International Players In NCAA Tournament

College Basketball Event Rich In Europeans, Africans

Mar 20, 2009 David Hein

The college basketball NCAA Tournament has turned into a global event. And that can be seen by the fact that the 64 teams have 79 players from 36 foreign countries.

Basketball fans from throughout the globe - not just the United States - will be glued to their television sets or computer screens for the next two weeks. The NCAA Tournament is a global event as 37 countries besides the United States are represented by 79 players. In fact, 42 of the 64 teams have at least one player born outside the United States.

The most players come from Canada (14), followed by Nigeria and Serbia (7 each), Cameroon, France and Lithuania (4 each)

Here is a breakdown of teams with non-U.S.-born players by Region:

MIDWEST

Louisville:

Samardo Samuels, F, Fr, Trelawny, Jamaica (St. Benedict Prep)

Ohio State:

Zisis Sarikopoulos, C, So, Athens, Greece (UAB)

Siena:

Wolfgang Gieler, C, Jr, Ahrweiler, Germany (Allan Hancock College)

Utah:

Luka Drca, G, Jr, Belgrade, Serbia (Dimitrije Turcovic HS)

Tyler Kepkay, G, Sr, Vancouver, BC (College of Eastern Utah)

Luke Nevill, C, Sr, Perth, Australia (Kell HS (GA))

Kim Tillie, F, Jr, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France (De La Fontaine HS)

Wake Forest:

Brett Bitove, G, Fr, Toronto, ON (Benjamin School)

USC:

Mamadou Diarra, F, Fr, Bamako, Mali (Stoneridge Prep HS)

Daniel Hackett, G, Jr, Pesaro, Italy (St. John Bosco HS)

Nikola Vucevic, F, Fr, Bar, Montenegro (Stoneridge Prep School)

Ryan Wetherell, G, Jr, Calgary, AB (Sr. Winston Churchill HS)

Michigan State:

Idong Ibok, C, Sr, Lagos, Nigeria (Montverde (FL) Academy)

Robert Morris:

Ifeanyi Ehirim, F, Sr, Toronto, ON (Birmingham Southern College)

Bateko Francisco, G, Sr, Paris, France (Fort Scott J.C.)

WEST

Connecticut:

Ater Majok, F, Fr, Sydney, Australia (American International HS)

Charles Okwandu, C, So, Lagos, Nigeria (Harcum JC)

Hasheem Thabeet, C, Jr, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (Cypress Community School)

BYU:

Charles Abouo, G-F, Fr, Abidjan, Ivory Coast (Brewster Academy)

Archie Rose, G, Sr, Nassau, Bahamas (Lee JC)

Jonathan Tavernari, F, Jr, Sao Bernardo, Brazil (Bishop Gorman HS)

Purdue:

Nemanja Calasan, F, Sr, Srbinje, Bosnia-Herzegovina (Midland JC)

Washington:

Matthew Bryan-Amaning, F, So, London, England (South Kent School)

Marquette:

David Cubillan, G, Jr, Maracaibo, Venezuela (St. Benedict's Prep (NJ))

Utah State:

Dominique Cooks, G, Fr, Wollongong, Australia (Holy Spirit College HS)

Modou Niang, C, So, Richard-Toll, Senegal (Hachioji HS (Japan))

Cornell:

Alex Hill, F, Fr, Toronto, ON (Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute)

Andre Wilkins, F, Jr, Toronto, ON (Blinn College)

California:

Jorge Gutierrez, G, Fr, Chihuahua, Mexico (Findlay College Prep HS (NV))

Nikola Knezevic, G, Jr, Belgrade, Serbia (Fifth Economy School)

Max Zhang, C, Fr, Yantai, China (Number 4 Yantai HS)

Maryland:

Greivis Vasquez, G, Jr, Caracas, Venezuela (Montrose Christian HS)

Memphis

Angel Garcia, F, Fr, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico (East Chicago Central HS)

Cal State Northridge:

Willie Galick, F, Jr, Nanaimo, BC (Pepperdine University)

Rodrigue Mels, G, Sr, French Caribbean, Guadeloupe (Midland JC)

Tony Osunsanmi, F, Jr, Ontario, CA (Colony HS)

EAST:

Pittsburgh:

Dwight Miller, F, Fr, Nassau, Bahamas (St. Pius X HS)

Oklahoma State:

Teeng Akol, F-C, Fr, Wian, Sudan (University of South Florida)

