Discovering Europe or just a country other than the United States for the first time in their lives, some Americans experience homesickness, fail to adapt to local customs, jet lag or the different style of basketball played, and quickly end up going home.
« The very first time I came overseas to play was in Turkey. I stayed one month and left. It wasn’t a good situation for me and I was terrified. I went back to the USA and played in the NBA D- League. My first experience was very scary. I didn’t understand the language and I did not know anyone. I didn’t have a car and it was a small city. I didn’t expect to be in that situation and I was depressed. » tells Frank Hassell, who did not take long to play a lot better in Europe when a second opportunity came to him. « After my first year in the D-League, I was hoping to get another chance to come back to Europe and play. Once I got that chance, I took full advantage of it. After my second year, I didn’t have any issues adapting to the lifestyle of playing professional basketball. I learned more about the game on the court and different cultures off the court ».
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