By David Driver
It has been 10 years since Taylor Coppenrath helped lead Vermont to the 2005 America East title and its upset win over Syracuse in the NCAA tournament. While that was clearly an epic moment in Vermont hoops history, the 6-foot-9 Coppenrath has created his own memories as a pro basketball player the past decade.
As the America East Playoffs are held this month, Coppenrath is among dozens of former student-athletes from the conference continuing their basketball careers as professionals overseas.
Not every former Division I standout can land in the NBA. And for those former America East players who head overseas, a side benefit to playing for pay is the cultural awareness that can be gained along the way. The former Vermont star has played in Italy and has travelled to play in Lithuania, France, Germany and Slovenia.
Now in Burgos in northern Spain, Coppenrath says it can get cold and snowy at times.
“It reminds me a little of Vermont,” notes Coppenrath, 33, who grew up in West Barnet, Vermont. “The city is beautiful. They have a cathedral that is huge and a little river that goes through the city. The team provides me with an apartment and a car to use.”
The three-time America East Player of the Year has become a fan favorite in Spain. One fan wrote an article about him for a local paper on his birthday a few years ago.
That is a long way from an earlier stint in Greece, where he was not the only American import who had to deal with the economic challenges of that country while also coping with the language barrier.
“The first few years were an adjustment because I played in Athens, Greece and it was difficult with the language barrier,” according to Coppenrath, who was averaging about 12 points per game in late February. “I wasn't sure how long I would play after that year but every year I played I experienced different countries, languages and experiences with players that I am still friends with.”
“Off the court was dealing with not getting my money my first year in Greece. Also a few other years I experienced problems with getting paid late, but better late than never,” he added. “One thing I never enjoyed about playing professionally was the business part that takes away from the sport I love to play. (It) seems over here that no one is ever completely on your side. They always have their own agenda.”
Vermont has other former student-athletes all over the globe with Joey Accaoui in Lebanon, Marqus Blakely in the Philippines, Chris Holm in Japan, Sandro Carissimo also in Spain, Clancy Rugg in Luxembourg and Candon Rusin in Slovakia. Brian Voelkel was slated to begin the season in Australia in March.
Several of those players were scoring in double figures in late February, with Blakely at 22 points per contest, Rugg at 18.1, Accaoui at 13.5, Rusin at 12.0 while Holm was pulling down 12.2 boards per contest for the Shiga Lakestarts in Japan
Albany has three members of its 2013 America East championship squad – which beat Vermont for the NCAA bid – who have been overseas. And they have been scattered, from Mike Black in Bulgaria to Gary Johnson in Japan to John Puk in England. Being a long way from home is nothing new for Puk, who left his hometown in Iowa to play college hoops in upstate New York.
Another former Great Danes standout still playing is two-time America East Player of the Year, Jamar Wilson,. Wilson, 31, currently finds himself Down Under playing in Australia playing for the 36ers.
He was drafted by Albany of the USBL in 2007. So what is the biggest challenge on and off the court of playing pro hoops overseas?
“Being professional and coming to work every day,” according to Wilson, a 6-1 guard. “There is no opportunity for you to show up to practice and not bring it. The season is 8-10 months; there is no room for sick days. Every day is a new day and like any other job trying to not let it affect your personal life. The hardest part off the floor would easily be time management. We are taught how to manage our time in college but it's a different aura professionally. After training you are free to do whatever you want. Managing your food schedule, treatment and social life is very important. Getting these things out of whack can cause issues with your performance.”
But despite the challenges he has embraced his overseas experience, which has included stops in Belgium and Finland.
“Life has been amazing,” according to Wilson. “I am lucky to be able to travel the world with my wife and daughter doing what I love. Before my daughter was born my wife played professionally as well. We would spend our days off trying to do something productive as it’s a bit hard with two professional careers. I have played in numerous countries. Wherever we go we try to suck up the culture as much as possible. At the moment we have been down in Australia. It is summer at the moment. We live on the beach and spend much of our free time on the beach.”
So how did life in the AEC at Albany prepare him for pro ball?
“America East prepared me for pro career by producing great talent each and every game during my five years in conference,” wrote Wilson. “I enrolled into Albany as a 150-pound 18-year-old who was trying to learn how to properly wash my clothes and sent me away as a confident 23-year-old with a degree and direction in life. Will Brown and the coaching staff prepared me to be a professional throughout my time and still to this day. I still hear from coach at least once a week. When I need direction he always has the right input. Albany has a culture of preparing students to succeed after school in whatever you chose to do. Purple (family) is something we say and what we believe in. We are a family and we stick together no matter where we are in the world.”
Tommy Brenton played at River Hill High near Baltimore before heading to Stony Brook. He is now in his second season in Japan.
“Living in Japan is very rewarding,” wrote Brenton, who graduated from Stony Brook in 2012 and then got his master’s degree the following year. “I love traveling and being able to see things I would never have the opportunity to without basketball. In my free time I like to visit the many historic shrines and temples located all over Japan. I live one hour north of Tokyo so I often spend my off days there. Tokyo is an amazing place with so much character and energy. In my contract the team included an apartment, car, cell phone, internet on top of my monthly salary.”
Brenton says the top league in Japan allows three foreigners per team but at most two on the court at the same time. Some European leagues have similar rules.
“With company teams like Toyota, Toshiba, Mitsubishi, Hitachi the league is very competitive,” he added. “Teams have very big budgets and recruit top division I players. Players that have been drafted or made NBA rosters are all over the league. I love those games most because my competitive nature comes out and I can see how I measure up.”
Brenton says the coaching staff at Stony Brook helped him with his work ethic and mental toughness. “Every practice and every game is a test. You can be cut at any time and another player is waiting at home to take your spot. This isn’t just basketball anymore it’s a business and I plan to stay,” he said of pro ball.
Editor’s note: David Driver is a freelance basketball writer in Maryland who covers college basketball for The Sports Xchange, and has contributed to the Boston Globe, Portland Press-Herald, Newsday, Albany Times-Union and other publications. He lived in Hungary for three years with his family and has filed dozens of stories from eight European countries on American basketball players overseas for the past 12 years. Driver can be reached at www.davidsdriver.com