Ibrahima Thomas, F-C, So, Dakar, Senegal (Stoneridge Prep School)

Tennessee

Emmanuel Negedu, F, Fr, Kaduna, Nigeria (Brewster Academy)

Florida State:

Solomon Alabi, C, Fr, Kaduna, Nigeria (Montverde Academy (FL))

Deividas Dulkys, G, Fr, Silute, Lithuania (Findlay College Prep)

Uche Echefu, F, Sr, Lagos, Nigeria (Montrose Christian HS)

Portland State:

Paul Guede, G-F, So, London, England (Tallahassee CC)

Tyrell Mara, F, Jr, White Rock, BC (White Rock Christian Academy)

Donatas Visockis, C, Jr, Siauliai, Lithuania (Butte JC)

UCLA:

Alfred Aboya, F-C, Sr, Yaounde, Cameroon (Tilton Prep Academy (NH))

Nikola Dragovic, F, Jr, Belgrade, Serbia (Second Secondary School of Economics)

Virginia Commonwealth:

Franck Ndongo, F, Jr, Yaounde, Cameroon (Monteverde Academy)

Kirill Pishchalnikov, F, Jr, Maykop, Russia (MGGTK AGU)

Villanova:

Frank Tchuisi, F, Sr, Douala, Cameroon (St. Benedict's HS)

American:

Frane Markusovic, C, Sr, Solin, Croatia (Collin County CC (TX))

Vlad Moldoveanu, F, So,Bucharest, Romania (George Mason University)

Texas

Dogus Balbay, G, So, Istanbul, Turkey (Brewster Academy (NH))

Alexis Wangmene, F-C, So, Maroua, Cameroon (Blair Academy (NJ))

Duke

Martynas Pocius, G, Jr, Vilnius, Lithuania (Holderness School (NH))

Binghamton

Moussa Camara, G, So, Paris, France (Stoneridge Prep School (CA))

Theo Davis, F, So, Brampton, ON (Gonzaga University)

SOUTH

Radford:

Artsiom Parakhouski, C, Jr, Minsk, Belarus (College of Southern Idaho)

Lazar Trifunovic, F, Jr, Belgrade, Serbia (Binghamton University)

Western Kentucky:

Japeth Aguilar, C, Sr, Pampanga, Philippines (Ateneo de Manila University)

Dejan Cvoro, G, Fr, Belgrade, Serbia (Partizan Belgrade HS)

Uros Komadinic, F, Jr, Belgrade, Serbia (Allen County CC (KS))

Nemanja Milosevic, C, Sr, Cetinje, Montenegro (New Jersey Institute of Technology)

Gonzaga:

Robert Sacre, C, So, North Vancouver, BC (Handsworth Secondary School)

Akron:

Nikola Cvetinovic, F, Fr, Loznica, Serbia (Virginia Episcopal School)

Arizona State:

Eric Boateng, C, Jr, London, England (Duke University)

Rihards Kuksiks, F, So, Riga, Latvia (Florida Air Academy)

Temple:

Micheal Eric, F-C, Fr, Lagos, Nigeria (Church Farm School)

Juan Fernandez, G, Fr, Rio Tercero, Argentina (Dr. Alexis Carrel HS)

Sergio Olmos, C, Sr, Valencia, Spain (Vicente Blasco Ibanez HS)

Craig Williams, F, So, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix Central HS)

Syracuse:

Kris Joseph, F, Fr, Montreal, PQ (Archbishop Carroll HS)

Kristof Ongenaet, F, Sr, Ghent, Belgium (Cuesta CC)

Stephen F. Austin:

Benson Akpan, C, Sr, Kaduna, Nigeria (Howard JC (TX))

Clemson:

Catalin Caciu, C, Fr, Cluj-Napoca, Romania (Veritas Christian HS)

Karolis Petrukonis, C, Jr, Trakai, Lithuania (Norfolk Collegiate School (VA))

Michigan:

Jevohn Sheperd, F, Sr, Toronto, ON (West Hill Collegiate HS)

Oklahoma:

Ryan Wright, F, Jr, Mississauga, ON (UCLA)

With the tendacy of Europeans and Africans looking to American universities and colleges as an alternative for a basketball education, the number of foreigners in the NCAA Tournament is bound to grow in the future

The copyright of the article International Players In NCAA Tournament in Basketball is owned by David Hein. Permission to republish International Players In NCAA Tournament in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

What do you think about this article?