ORONO – A four-team tournament slated for Memorial Gymnasium and a stop in Portland are just two of the highlights in the University of Maine 2003-04 schedule, men’s basketball head coach John Giannini said in a press release from the school Tuesday.

The Black Bears will also travel to eastern Canada for international play and kick off the season with a game against ACC opponent Florida State.

For the first time in almost 15 years, the Black Bears will return to the “Pit” in Memorial Gym in its home opener as part of the UMaine Invitational. The UMaine Invitational, which will be held Nov. 28-29, will feature Brown, UM-Fort Kent, and the University of New England.

On Nov. 28, the Division I schools will face the Division III schools, while on Saturday, Brown and UMaine will play at 8 p.m., following the UMFK-New England matchup at 6.

“Next year’s schedule is extremely exciting for the team. The ‘Pit’ is legendary for its exciting basketball atmosphere and it has housed some of the greatest teams in the history of the program. There is great history and nostalgia in that arena,” said Giannini. “We consider it our home because it is our daily practice facility. I think it will be exiting for our players to play an actual game in there and for our fans to bring back some great memories.”

Throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the Pit was one of the toughest arenas in New England with its proximity of the crowd and the deafening acoustics. The last men’s basketball game held in Memorial Gym was a 76-70 Maine win over Vermont on Jan. 11, 1992.

In addition, the 2003-04 schedule features a stop a Cumberland Civic Center in Portland for a Division I basketball matchup as the Black Bears play Morgan State on Saturday, Dec. 20. Maine then takes on UMass in Amherst on Dec. 23.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. It’s close to home for many of our best players. Furthermore, Portland is a key recruiting area and has many UMaine supporters. I hope to make this an annual event,” Giannini said.

Senior Rickey White, a first-team All-America East forward, is from Topsham and a graduate of Mount Ararat High School, while Junior Chris Markwood of South Portland a transfer from Notre Dame, will make his Black Bear debut at the Morgan State game.

The team will begin its 2003-04 season with a trip to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland using an exception the NCAA allows every four years for Division I institutions to participate and travel internationally. The Black Bears will leave after class of Friday, Oct. 10, and return Tuesday, Oct. 14, during the University’s fall break. The trip also allows UMaine to start practice on Oct. 1, 10 days prior to the start of the trip.

“The trip to Canada will allow us to start our practice ahead of our competition and new players will get significant experience. It will be a great opportunity to look at our strengths and weaknesses and progress as a team more quickly going into the regular season,” Giannini said.

The regular season opens on Friday, Nov. 21, against Florida State in Tallahassee, Fla., and the Black Bears will also travel to Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach on Friday, Nov. 24, to start a two-game series. Bethune-Cookman is scheduled to return to Orono for a game in 2004-05.

Following the UMaine Invitational, the Black Bears travel to Harvard before hosting Dartmouth at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

The Black Bears kick off conference play with a pair of home games against Harftford and Stony Brook, on Jan. 2 and Jan. 4, respectively.

The conference schedule also features America East newcomer, Maryland-Baltimore County. The America East Tournament, scheduled for March 5-7, will be held at Walter Brown Arena at Boston University.

Season tickets for 2003-04 UMaine men’s basketball are available through the UMaine Athletic Office at 581-BEAR, 1-800-756-TEAM.