KUDZU CONTINUED–2025

https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/luke-decock/article312571857.html

LUCKY TO WIN THE FIRST GAME OVER SOUTH SUDAN ? Wow–how good is North Sudan? Or all of Sudan?

The Olympics were great. Uplifting. Unbelievable levels of all kinds of events. And people.

Someone referred to the “… browning of the World.” World wide stages like the Olympics and Soccer’s World Cup bring this fact to the open. American collegiate athletic teams, too , are part of the evolution of a “global society “.

My involement in this tsunami was as a small college Men’s tennis coach. It was tricky in 1970 and it is in 2024.

The NAIA was the first to eliminate quotas.  The coaches repealed the One International eligible for NAIA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP play rule.   

Coach Jim Verdick of Redlands University warned  “…soon some Texas school, with all Mexican pros, will win every year.” He was wrong.  The next year Mercyhurst College  (Pennsylvania ) won featuring  six of six players from Fnland won.   The paste was out of the tube.

Pick a school, google men’s tennis . Tag the roster and see for yourself. Just recently I researched the total rosters of Division 11’s top six men’s teams. Of 63 players on the combined rosters, 62 were international.

Kudzu–it spread like kudzu from 1970 t0 1980. All levels, men then women, small to largest.

Is this right? I wondered. Soon it moved to other world wide sports. Everyone in our area is a basketball expert. I wrote of all sports to:

Mr. Rudy Washington, Editor-in-Chief The BCA Journal (BLACK COACHES ASSOCIATION)
P. O. Box 4040
Culver City, CA 90231-4040
Dear M.r Washington:
I’ve coached college tennis for 30-plus years and I have been dismayed by the preponderance of international players who have usurped many tennis scholarships from American youngsters.
There seems to be a trend toward this in basketball. Has the BCA addressed the danger to American student athletes this poses, in particular college basketball. Should there be a limit to this?
If your Journal has addressed this issue, please let me know. It seems basketball is a game that this should concern.
ETP:1h
Sincerely,
Tom Parham
Men’s Tennis Coach
March 9, 1998

The 2024 Olympics caused further wonder. Coach David Odom and I watched some of these games together.

“What many people don’t realize is the South Sudan team is made up of NBA players ” ( Coach Odom ).

My friend and colleague, Coach Ron Smarr, coached the most men’s team tennis wins of any coach. His first job was at then Wingate Junior College. Coach Smarr, using international players, quickly won two National Team Tennis Championships.

I asked both David and Ron if they saw similarities between 1970’s college tennis and international players compared to basketball today :

Money talks, Bullshit walks. Winning translates into money. If the coach loses, the NFL means NOT FOR LONG. This trickles down to all levels.

Who wins ? The best players. WHERE ARE THEY? Tennis and basketball players? All over the world.

Why are they coming here? In the 70’s Bjorn Borg ruled the tennis world. One year in the late 70’s there were 300 Swedes playing American College tennis. Many were borderline pros and older. These guys beat 18 year old Americans. We became a haven. Early on some were questionable students and characters. Soon the word spread and the evolution of talent and scholarship zoomed upwards ( The coaches realized , ” hey- this guy is a great player, an A student, and never whines. Sorry to say, but true–he is better!

At the same time internationals learned the best schools, programs. coaches, and America paid for it. Bye bye tennis for US scholarships.

2000- WHY DON’T WE HAVE ANY GREAT AMERICAN PLAYERS?

Good news ? American college tennis in no small part, has become the “minor leagues for pro tennis”. I think this allowed young players, American and internaional, to “redshirt in college”, and mature into a possible pro player.

Basketball (and really all international sports ) today?

On December 16, 2019 By ethomasparhamIn D. INTERNATIONALS1 CommentEdit

THIS JUST IN FROM “SB NATION”.

“International players ruled the draft

There were 14 international players selected in the first round of the 2016 Draft, from Dragan Bender at No. 4 overall to the surprising Georgios Papagiannis pick by the Sacramento Kings near at the end of the lottery. That’s an NBA record for the first round for international players, although six of those 14 were attending colleges in the United States last season rather than playing overseas.

The NBA brags about being a global game as frequently as it can, but if a record-setting international haul doesn’t prove them right, then what will? Basketball is becoming more globally accessible and more young athletes are attempting to make the move into the NBA, which can only be a good thing.”

Coaches still have to win.

“I heard there is a 7′ 10″ Ethiopian 16 year old?”

“You reckon there are any left over South Sudanese players?”

” I ‘m flying to China to recruit”

“She’s a -2 handicap?”

I can hear it now.