LOS SUENOS, Costa Rica — WKU men's basketball head coach Rick Stansbury suggested his team might've got more out of its time away from the court in Costa Rica than it did during its three exhibition wins.
 
The Hilltoppers took part in several non-basketball related activities during their foreign tour, building much-needed chemistry for a team largely made up of newcomers. The team is scheduled to return to Bowling Green late Monday night after a week out of the country.
 
"Anytime you get to spend quality time with your teammates away, you're going to build a bond," senior forward Justin Johnson said. "Just hanging out with each other 24/7, eating breakfast and every meal together, it does wonders for teams."
 
The Hilltoppers agreed that their favorite activity was paying a visit Thursday to the Association of Works for the Holy Spirit, an orphanage near San Jose, Costa Rica.
 
 
The WKU players got to visit with children of all ages, from newborn babies to teenagers. To say they received an enthusiastic welcome is an understatement.
 
"Those kids were really happy to see us, and we were happy to see them," freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth said. "We would've stayed longer if we could've. Everybody loved it."
 
The Hilltoppers read books, danced, played soccer and basketball, and visited a nearby zoo with the children.
 
Some of the children wanted to know the story behind the precautionary boot on graduate senior forward Dwight Coleby's foot to protect his sprained heel.
 
Some wanted to play ping-pong on a shortened table with a TV remote in place of the net. Some wanted to play soccer with 6-foot-9 Moustapha Diagne, a Senegal native well-versed in the game.
 
But the most popular activity was simply children racing into the arms of the players, begging to be picked up so they could touch the ceiling.

PHOTO GALLERY: Hilltoppers Visit Costa Rican Orphanage
 
"A lot of these kids don't know life outside of these walls," freshman forward Marek Nelson said. "It's great to come and spend time with them and make the most of the short amount of time we get with them."
 
After playing their final exhibition in San Jose on Thursday night, WKU spent the weekend in the Los Suenos area, taking some time to relax and participate in activities as a team after three games in three days.
 
On Saturday, the players went ziplining together on a course through the rainforest. The course included 10 different lines, including some that got up to nearly 60 mph and one that allowed the opportunity to go upside-down.
 
On Sunday, the Hilltoppers returned to the same area to do a 4-wheeler excursion through the rainforest. The trek first took them to the top of a mountain with a spectacular view of the ocean before then taking them off-road for a mud-soaked adventure.

PHOTO GALLERY: Hilltoppers Take 4-Wheeler Excursion
 
"We were already close before we got on this trip, but being here has helped us a lot," senior guard Tyler Miller said. "We've got a good chemistry on and off the floor."
 
This week's trip didn't change Stansbury's opinion that he'll be coaching good people on the court this year.
 
That's encouraging, he said, because it's the foundation of a successful program.
 
"Winning championships, that's what you've got to have," Stansbury said. "Rhythm and chemistry is about people willing to do the little things and buy in as a team. Most of the time, you've got to have good character to do that."