woods, but I can see some things that will help us in the future. When you care for each other and you'll compete, that's really hard to do and it's really good to see."

The Owls won four of the five games on the trip, playing against teams consisting of current and former collegiate players from Canada and the U.S. The team was also able to get some sightseeing in during the trip, touring the CN Tower in Toronto and taking in a Blue Jays baseball game.

"We wanted to bond on the trip, and we wanted to have those 10 practice days," Ingle said. "We took nine kids, and they got a lot of playing time. It was a really good opportunity. We wanted to come with an attitude and get that winning attitude back, and we did that. We competed hard."

In the Owls' five games against the Niagara All-Stars, LTD Toronto, LTD Mississaugua and twice against Guelph Phoenix, sophomore guard Markeith Cummings once again proved to be a dominant presence. After earning Atlantic Sun Conference second-team all-conference and first-team all-freshman honors last year, Cummings was able to gain that much more experience in Canada.

He led the team with a 21.4-point average in Canada, leading the Owls in scoring in four of five games. Former Kennesaw Mountain standout Spencer Dixon was also a key player during the trip, averaging 16.6 points.

As it fine-tuned its game, Kennesaw State also introduced three new players into the fold. Sophomore transfers Aaron Anderson and Mirza Sabic and freshman Andrew Osemhen made the trip with the team.

The trip also allowed the players to come together on a long road trip, which will be necessary when Kennesaw State plays seven straight road games from Nov. 24 until Dec. 28.

"The guys have to understand what the standards are," Ingle said. "We believe in being comfortable while you are traveling, but there are rules, curfews and things like that. But this trip is something they will remember for the rest of their lives."