Spring Break
The Daily OrangeBinghamton's international players break cultural barriers
By Mark Medina
Posted: 12/2/04, 2:29 AM EST Section: Sports
Numerous times, basketball coaches pride themselves on stressing the importance of building relationships, strengthening teamwork and applying lessons learned on the court into everyday life.
Through countless interviews, many coaches spew off this cliché, sometimes disguised as a distraction and excuse for a disheartening defeat. But for the Binghamton women's basketball team, that mindset couldn't come at a more opportune time than in 2004.
Possessing five international players from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Latvia, honing in on these three aspects draws the U.S. natives and international players closer. Bearcats coach Rich Conover is in the process of successfully melting the pot - full of various basketball backgrounds - and combining it into one effective unit. That unit is Syracuse's opponent at Manley Field House tonight at 7.
Conover, last year's America East Conference Coach of the Year, runs sophomore Rebecka Lindgren (Sweden) as the starting point guard. The other international players -Laura Sario (Finland), Therese Deemand (Denmark), Juta Jahilo (Finland) and Laine Kurpniece (Latvia) - have come off the bench, but that hasn't been a barrier to the contributions each player has made.
Each player broke down cultural barriers, for instance, in practice when they explained in their native language a drill they picked up in international play.
Another time, the squad was split up into five groups, each paired with a foreign teammate. The groups made a different meal that is custom to the native's country. Then, they shared it with the rest of the team, giving the Bearcats a better taste of their teammates' backgrounds.
"It teaches them something that maybe 'I'm in a situation where I can't understand something and I need help,'" Conover said. "It's a plus for them to get an opportunity to meet other cultures."
So how did Binghamton land these players anyway? It doesn't hurt when its assistant coach - Morten Thomsen - makes the recruiting efforts. From Copenhagen, Denmark, Thomsen speaks Danish and Swedish fluently and travels to Europe to scope the international scene. These international recruits are the new gems to discover, as indicated by the 2004 Olympics and the increasing popularity and competitiveness in basketball around the globe.
Through countless interviews, many coaches spew off this cliché, sometimes disguised as a distraction and excuse for a disheartening defeat. But for the Binghamton women's basketball team, that mindset couldn't come at a more opportune time than in 2004.
Possessing five international players from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Latvia, honing in on these three aspects draws the U.S. natives and international players closer. Bearcats coach Rich Conover is in the process of successfully melting the pot - full of various basketball backgrounds - and combining it into one effective unit. That unit is Syracuse's opponent at Manley Field House tonight at 7.
Conover, last year's America East Conference Coach of the Year, runs sophomore Rebecka Lindgren (Sweden) as the starting point guard. The other international players -Laura Sario (Finland), Therese Deemand (Denmark), Juta Jahilo (Finland) and Laine Kurpniece (Latvia) - have come off the bench, but that hasn't been a barrier to the contributions each player has made.
Each player broke down cultural barriers, for instance, in practice when they explained in their native language a drill they picked up in international play.
Another time, the squad was split up into five groups, each paired with a foreign teammate. The groups made a different meal that is custom to the native's country. Then, they shared it with the rest of the team, giving the Bearcats a better taste of their teammates' backgrounds.
"It teaches them something that maybe 'I'm in a situation where I can't understand something and I need help,'" Conover said. "It's a plus for them to get an opportunity to meet other cultures."
So how did Binghamton land these players anyway? It doesn't hurt when its assistant coach - Morten Thomsen - makes the recruiting efforts. From Copenhagen, Denmark, Thomsen speaks Danish and Swedish fluently and travels to Europe to scope the international scene. These international recruits are the new gems to discover, as indicated by the 2004 Olympics and the increasing popularity and competitiveness in basketball around the globe.
