Newspapers / University of North Carolina … / April 26, 2007, edition 1 / Page 9
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I I D7 (Kjr™| lulldoii s 11-u] Pointi teml on sa* wanH IS cha his ya e tocMl wortl i to f SM bird, 0 com Ftheyi /dets (1 First pl| ices Sports Page 9 T he Blue Banner — Sening the Uni\crsit\ of Noith (Carolina at . Vshex illc since lySz Thursday, April 26, 2(X)7 Former Bulldog bailer represents Asheville in Germany By Ben Smith Sports Editor Former player Omar Collington’s lAmerican basketball career came to end Iwhen he graduated last year, but the ■Atlanta native, who will appear in Isaturday’s Crossfire basketball game at I the Asheville Civic Center, spent last year jin Germany playing for the Bergheim bandits where he averaged 21 points a Igame. * Collington, who stands in third on the Julldogs’ career three-point field goal list, [played on the 2003 Big South Champion Tteam. “My senior year here I led the team in kcoring along with Joe Barber and I was named MVP,” Collington said. “Scoring vas my job. I knew that, so I took that same mentality I Omar Collington over to Germany.’ The Crossfire game this Saturday pits local all-stars like Collington and Trent Strickland, former East- Hendersonville High and Wake Forest player, against estab lished ACC and SEC players like NC’s Reyshawn Terry and Florida’s Lee umphrey. During Collington’s rookie season in ermany, he led the Bandits, based in the orth Rhine-Westphalia state, near dlogne. In the final game of the season, )llington scored 42 points against divi- rival Capone Diisseldorf to lead the andits to a 102-94 victory. German professional basketball is divid- i into eight divisions, the first being the ost competitive. The Bandits are in the ird division, but Collington, who trained ith a division two team after the season’s , plans to move up to the next division hen he returns to play in August. “This year I tried out with a second divi- team in Germany and I did really ell,” Collington said. “I’m looking at ither teams in France and South erica.” While the NBA remains the world’s lost prestigious and well-known basket- league, professional basketball Eion End I Sion ball leagues exist in all six populated conti nents. German leagues provide some of the most competitive basketball outside of the United States, according to Associate Athletic Director Mike Gore. Collington said he wants to use his basketball career to travel the world and play in many dif ferent countries. “Spain, Italy and France have first divi sion teams and the second division teams play really, really well too. Almost every player in those leagues is making six fig ures,” Collington said. “I would love to play there, but as long as I’m playing bas ketball, I want to travel around. I’d love to play in China for a season and play in South America.” Since 1991, ten UNC Asheville basket ball players have played overseas, includ ing Joseph Barber, last year’s leading scorer for the Bulldogs, who currently plays in Finland. Andre Smith, who led the Bulldogs in scoring in their 2003 championship season and stands at No. 6 in the Bulldogs’ list of all-time scorers, plays professionally for the Miami Tropics in the American Basketball Association. “It’s nice to see that there’s so many, opportunities for players to play basket ball professionally,” Gore said “Everyone wants to play in the NBA, but you’ve got to be awful good to play in that league. So Europe provides a wonderful opportunity to play, and we’ve got quite a few players over there.” After playing for four years as a Bulldog, the different style of play and officiating in Europe forced Collington to make adjustments to his game. European mles prevent pivoting before dribbling, a common move for many American basketball players, according to Collington. “The first couple games my travel calls were ridiculous,” Collington said. “I was like ‘What is going on?’ Finally, coach pulled the Americans in and had us meet before practice.” Despite his strong performance for the Bandits, Collington-dealt with adversity in his first season of professional basketball, including problems with the Bergheim management. “The crazy thing is people like myself who don’t have agents, who don’t Imow anything about the business and want to i6 iAr long as I'm playing basketball I would love to travel around. I'd love to play in China for a .season and play in South America. C)M,\R CXJU.INU 1X)N Former Bulldog player Ph()T(k;kai»h C()URTi:sy of UNC Ashf:vii,i.f; Athi-HTIcs Former Bulldog Omar Collington takes it to the rack during a conference game against Radford. Collington averaged 11.8 points per game in his ‘05-’06 season for the Bulldogs with 56 season 3-pointers. For the Bergheim Bandits, Collington aver ages 21 points per game, with a 42-point career high. play basketball, even if we’re good play ers and good people, we can kind of get suckered into bad contracts,” Collington said. “It was a rough first year for me.” Ironically, Collington played