The Europe-bound men’s basketball team met the media Sunday as it began its 10 practices before the trip across the ocean. There, WVU will play a handful of exhibition games against a range of competition, a tactic of which Coach Bob Huggins doesn’t always approve.

Time is valuable, though, and this gets the intensely large group of newcomers an early start … and that comes after the shaky play in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club earlier this summer.

Practice would not be in the Coliseum Sunday, though. “Why?” you ask?

Their introduction to West Virginia basketball comes at the Student Rec Center rather than on the Coliseum court, the unintended consequence of someone painting the home court at WVU in the wrong colors.

It is a problem that will not matter once the $22-million — or is it up to $26-million now? — basketball practice facility is completed, provided they get that color scheme right, but where they practice now is of no concern to Bob Huggins’ large and talented 2011-12 recruiting class.

In fact, it is a blessing, as it allows them to go through their first two practices in preparation for this summer’s European swing without learning the evils of the devilish treadmill, which has remained in the Coliseum.

“We did talk about it for a minute,” Huggins admitted, wearing a telling smile.