Basketball in Africa

When Vander Joaquim was growing up in Angola, his parents realized their son's basketball ability could be his ticket to a college education in the U.S.

Considering he's only 17, stands 6-8 and already has played for the Angolan national team, Joaquim certainly has the athletic makeup.

In his first semester at Christian High in El Cajon, Angola's Vander Joaquim, a 6-8 junior, has made an immediate impact on the 10-5 Patriots.
The first step to gaining a college scholarship would be graduation from an American high school, but putting the plan into motion was a challenge for Joaquim's parents.

Living in Luanda, the capital of Angola on the west coast of Africa, Paulo is a shipmaker while Alda makes floral arrangements. Their son spoke no English, only his native Portuguese, and none of his three older brothers was taller than 6 feet. The family wasn't exactly known as a hotbed for basketball talent.

"Mostly my parents wanted a better lifestyle for me in the U.S.A.," Joaquim, now a junior at Christian High, said through an interpreter.

The family's plan began to pay dividends during one of Joaquim's tours with the Angolan national team.

"We mostly played all over the African continent," Joaquim said. "But one time we went to Brazil for an international tournament. I have family in Brazil. My uncle, who lives in Rio de Janeiro and played college basketball at Wayland Baptist University (Plainview, Texas), watched me play. He told me he would help me get to the U.S.A.

"We looked on the Internet for schools that offered English as a second language."

Among those schools was Christian, where Joaquim was granted enrollment over the summer.

"One day I received a call from Vander," said Patriots basketball coach Kelvin Starr. "I feel lucky that he picked us."

Small wonder, considering Joaquim's size and athletic versatility make him a prize addition to the Patriots' roster.

Christian High is part of Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon, which is sponsoring Joaquim's stay in this country. Shadow Mountain arranged for Joaquim to live with church member Rubens Ferreira, who speaks Portuguese. Not only does Ferreira – a paving contractor – act as Joaquim's interpreter, he is also his mentor.

"Boy, can that kid eat," Ferreira said. "He eats six sandwiches every morning. His favorite meal is steak."

According to Starr, Joaquim is immersed in his studies.

"This semester Joaquim is enrolled in two English classes, a math class, a computer class, a Bible study class, an ensemble class and a most valuable tutorial (one-on-one with emphasis on English) class," the coach said.

The academic load is not what Joaquim expected.

"Trying to learn English has my head swimming," Joaquim said. "But I know I need it, that I need to catch up."

Joaquim said he devotes 10 hours per day to academics.
"The level of education is higher, more excellent here," Joaquim said. "But I have to say that how long I have to study here is something I really don't like. I know that I must do it if I want to go on and play college basketball."

Joaquim has made an immediate impact on the court, averaging 23.7 points (shooting 57 percent from the field) and 17.9 rebounds for the 10-5 Patriots. Despite his comfort zone of playing outside the paint, Joaquim has shown his versatility by blocking 33 shots.
"He has incredible touch around the basket," said Christian assistant coach Tobin Wilkins. "He's good with both his right and left hand. He's got stuff you can't teach."

Starr agrees.

"Obviously he is an impact player for us," said Starr. "Right now it's understanding the game and what we're trying to do. I think at the next level he'll be a No. 3 (small forward). But for us he needs to play a little bit more inside because we need to fine-tune our offense."

Patriots point guard Daniel Hazlett, a three-year starter, welcomes the big man in the post.
"Just having him on the court creates a lot of open shots for the rest of us," Hazlett said.

Adjusting from international competition to the American game has taxed Joaquim as much as anything he's faced in the classroom.
"As rugged as he was when he joined us, the refs tacked him with a foul almost every time he made a move," Starr said. "Some of the officials out there still pick on him because he's tall."

Joaquim said the game in Angola was more of a challenge.
"I played against players more knowledgeable and older than I, like 21 and 22," he said. "It's more physical over there. Even though there were less fouls, I felt more comfortable. And I was guarding people my own height, which I rarely do over here."

Joaquim said he's made lots of friends in East County but still occasionally feels homesick. Ferreira said Joaquim communicates with his parents about twice a week.

"It's mostly by e-mail," Joaquim said. "But sometimes the people at the high school arrange for me to talk by telephone. I like that."
All is not perfect for Joaquim.
Asked if he has a girlfriend, Joaquim replied, "No, man, I don't speak English."

by FIBA.com