in Bergheim as a second option. The former Bulldog standout originally planned to compete in Montevideo, Uruguay for a Division 1, South American team, but the day before he left, a phone call revealed that a chair board member of the team decided to cut Collington. “As 1 was preparing to leave, calling all my fiiends to get ready, 1 got this call,” Collington said. “1 was just devastated.” Despite the difficult experience in his rookie season, Collington managed to make friendships with his teammates, all while increasing his basketball stock. “All my teammates, we really loved bas ketball, so we bonded well together and we played for each other,” Collington said. “I bonded really well with the play ers 1 played with because of what we’d been through. We’ll probably all be long time friends.” Collington played with four other Americans including B.J. Timmons, who played college basketball at Queens College in Charlotte, graduating in 2003. In addition to the friendships he made in his first season, Collington noted he also improved himself culturally. The 23-year- old now can speak German and has expanded his horizons even farther than when he made the transition from his hometown Atlanta to Asheville. “Coming from Atlanta, I was closed minded to a lot of things when 1 got up to Asheville,” Collington said. “1 wasn’t in to sledding and all this other stuff, but 1 opened up a little bit and came out of my shell, but I still closed my mind off to other things. “When 1 got overseas, I opened up because I had been at UNCA, so 1 tried different German foods. 1 tried to not be the typical American, so 1 learned the language. 1 wanted to go to the restaurant and order in a different language.” Collington’s girlfriend of three years, Cara Shelton, who described him as hav ing “sugar running through his veins,” said she enjoyed following Collington’s growing success through the internet and watching him grow as a person. “Its so exciting because 1 get to see on the internet how he’s doing,” Shelton said. “It’s really cool for him to have the expe rience. He’s growing so much from it, so as his girlfriend, 1 just sit back and watch him do his thing.” s,.nir.rr.iftc s..pp^rt..H- A.v-n.intino Afrirana Sfiiaip>: Antmpninpy Art Alt Misinry. Athlf.tirs Aimosnhirir, .Sf.ii-.iiu-j. Rasrhiill. hinlii.-y. Rlack Stiiilni! Assiiniiliiiti, Ghanirllfir’si F.»ri^llr.na: £’ S UNG Asheville ENIQR ■5 LAMlhlGN 07 Congratulations to the Class of 2007 TJ -Highest number of participants ever in a senior campaign -Highest percent participation ever in a senior campaign -Most money raised prior to graduation through a senior campaign Thanks to the following contributors to the Senior Class Campaign 2007: Kylie Marie Allen Allison lone Andrews Amber Elizabeth Baird LaTasha Branch Cara Leigh Brinton Christopher Todd Bubenik Ashley Leigh Buchanan Liza Marie Burke Danielle Marie Burkhardt Rose Marie Butler Amanda Lee Byrd Angel ia Renee Carrier Ashleigh Whitney Carter Patricia Millington Castaldo Mary F. Castellaneta Julia Marie Champion Samantha Elizabeth Childers Kathryn Lee Christenbury Kasey Anne Christian Sarah Daye Clark Kelley Grey Conley Nancy Leigh Critcher Derrona Synvem Cromer Jennifer Ann Dabbs Christopher Gavin Day Laura Guilford Deeprose Colleen Hinton Kevin Alessi O’Hanlon Frederick Joseph DeStefano Kimberly Self Hundertmark Enita Okodiko Carrie Dickinson Jason “JJ” Jackson .Margaret Therese I’aige Bethany Joy Dombroski Harry Carl Johnson April Lee Pallette Sylvia Marie Eller Robert Scott Kennedy Kamala K. Parker Austin Cutler Englert Leslie Helen Klein Richard Jeremy Parrish Michael Philip Erb Charles Duncan Lindsay Jordan Rebecca Perry William Sterling Farley Maggie McCall Lingle Daniel Paul Phillips Michael Zander Flowers Alicia Tegan Love Stacy Elizabeth Porter Ashley Lauren Fox Celeste Embry Luke Tara Danielle Robbins Daniel Catlin Fox Eli S. Margolese-Malin Daniel Thomas Robinson Laura Whittier Friederich Ashley l.auren Mauney Katherine Anne Rozyeki Thomas Matthew Fuhs Brandon Paige Mayberry Devon P. Sanehez-Ossorio Barbara Bates Gardner Christopher Brian McGee Lisa Sue Schleicher Levi Ervin Gardner Jared Michael McGee Jenna Breanne Smith Francesca Caroline Garvey Allison Patrice McKinney Konrad Arthur Spiracos Curtis Anderson Glover Kyle Philip Messier Monica Lynne ITiomas JoAnn Moyer Goddard Kari Ann Metcalf Jennifer Billind fhomson Callahan E. Grubbs Mary Lee Moody Elif Unlu Jamie Amanda I larrelson Katherine Grayson Morris Robert Douglas Vernon Diana Hasanaj Catherine Anjuli Mosley Kimberly Michele Vestal Kristina Elizabeth Havens Lyndsay Ann Mundy Joshua Brandon Wagner Devon Morel Helfmeyer John David Noor Audra Diane Walker Maria Ashley Fles Charles Peter Ogiba Benjamin Stephen Walsh Dusty Marie Hicks ■falia Rebecca Ogle Gifts received through April 25, 2007
University of North Carolina at Asheville Student Newspaper
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April 26, 2007, edition 1
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