An Iraqi athlete shoots a hoop at a clinic at George Mason University.

Ten Iraqi basketball players between the ages of 14 and 16 and their three coaches participated in a recent Sports Visitors Program in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and in Knoxville, Tennessee. The players were introduced to a diverse and comprehensive range of activities, which provided them with a view of the full panorama of basketball culture in the United States and enabled them to form friendships with their American counterparts.

Their D.C. visit was full of activities for engagement with Americans. Classrooms at River Hill High welcomed the athletes, where they observed several different aspects of an American high school. They attended language and physical education classes, lunched in the cafeteria, and were surprised by a small party thrown for them by the girls basketball team. The group cheered on runners for the Race for the Cure on the National Mall, developed better communications and team-building skills while participating in a ropes course, and canoed the Potomac River in a dragon boat near the Anacostia waterfront. The athletes also attended a Washington Mystics basketball game, where they had the unique opportunity to meet with some of their favorite players.

In Tennessee, the athletes visited the University of Tennessee, where they learned about achieving high levels of athletic excellence. They participated in a team basketball camp where they met Head Coach Pat Summitt, the all-time winingest coach in the NCAA basketball history. While practicing basketball together, the Iraqi and American athletes shared their experiences of playing basketball and being a teenager. They worked together as a team to use their newly learned skills throughout the camp with American youth teams and enjoyed incorporating these techniques into their plays.

The players closed out their program with a shopping trip to the mall and a picnic in the Great Smoky Mountains. After two eventful weeks, the delegation was eager to share their experience at home.

“My players are playing on the courts in America; it is like a dream for me. I hope this continues and goes on.”- Rizgar (Head Coach of the Iraqi Team)