International NBA players thrive from overseas development system
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (BVM) 鈥� The 2022 NBA Draft was headlined by a three-man race to see who would be the first overall pick in the draft. Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith stole the show but there were other amazing storylines, including the new international NBA players drafted.聽
Six players from multiple countries were selected in the first round of the draft, including five in the lottery and four being selected one after the other. It showcases what many basketball fans have been aware of for a while: the game is growing throughout the world and the talent is reaching the league through international NBA players.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the second most popular sport in the word. It鈥檚 the fastest growing sport in the world,鈥� Brandon Goble, co-owner of 蝉补颈诲.听
Goble also runs the Twitter page, has spent time running camps, scouting for collegiate and NBA teams as well as watching players from all around the world. Recently, he has spent time with William Berg, the 7-foot-2 center from Sweden who will be playing for Purdue this year.聽
鈥淧henomenal freaking kid and a really talented player,鈥� Goble 蝉补颈诲.听
Berg and the country he hails from shows the growth of the game at the international level. Berg is one of a group of Swedish players that are entering or are already at the Division I level.聽聽聽
鈥淪weden鈥檚 interesting,鈥� Goble said. 鈥淚t’s a country that in the past had not put a ton of interest into basketball鈥ountries that have traditionally not really gotten into hoops are really digging into it and putting in the money and the infrastructure and all that sort of thing now and Sweden is one of those.鈥澛�
That is in part due to the accessibility of the game through the development of technology. It is easier than ever to stream NBA games, watch highlights on YouTube or follow your favorite player on social media. It makes the dreams of the young players watching basketball seem more attainable.聽
It has gone from people in Nigeria trying to follow what Hakeem Olajuwon was doing in the States via the newspaper to watching Kobe Bryant highlights on YouTube. Obviously having an international NBA players like a Luka Doncic or Dirk Nowitzki as home grown talent is always important in showing kids they can reach the pros, but now it doesn鈥檛 necessarily have to be that way. Kids with basketball aspirations can watch basically any player and make a connection with them.
Sweden is a good example of that. They do not have a star in the NBA but the game is still growing rapidly in the country and soon, they may have that player to give a boost to the popularity of the sport.聽
Along with Berg, there is fellow Class of 2022 Wake Forest commit Bobi Klintman, University of Arizona junior guard Pelle Larsson and Class of 2024 top-10 recruit Elliot Cadeau. They are some of the most notable examples but there are others and Sweden is just one country. Those who pay attention to basketball on a global scale know that basketball hot spots are popping up all across the world and some have been there for a long time.
鈥淚 think Spain for the women鈥檚 side is a place that has blown up,鈥� McCook Community College assistant coach Dwight Smith said. 鈥淥bviously people know about it but it鈥檚 continuing to increase. Let鈥檚 look at Canada for the men鈥檚 side, huge. That hub in Canada is getting bigger by the second. Sweden, I mean there are a lot of different places, look at Belgium鈥檚 women鈥檚 side, really look close, you鈥檙e starting to see it but it鈥檚 all about the right timing.鈥澛�
Smith played Division I basketball at Colorado State and Northern Colorado before beginning a career in coaching. He had a friend who played basketball overseas, trained her and began to train other men and women from Europe. He developed relationships which have allowed him to continuously go over to Europe for the last eight years.聽
Last season, Smith鈥檚 McCook basketball team had seven foreign players on it including ones from Sweden, Nigeria, New Zealand and England. He鈥檚 been recruiting overseas since he began training players and has developed a strong understanding of basketball abroad.聽
鈥淚 particularly prefer the systems that most of the international countries use,鈥� Smith said. 鈥�Sweden specifically with just their development.鈥澛�
International basketball and European programs in particular have always been known for their focus on fundamentals but it goes deeper than that. Along with the fundamentals, coaches will also have all the players play an even amount of minutes: 20 minutes on 20 minutes off. It allows the less-developed players to get the same experience as the best player on the team. What that means is if a player develops later in life, hits a growth spurt, bulks up and becomes more athletic, they still have a strong background in the game from when they were younger.聽聽
There is also the opportunity for players to play with professionals at their local club team.聽
鈥淭hey have the system of being able to have their players kind of play with the pros, practice with the pros, not accept money and still be young amateurs,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e basically allowed to play with the pros.鈥澛�
Smith likened it to the prep system that is developing in the USA. However, the kids in the USA playing for prep schools are not able to play against former DI talent or players who had at one point been in the NBA.聽聽
鈥淭here is a consistent positive outcome from playing against older, bigger, better, stronger players when you are younger to give you that exposure,鈥� Smith said.
On the women鈥檚 side, that also means playing against WNBA talent. Unfortunately, due to the lack of pay for women鈥檚 professional basketball players, many WNBA players spent their offseason playing abroad. It is a strain on the athletes who should not have to play two seasons just to get by, but it does have an effect on the young girls who watch them play.聽
Those girls and boys have the opportunity to interact with some of the best female basketball players in the world. It makes their own dreams more realistic and has the popularity of the sport grow amongst young girls overseas. Add to that a homegrown talent like Emma Meesseman and you can see why Smith says women’s basketball is growing in Belgium.
Those same young players are gaining experience that college coaches are paying attention to. And the same developments in technology that make basketball more accessible to kids all around the world also makes those same players more accessible to college coaches. Some, like Arizona鈥檚 Tommy Lloyd, have already developed a strong recruiting pipeline internationally that has given him access to talent since before he was at Arizona. Turning those players into strong collegiate athletes and then international NBA players.
鈥淭ommy鈥檚 just willing to go and turnover rocks,鈥� Goble said.
But it鈥檚 not just coaches that are noticing. There are those like Smith and Gobles who are traveling the world to scout and train potential international NBA players from the growing amount of young talent that is out there. George Gervin Jr. and his company train international players and spend time over there. That also adds to the talent and the attention paid to these players coming from outside of the States.聽聽
Soon it may come down to deciding between the raw 17- or 18-year-old American player or an international player who has the measurables but has spent time training or playing with professional players rather than just high schoolers.
However, that is just one option for players. They could choose to not go to the USA to college basketball and stay to play professionally. The beauty in the growth of the game is that options for all basketball players both at home and abroad are becoming numerous.聽
At the high school level, a player can go the normal route, play in high school then go to college and hopefully get drafted. But that same player could also go to the G-League and play abroad like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Jennings to get the experience of playing against professionals rather than college players. They could do what Cadeau is doing and play AAU basketball in the USA and then go overseas to play for the Swedish national team. Foreign players have the same opportunities to either come to the USA like Klintman did or stay home like Berg both have a good chance of becoming international NBA players.聽聽
The options allow players to find the way that best suits them and as more do, there will be less of a taboo connotation to the choices. What it also does is give young players the opportunity to see the world through basketball, build relationships that can help them throughout life. The player from Spain who roomed with an American from Milwaukee may reach out to his teammate when he is trying out for the Milwaukee Bucks. Similarly, his roommate may feel more comfortable heading over to Spain to try and play professionally after college.聽
鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to start to see more travel,鈥� Smith 蝉补颈诲.听
In the end, what it does for the game of basketball is improve the overall talent at each level of the game and international NBA players. Boys and girls who dream of playing basketball have more opportunity to live out that dream while also traveling the world and in the end everyone reaps the benefits from the growth of the game.
