Those who follow college basketball game relatively closely realize that the NBA isn't the alone post-graduate course of written report for players. Each year, several Americans go out their native province to examination their hoop skills inwards the pro leagues of other countries. Not alone does it offering a adept paycheck (not yesteryear NBA standards, of course, but it tin trounce working for a living), but it's a relatively inexpensive agency to encounter the world.
Once the players larn there, though, life tin turn, well, interesting. The cultural differences tin survive hitting in addition to difficult, depending on the location. And surely i of the most interesting places to play is Israel.
That's the focus of David A. Goldstein's book, "Alley-Oop to Aliyah." If many stories inwards life are centered on some shape of a "stranger inwards a unusual land," this surely qualifies.
On i level, this seems similar an odd fit. An African American basketball game thespian that walks downwards the street inwards Tel Aviv is probable to stand upward out from the crowd, pardon the obvious pun. On the other hand, State of Israel is a modern country, so reducing the adjustments needed yesteryear travelers. The people are real friendly, in addition to they by in addition to large verbalise English.
Goldstein covers the dependent champaign thoroughly here, including some areas that mightiness non come upward similar a shot to heed when thinking nigh it initially. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 surprisingly sum of players who play for at to the lowest degree a few years inwards State of Israel destination upward moving there. Some get got gotten married in addition to raised a trouble solid unit of measurement there, in addition to a few get got converted to Judaism. Goldstein tracked downwards a twosome of dozen Americans who played or play inwards Israel. They are by in addition to large success stories, although it's fair to regime notation that the ones who hang or in addition to so manifestly similar the province of affairs in addition to the country.
The presence of the foreigners has raised some questions for Israeli basketball. Do these players heighten the character of play for all, or create they accept jobs away from native-born players? Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 petty of both, probably. Maccabi Tel Aviv dominates the league, equally it has the most money. (Think of the New York Yankees' payroll in addition to tape of success on steroids, proportionately.) The players tell it takes a petty fourth dimension to larn used to the strict safety measures, but they experience prophylactic in i lawsuit they do. The African Americans by in addition to large add together they haven't noticed also much overt racism, although it has been hard for them to deed into prime number coaching jobs at that topographic point afterwards their playing days are over.
There are a twosome of drawbacks to the story equally presented here. Most of the interviews for the mass seem to get got taken house some years ago. I'm non sure if there's a story to that - it tin survive tough to honour a publisher for anything these days - but it is odd to read lines similar "he said inwards a 2009 interview." And readers should continue a bookmark on the appendix, which has brief bios of the profiled players. My enjoyment of the mass increased in i lawsuit I did that. It's an interesting group, but most basketball game fans alone volition get got heard of a few of them earlier reading this.
"Alley-Oop to Aliyah" isn't a long book, but may survive to a greater extent than information than a casual fan would want. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 long magazine article mightiness satisfy the curiosity of those readers. But for the ones who seek a total story, the mass ought to operate for them nicely.
Three stars.
Learn to a greater extent than nigh this book.
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