The Daily OrangeBYU-Hawaii finds success with talent from abroad
By Andrew L. John
Posted: 3/5/09, 12:15 AM EST Section: Sports
As basketball continues to gain popularity worldwide, Brigham Young University-Hawaii head coach Ken Wagner has been using it to his advantage.
BYU-Hawaii, one of the top programs in Division II, is doing something that has been done by few others: win with a roster that has come together from all different corners of the globe. The Seasiders feature foreign players from Brazil, Fiji, Taiwan, Canada and St. Vincent, and American players from Hawaii and Alaska.
"To have friends and teammates from all over the world, it's a unique situation," senior Nate Sims said. "Not a lot of people can say they played on a team that featured so many different cultures and styles."
The Seasiders (23-1) have now won a school-record 20 straight games. On top of its No. 1 ranking in the Division II West Region, BYU-Hawaii is also No. 3 in the national poll, behind the only two remaining undefeated teams in Division II - Findlay (Ohio) and Long Island University, C.W. Post.
As the international game continues to blossom, Wagner and his staff have been able to capitalize on the talent they've found in parts of the world most coaches don't dare to venture. Half of Wagner's roster features players born outside the contiguous United States. Even Wagner, who was born and raised near Mexico City, never lived in the U.S. until he attended college.
Of the American-born players, several have lived outside the United States or have parents that emigrated from places such as Nigeria and the Philippines. Because BYU-Hawaii is a privately operated university founded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, others have spent two years of missionary service in foreign places like Mexico, Japan and Korea.
BYU-Hawaii, one of the top programs in Division II, is doing something that has been done by few others: win with a roster that has come together from all different corners of the globe. The Seasiders feature foreign players from Brazil, Fiji, Taiwan, Canada and St. Vincent, and American players from Hawaii and Alaska.
"To have friends and teammates from all over the world, it's a unique situation," senior Nate Sims said. "Not a lot of people can say they played on a team that featured so many different cultures and styles."
The Seasiders (23-1) have now won a school-record 20 straight games. On top of its No. 1 ranking in the Division II West Region, BYU-Hawaii is also No. 3 in the national poll, behind the only two remaining undefeated teams in Division II - Findlay (Ohio) and Long Island University, C.W. Post.
As the international game continues to blossom, Wagner and his staff have been able to capitalize on the talent they've found in parts of the world most coaches don't dare to venture. Half of Wagner's roster features players born outside the contiguous United States. Even Wagner, who was born and raised near Mexico City, never lived in the U.S. until he attended college.
Of the American-born players, several have lived outside the United States or have parents that emigrated from places such as Nigeria and the Philippines. Because BYU-Hawaii is a privately operated university founded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, others have spent two years of missionary service in foreign places like Mexico, Japan and Korea.
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