Basketball Abroad

Karl Cochran #2

Boncourt (Switzerland)

Karl Cochran ’15 has been on a basketball adventure since graduation: summer league training camp with the Portland Trailblazers, a year in the NBA D-League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, a season in Switzerland, another in Argentina. Now he’s back in Switzerland and still in awe that he lives and works surrounded by the Swiss alps.

“I’ll never used to the scenery,” Cochran says of the European countryside the team drives through on the way to games. He says he has learned a bit of the language but even more about adapting to different cultures and people. He also has learned to cook. “My favorite food is a traditional Swiss dish called rachlette, which is like a cheese fondue,” he says. “I like it a bit too much.”

According to Cochran, games in Europe are more physical than what he experienced at Wofford. “Playing professionally, you become more polished in certain things, and things that used to be sort of challenging to do become second nature. … I feel good knowing that I’m perfecting my craft in the thing I love.” Cochran says he enjoys the Swiss fans, but “nothing can match the atmosphere in the BenJo. I have yet to feel anything that can rival it.”

Spencer Collins #8

Batumi (Georgia) 2017-19

Spencer Collins ’16 is back in South Carolina coaching youth basketball while he recovers from knee surgery, the second of his professional career. The first injury came while in Estonia, the second in Georgia.

“I’m talking with teams overseas and trying to stay positive,” he says.

According to Collins, professional basketball in Europe is fast paced and demands a rigorous practice and weight-training schedule. European fans also are passionate about their teams.

“Once someone in the crowd came on the court and tried to attack the referee,” says Collins. “There are drums and constant noise. It’s definitely a crazy atmosphere. Sometimes confetti and toilet paper are thrown on the floor, once right when the tip was set.”

Collins says he adapted and began to learn to communicate. He attended the wedding of a teammate, discovered favorite foods and learned to appreciate the kindness of the people in Georgia.

“It hasn’t been easy, but the experience was worth it,” he says. “We’re so used to being comfortable here. Living and working abroad is good because once you’re out of your comfort zone, you learn more about yourself and the world.”

Noah Dahlman #42

Zwolle (Holland)

Through basketball, Noah Dahlman ’11 has visited 46 states, lived in seven different countries and traveled to at least 35 more.

“I’m a basketball nomad,” says Dahlman, who has been in the Netherlands for the past three seasons. Although basketball is his work and his focus, he makes time to collect stories from each place he visits and each person he meets.

“You’re not the same person after you travel and live abroad,” he says. “Wofford prepared me to be a lifelong learner and a teacher. I always think I’m the teacher of the group. Now I’m the veteran and the teacher to the young players on my team.”

For the most part, Dahlman’s schedule consists of playing basketball, training, eating, sleeping and recovering. He’s learned to cook and continues to pick up the language.

“I’m really into the health and wellness game,” says Dahlman. “One of the things I love culturally about the Netherlands are the spas. They’re big here because of the lack of sunlight. People do it to keep warm, increase circulation and boost spirits. Sauna Swoll is my utopia.”

Brad Loesing #35

Jenna (Germany)

Brad Loesing ’12 is now fluent in German. It doesn’t hurt that all four of his grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Germany, or that he took German in high school and at Wofford, or that he married a woman from Stuttgart … or that he’s played basketball in the country for most of his professional career.

“My first year in Germany, I took one of the learning books that my grandmother used to learned English and used it to brush up on the language,” says Loesing. “I recommend learning the language. It’s allowed me to make a life here.”

Loesing knew the summer after graduating from Wofford that he would have the opportunity to play professionally. He played in Hungary, then he tore his ACL during preseason the next year while playing in Holland. He returned to the states for surgery and rehab. While he was home, he worked basketball camps and spent time with the Wofford men’s basketball team as they won the Southern Conference Tournament and returned to the NCAA Tournament. The next year he was back in Germany, where he has been for the past six seasons.

“Basketball is year to year here,” says Loesing. “Careers are only so long, so players are always looking to move up and see the world. Teams know that, and they want to build the best team each year. … It’s a success-based business.”

Loesing has already enjoyed a relatively long, successful career. He misses family and friends in the states but appreciates his new family in Germany and the many people he’s gotten to meet through basketball. He and his wife are expecting their first child, and he has used his knowledge of the language to invest in several business ventures.

“I’m definitely better for this experience. Seeing the world opens your eyes. You realize that people may be different, but we’re all in the same boat,” says Loesing. “Wofford basketball gave me and other guys from the team the opportunity to do this, and that’s a testament to our college, to the Wofford basketball program and to the guys all over the world who are doing this.”

Lee Skinner #34

Inter Bratislavia (Slovakia)

Lee Skinner says one day he’ll tell his grandchildren that basketball was the vehicle that allowed him to see and experience the world.

“Because I’ve played basketball in Europe, I’ve sat on the beach and eaten paella in Spain. I’ve spent time in Bulgaria, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen,” says Skinner. “I’d also tell them do whatever they do with a purpose and to carry themselves with respect.”

Respect is something Skinner has earned during his five years in eastern Europe.

“Many Americans playing ball overseas want to get their numbers, be the man and move on,” says Skinner, who is the team’s captain this season, something not many Americans become on international teams. “I was different because I wanted to get to know the people and hang out after practice. I wanted to learn the coffee culture — they have an amazing coffee culture — and the language.”

Skinner’s coach told him early on that if he was the only American on the team, he was going to speak Czech. “I said, ‘No problem.’ And learned to say thank you and please and ask people how they’re doing. It’s a hard language, but I continue to pick it up.”

In the past year Skinner was named league Player of the Year in Slovakia. He also was named Defensive Player of the Year and Import (or foreign) Player of the Year. His team — Inter Bratislava — won the championship, and he played in the All-Star game.

Of course, Terrier fans aren’t surprised.

Because of Skinner’s popularity and visibility in Slovakia, he was interviewed by international media after the death of Kobe Bryant.

“Kobe’s dad played basketball overseas, and Kobe lived in Italy for a few years. I think he spoke three languages, including Serbian,” says Skinner. “His example inspired me to learn the language and culture. He was a family man. His mamba mentality, not taking life for granted and applying himself rigorously to his job and his life. Everybody could have learned from him. Kobe Bryant was bigger than basketball.”