ORONO – Coach Sharon Versyp and the members of the University of Maine women’s basketball team have always been quick to recognize the considerable efforts of their booster group, the Friends of Maine Women’s Basketball.

Never has the FOMWB’s backing been more evident than this week, as the Black Bears visit Hawaii for the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort Classic.

UMaine plays PAC-10 power Washington Saturday at 6 p.m., then faces either Hawaii or Lipscomb on Sunday.

“It’s the chance of a lifetime for a lot people,” Versyp said.

According to the coach, it was through the fundraising efforts of the Friends that this memorable trip was possible.

“Our Friends group is phenomenal,” said Versyp, who made the Hawaii trip a scheduling priority ever since being hired at UMaine in 2000.

The Friends of Maine Women’s Basketball conducts several fundraising events each year, including a golf tournament, “Timeout with Coach Versyp,” sessions and a wine reception. And, of course, there’s the proceeds from the 50-50 raffle at all home games.

All the money, including dues from the Friends’ 300-plus members and other donations, are placed into an account and are used for various needs, including travel, and books for the players’ May term and summer school classes.

Versyp was able to utilize that account to make an expensive Hawaii trip a reality.

“It’s not being paid for by anything except our fundraising efforts and I need to thank each and every Friends group member for all of the events that we have held to allow this trip to come to pass for all of us,” Versyp said.

Maria Baeza of Newburgh and Evie Smith of Carmel serve as the co-presidents of FOMWB. Baeza said belonging to the group is rewarding.

“It’s a very good working relationship,” Baeza said of the Friends group’s dealings with the team and the UMaine athletic department. “The Friends group is an extension of the university, which is why we’re so careful about compliance.”

Versyp, who declined to put a price tag on the five-day trip, has been to Hawaii twice previously, once related to basketball. She knew it was a trip her players, staff and fans would enjoy.

“It’s just a great experience,” Versyp said. “There’s so much to learn out there education-wise, culture-wise. It’s not just all about basketball.”

The team and fans will visit Pearl Harbor and the “Punch Bowl,” site of the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, go snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and attend a luau.

Senior co-captain Heather Ernest of Temple can’t wait to catch a few rays.

“We’re extremely excited,” Ernest said. “I’ve been working on my hula dancing,” she said with a laugh.

Baeza and Versyp both know how valuable such a trip can be, especially in terms of making the program more attractive to prospective student-athletes.

“Sharon can recruit with the top teams that will offer that kind of support,” Baeza said of the fringe benefits provided by extra funds raised by the Friends’ group.

“We know how important it is,” she said. “It’s amazing how we have people who are so willing to do so much. It’s a nice win-win situation.”

UMaine will be staying closer to home for at least three years, as NCAA rules allow teams to compete in events outside the continental U.S. such as the Waikiki Beach classic only once every four years.