Auburn students at USA Team Handball tryout.  The tryout was held in conjunction with an exploratory visit  regarding the establishment of a national team residency program there.

The Auburn University student newspaper has reported on USA Team Handball’s recent visit to discuss the establishment of a residency program there. Several quotes from the article indicate that Auburn made a favorable impression.

U.S. Men’s National Team coach Javier Garcia Cuesta expressed this view: “I am pleasantly surprised with the offer we have received from Auburn. After seeing the facilities and the connections we could have with the School of Kinesiology, I am very positive about the possibility of us being here.”

Former USA National Team Player and Auburn representative, Reita Clanton also had a positive assessment: “We are very, very optimistic about the residency programs coming here. There are still a few details left to hammer out, but we all think this would be a win-win setup for the national team and Auburn.”

In terms of the way ahead the article indicated that the Auburn proposal will be reviewed by the USA Board of Directors in the coming weeks. Coarch Garcia Cuesta indicated that there was no timetable set for a decision on residency programs, but that the staff had a “soon as possible” mindset. One road block to a decision is the currently under staffed Board of Directors. In previous discussions with Team Handball News, USA Team Handball CEO, Matt Van Houten has indicated that he intends to have any decision regarding residency programs be made by a full complement of Board Members

THN (7 July 2013): USA Team Handball to visit Auburn University to discuss Residency Programs: Link

THN (8 June 2013): AUDIO: Interview with USA Team Handball CEO, Matt Van Houten: Link