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A World Far Away From Home
After Louis Hinnant graduated from BC in 2006, he took his game to Hungary
Published in the Thursday, February 19, 2009 Edition of
Sports Editor
You're a college senior looking for a job. You get an interesting proposal:
We'll give you a place to live, free. We'll give you a vehicle, free. We'll even give you a restaurant that you can go to whenever you want - free.
The catch? You'll be living in Hungary.
Ready to sign the contract?
Needless to say, since graduating from Boston College in 2006, Louis Hinnant has learned to speak some Hungarian.
"Usually, it's only the older people [here] who don't understand the English language," Hinnant said. "But most people do, so the transition [to Hungary] wasn't too bad."
Hinnant, 24, is a product of the Sweet Sixteen Eagles squad that saw its NCAA title dreams slip away against Villanova at the hands of a Will Sheridan put-back. In lieu of the 2006 NBA Draft, he snagged a couple of pro tryouts - he auditioned for Danny Ainge, Doc Rivers, and the Celtics alongside none other than You Got Rondo'd - but as June 28 came and went, he found himself unemployed. His agent shopped him around in Europe and, eventually, Hinnant got an offer to play basketball in Sweden.
"When I first came [to Europe], I said I wouldn't [play] for more than five years," Hinnant said. "But right now, I'm having a lot of fun doing it, so that's the most important thing."
Nobody really understands what its like to play professional basketball in Europe. For the most part, people assume it's just a stop - an inconvenient one, at that - on the way to an NBA town.
Three years graduated from the Al Skinner School of Flex, Hinnant is the starting point guard for the Zalakeramia (ZTE) ballclub in Hungary's A Division, where he averages 16 points, five assists, and three steals per game. Head coach Volgyi Peter starts three Americans for 9-6 ZTE, currently in seventh place in the A Division standings. The top eight teams in the division earn a trip to the postseason, and right now, Hinnant and friends are making a push.
"I've heard a lot of stories about championships here," Hinnant said. "Last time ZTE made the playoffs, the gyms were so crowded, people were sitting on the floor. It would be a really big deal if we make it."
A Brave New World
Life as a professional basketball player in Hungary is like life as a professional basketball player in America.
1. Hinnant wakes up in the morning, eats breakfast, and heads to practice. He comes home for a couple of hours. He plays in a second practice or in a game. He comes home, watches movies or surfs the Internet, and then goes to bed. Just like Ray Allen.
When he gets tired of movies, he blogs for the Web site he started, Seemeball.com. The forum allows basketball lovers everywhere to connect via online profiles, much like Facebook or MySpace. Hinnant blogs about wins, losses, and everything in between - like his divine hatred for Kanye West and, recently, Lil Wayne.
"I had been overseas for two years, and I had nothing to show for it," Hinnant said of his motivation for creating the Web site. "I just wanted to show something."
2. When he ventures outside of his team-provided apartment (Hinnant doesn't go out much because of his hectic schedule, so a big day out usually means a trip to the grocery store) he gets mobbed by thrilled Hungarian fans. "Go team!" they shout at him. Just like Paul Pierce.
3. When Hinnant steps onto the court and doesn't produce, people get angry. When he does produce and the team wins, fans are delirious. "The fans expect more out of [the Americans] than the other players," Hinnant said. "No matter where you are, they always expect us to do something more." Just like Kevin Garnett.
4. When ZTE schedules a game on Thanksgiving or Christmas and Hinnant can't fly home to Maryland to see his family, he gets homesick. Just like Rajon Rondo.
"Stuff like that can get kind of depressing - like on Thanksgiving, when you don't get to go home," Hinnant said. "You wish you'd get to be with your family and friends, but you're doing something positive, so you can't really be too upset about it."
Then again, life as a professional basketball player in Hungary is nothing like life as a professional basketball player in America.
1. ZTE plays 26 games per season. Usually, there are two games per week, sometimes three. The nuances of the game itself are different: In Europe, big guys play little-man positions.
"Here, a bigger guy could be playing the two or three, so it's an adjustment," Hinnant said. "There's a lot more zone [defense] to play."
2. The NBA is the ceiling. Once Pau Gasol or Dirk Nowitzki makes it in the League, he isn't looking to go home any time soon. The Americans in Europe, on the other hand, look at professional basketball as a short-term solution.
"It's anybody's dream to play in the NBA, so I think everyone here is looking to get back to the States," Hinnant said. "But being here allows you to be financially stable. It's still a job at the end of the day. I'm not unsatisfied where I'm at right now."
3. Nobody will see Hinnant scoring courtside seats to a game at his alma mater any time soon. He catches a BC game every so often - when the six-hour time difference allows - but for the most part, he has to settle for highlights and phone calls to former teammates like Craig Smith, Jared Dudley, Sean Marshall, and Tyrese Rice.
Does he miss the days when he used to run the point for the Eagles in Conte Forum? Of course. Who wouldn't?
An Eagle then, an Eagle now
One fact remains constant in the world of professional basketball, whether it's in America or overseas: It's nothing like college.
"As you get older and leave college, it's no different than going into the regular work force," Hinnant said. "It's a dose of reality. This is a business. You don't hang out with your teammates all day long. You're in the real world. Everything is basically … It's cutthroat now."
When he is feeling especially nostalgic, Hinnant hits the Web for news on Skinner's current batch of Eagles - and according to him, the prognosis is good, especially for former teammate and current captain Rice, who has had to shoulder much of the blame during BC's recent hardwood struggles.
Back when Hinnant was living in Chestnut Hill, his team missed March Madness just once: his freshman year. As a senior, he captained a squad that finished two-point runners up to Duke in the ACC tournament before being picked by The New York Times to win the NCAA tournament. During his final two years at BC, Hinnant's teams racked up a combined record of 53-13.
For the past couple of years, things have been a bit different at the Heights - but those struggles, says Hinnant, are to be expected with a young team.
"You have to understand, the teams that we had [when we were winning], we grew up together," he said. "Me and Craig came in together. That was two out of five. The next year, Sean and Jared came in together. Then we got Oates and Williams and we all grew up together. The people in Tyrese's class didn't stay around. Tyrese didn't have anybody to grow up with."
Rice, whose former classmates Marquez Haynes and Evan Neisler transferred, has shouldered the responsibility of captaining this team completely on his own as the lone senior on a squad of three freshmen, seven sophomores, and one junior.
"After Sean and Jared left [in 2007], Tyrese had to lead a very young team," Hinnant said. "He's had to shoulder the whole team. When I was there, I could say, 'OK, Craig, you go talk to the big man,' and he'd do it while I talked to the guards.' Tyrese doesn't have that. He's had to carry that team for two years now, and they have a good nucleus to win together. And regardless of what happens this year, he'll be able to say he made them what they are now."
Still, Hinnant insists that the forecast is looking up. With the Eagles currently sitting on 19 wins, their chances of dancing in March are getting better and better, given the strength of this year's ACC.
"When I was there, we'd say, 'Get 20 wins and you're in,'" he said. "[Tyrese] is going to get them to 20 wins. They definitely have players I look forward to seeing. I think Rakim Sanders is going to be really good, and so is that new kid from Colorado - Reggie Jackson." He paused. "And I'm a [Corey] Raji fan because he's No. 11."
Whatever happens with the Eagles this year, Hinnant will be watching, no matter how far away he is. And hopefully - whether it's via YouTube or seemeball.com - some of these Eagles will be watching the Hungary baller, too.
Jessica Isner
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