China - Former basketball star heads to China

From westernfrontonline.net
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Many college athletes' sports careers end when they graduate. The lucky few get to move on to a semi-professional or professional level of play.

Former Western basketball player, Tyler Amaya, has risen against the odds to play professional basketball in China.

The 6-foot-6-inch forward signed a contract to play for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, a Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) team that has won four of the last five CBA finals.

Amaya, 26, graduated from Mount Vernon High School and transferred to Western after playing one season each at Gonzaga University and Dixie State College.

As a Viking, he led the basketball team to two consecutive Division II West Regional playoff births in 2005 and 2006.

“[Amaya] is an outstanding player with a gifted, natural ability,” said Western head coach Brad Jackson, who has a long-standing relationship with [Amaya] and his family. “He just loves the game. He works hard and has the desire to improve.”

Amaya left Bellingham after graduating in 2006 and played professionally for two years in Holland and for the Dusseldorf Magics in Germany.

The first two years of playing overseas were not enjoyable, Amaya said.

“I was used to winning in high school and college,” Amaya said. “[In Germany] guys just wanted points.”

On top of the rough playing conditions, Europe’s main sport is soccer and basketball fans fall between the cracks, he said.

Amaya joined the Bellingham Slam, a local minor league basketball team, last winter.

He led the Slam to the International Basketball League championship and was named co-MVP of the game.

Hoping to catch the eye of agents, coaches and other players, Amaya headed to a U.S. Basketball Academy exposure camp in Oregon after the Slam’s season ended.

In a scrimmage at the camp, Amaya scored 32 points.

“The head coach of the Chinese team was there and saw me,” Amaya said. “I had to jump on the opportunity.”

His brother, Duane Amaya, 22, said playing professionally is something Amaya has always wanted to do.

“He likes to win and seems to do that wherever he plays,” Duane Amaya said. “His goal is always to play at the highest level he can play at.”

Amaya was quickly signed and has played two pre-season games for the Tigers after two weeks in China.

“I didn’t know anything about Chinese basketball, so I had no expectations,” Amaya said.

The Tigers have five Olympians from the Chinese national team that played this summer in the Beijing Summer Olympics.

Yi Jianlian, former CBA star and current forward for the New Jersey Nets, played for the Tigers two seasons ago.

After getting some playing time in China, Amaya said European basketball is very different from Asian basketball.

It’s less physical, with more finesse and more shooters, he said.

With about another month before the season is underway, Amaya said he hasn’t seen much of the court since the first two pre-season games, but instead has been attending two practices a day for conditioning, weight training and shooting.

“After only two weeks, I can easily say I like it better here,” Amaya said.

When he first arrived, Amaya said he lost about 10 pounds in the first few days because he wasn’t used to the humidity.

“I ran Lake Padden to prepare for training,” Amaya said. “But the air [in China] is thick and smoggy, and I had to get acclimated to the climate.”

Even after two weeks, the only person Amaya has spoken to in English is the Tigers’ assistant coach.

“I have to break the ice and get to know [my teammates] through playing,” Amaya said. “I can tell they’re a good group of guys, but I still don’t know what they’re laughing about most of the time.”

Even though the Tigers went on to the championship last year, Amaya said he isn’t feeling any kind of pressure from being on a winning team.

“I’m a team player. I don’t want to come in and score 30 points a game,” he said. “I want to be a part of the puzzle.”

Jackson said his former starting forward will continue to do great in China.

“The international game suits him well,” Jackson said. “He had some very good college experiences, and his best years are still ahead of him.”

On top of his contract, which gives him bonuses for every win and a salary of a little under six figures, Amaya said he has been taken care of well by the team.

“I haven’t spent a dime since I’ve been here,” Amaya said. “I get money on top of my salary to eat, stay in a hotel, and for cab fare—even for gear and shoes.”

Amaya said he is unsure of how many minutes he will get to play in games, but is confident he will play.
Last season, American players were only allowed to play two quarters a game but can now play the duration of the game.

“They brought me over from the U.S. for a reason,” he said.

Each Chinese team is allowed just two Americans on their team. Amaya is currently the only American but another player may be added soon, Amaya said.

The CBA’s season starts in November and runs through April, allowing Amaya to return for the Slam’s 2009 season as they try to defend their championship title.

“From day one, he told himself he would play basketball for as long as he can—until the wheels fall off,” Duane Amaya said.

Amaya said he’s been extremely blessed to be in this situation.

“I really think I’ve found a place where I can thrive,” he said.