Sunday, Jul. 05, 2009

Turlock High grad will try out for Iranian basketball team

In Iran, people protesting an allegedly rigged election have been shot in the streets.

The government is threatening to treat even peaceful protesters like traitors.

Iranian leaders have chastised everyone from Barack Obama to their own expatriates for the chaos.

So why would anyone want to go there?

Benny Koochoie wants to play basketball. He's convinced that pursuing his dream in Iran is his only path to a professional career.

Because of his Iranian heritage, the Turlock High graduate has accepted an invitation to try out for the national team. Koochoie, who has dual citizenship, said playing for his ancestors' country is the best opportunity for him to get noticed.

While the rest of the world has seen television news footage of election protesters being killed by police and the U.S. government's tenuous relationship with the Islamic Republic continues, Koochoie is working out in gyms he said are far from the fighting.

Before he left for Iran on June 17, Koochoie said he wasn't worried about strained international relations or anyone's perception of his patriotism.

His mother Nini, a former volleyball player in Iran, said he is shuttled to and from basketball practices and the home of an uncle, and does not appear to be in danger.

Koochoie said he is proud of his heritage and his American upbringing. He has no problem representing what he calls his "home country."

"For the NBA, I'm not that big a player," said Koochoie, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 190 pounds. "It's difficult for me to get in the (National Basketball Development League) and the NBA.

"In the next few months, my stock might rise or it might drop, but I have a legitimate shot at contributing to this team and being a starter on this team."

Precedent set

Koochoie is not the only American, or the first Stanislaus District athlete, to go this route. Playing overseas, for professional or national teams, is a common enough practice.

Modesto High graduate Omar Krayam, who played at Eastern Washington and California Baptist University, is playing for the Lebanese national basketball team. New Mexico State player Daniel Faris is also on the squad.

Becky Hammon played basketball for Russia in the 2008 Olympic Games despite not having any Russian background. She was not initially offered a spot on the U.S. roster and accepted an invitation from Russia, where she plays professionally during the WNBA offseason.

Italian soccer player Giuseppe Rossi, 23, was born in New Jersey, but grew up wanting to play for the country his parents emigrated from. His family moved to Parma, Italy, when he was 12 and he turned down an offer to play for the United States when he was 18.

Hamed Haddadi, a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, is on the Iranian roster. He is the NBA's first Iranian player.

American play

Koochoie was born in Iran but has lived in the United States since he was 4 years old. He graduated from Turlock High in 2004 and played at Modesto Junior College from 2005-07, where he was known as a perimeter threat.

Koochoie twice scored 33 points in a game during the 2006-07 season. He transferred to Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego, where he spent one year.

Koochoie was a senior guard at Cal State Stanislaus last season. He left the Warriors with one game left on the schedule to attend the funeral of a family member. It was a sour departure as then-coach Keith Larsen implored Koochoie to stay with the team and said that the university would help Koochoie make it to the funeral in time.