NBA: Examining Overseas Basketball
Meeting Stu Douglass: For most fans of basketball in the United States, the NBA and NCAA are the main attractions, but there is high level basketball being played many other places around the world. We rarely talk about international players unless they are entering the NBA Draft. Even then, there is a ton of mystery. Remember how many questions there were about Kristaps Porzingis when his named was called? The same can be said for Luka Doncic, who was just drafted No. 3 overall last month. But is that fair? I talked to Stu Douglass, who played for four years at the University of Michigan before heading overseas since 2012. We discussed playing professionally overseas, the differences between the NBA and NCAA, and much more.
Douglass averaged 6.9 points per game and shot 38 percent from the field during his four-year tenure with the Wolverines. He was co-captain during his junior and senior years, and helped lead Michigan to an 81-55 record through those four seasons, while reaching the NCAA Tournament three times. He is now playing in the Israel Premier League for Ironi Nahariya. Douglass averaged 5.5 points last season, while shooting 39.5 percent from three-point range and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line. He plays with other former NCAA players Anthony Barber, Tyrone Nash, Chris Smith, and Hakim Warrick. Barber and Nash played for NC State and Notre Dame, respectively, while Smith and Warrick went to Louisville and Syracuse.
The Differences Between The NBA, NCAA, and Overseas: Douglass spent four years at the University of Michigan and has watched the NBA for decades, so his view on basketball is up close and personal. "Each level is structured differently from the others," he said. "College being the most structured of them all because of the amount of control colleges and college coaches have over their players." He also touched the one-and-done rule: "I do believe they should get rid of it for the simple aspect of player freedom. It's odd to restrict an adult on when and where they can work," he told me. "Don't punish an 18-year-old kid who actually is ready to make millions and support his family when you know he isn't even going to finish college anyways."
As for professional basketball overseas, there are obviously a ton of differences compared to the NBA. "A lot of guys struggle to adjust to their new country's food and culture when they come over from America," Douglass explained. "The NBA is much, much more professional when it comes to running a basketball team and the expectations of players. It's funny to see all the complaints about players moving from team to team all the time in NBA free agency, but overseas is much, much worse." Some of the most notable players in the international scene are Nick Calathes, Nando De Colo, Doncic, Alexey Shved, and Brad Wanamaker. All of them have played in the NBA or will next season, including Wanamaker who just signed with the Boston Celtics.
Positives and Negatives About the Big 3, JBA, and Summer League: The summer is a tough time for basketball fans because March Madness is in the past and the NBA Finals have come to a close. There is the NBA Draft and Free Agency, which are enticing, but don't exactly feed a hungry fan. Because of this, different leagues have attempted to become more popular while the NBA offseason is underway. The Big 3 saw a pretty successful inaugural season last summer and the JBA is trying to follow suit this year. Meanwhile, the NBA Summer League is currently taking place in Las Vegas. I asked Douglass about his thoughts on the Big 3: "I believe Ice Cube's league is an amazing way to capture the interest of basketball fans in the summer."
He later said "The Big 3 always wanted to be different, and they are capitalizing on a time where three-on-three basketball has never been bigger with it's introduction to the Olympics coming in 2020." However, Douglass doesn't exactly see the same level of success happening with the JBA. "If you want to have a basketball league in the same framework as the NBA then you need talent. They don't have talent," he said. As for the Summer League, which has seen an increase in popularity over the last couple of years, Douglass believes it definitely helps the players. When asked what the benefits of the Summer League are, he said: "Exposure. Attaching your name to an NBA team in any capacity is viewed very highly."
Personal Challenges and Experiences Overseas: Douglass said the best thing about playing overseas is the money and the living: "I finally get paid to play basketball and say basketball is my profession. That's something I had always wanted to be able to say when I was a kid," he told me. As for his current lifestyle, it's very easy going. "It's very Americanized with the food and sports culture and most everyone able to speak english. Americans will often return to Israel because they had such a good experience playing there the first time around," he said. Unfortunately, it isn't always easy. Douglass went on to tell me that the toughest thing about being overseas is being away from his family.
"Luckily, I have my wife with me and that makes things a lot easier," he continued. "It's not easy to be away from friends and family and then be alone on top of that. Each year I miss all of the family gatherings. I've gotten used to it, but it's definitely something I look forward to when I'm done playing." A lot of professional athletes feel the same way as they note a reason for retirement is to spend more time with family, or because they feel like they're missing out on other things besides sports. Douglass continued: "We are lucky to get my entire family together once or twice a year with my brother living in Denver, me in Israel, and my sister in Chicago. They are some of my favorite times of the year when that happens."
Photo Credit: Alchetron.
