NBA legend Larry Bird greets the team.

During an eleven day exchange program sponsored by the Department of State’s SportsUnited office, seven male Kyrgyz basketball players and their two coaches attended events in Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis, Indiana that exposed them to various levels of basketball in the United States. This program is a follow-up to last summer’s successful Sports Envoy program that sent NBA Legend Sam Perkins and Becky Bonner, an assistant coach of the University of Louisville’s women’s basketball team, to conduct basketball clinics for youth in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. This delegation represents the survivors of the Kyrgyz basketball team who were on their way to a tournament in Iran when their plane crashed on August 24, 2008, killing 10 of the 17 members of their squad. While in Kyrgyzstan, Perkins and Bonner conducted a masters clinic for these young basketball players.

During their time in Washington, the group actively participated in clinics, workshops and scrimmages. The students took part in basketball skills clinics at Col. Zadok Magruder High School, American University and Bowie State University, where they learned new techniques, improved on various aspects of their game, and challenged themselves during practices and scrimmages with their American counterparts. The students also attended classes at each of these institutions, receiving lessons on topics such as sports nutrition and Title IX. Each session led to a dialogue between the participants and facilitators, allowing the youth to fully understand the concepts and learn how they can be applicable to their lives at home. The team also observed, interacted and played a game with a wheelchair basketball team, which was a unique experience for the group and resulted in great appreciation for sports for the disabled and many good times. In addition, the group had the opportunity to attend an NBA game at the Verizon Center between the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls, where they also observed a pre-game practice, met several Wizards players, including Gilbert Arenas, and were even featured on the arena’s JumboTron.

The participants traveled to Indianapolis, Indiana for the second segment of their program. The group reunited with the Indiana Pacers’ Sam Perkins for a skills clinic and NBA game between the Pacers and Washington Wizards, where they were introduced on center court before the game. Perkins later said, “They gave me such a big hug. I was probably one of the last to see them before they took off. To see them again after what they went through makes me both happy and sad, but I’m glad we have this opportunity to do something for them. It’s a bittersweet moment, but really good to see them again.” The youth also capitalized on their experience as they attended the NCAA’s Midwest Regional Sweet 16 games between Louisville and Arizona and Michigan State and Kansas. This was supplemented by a visit to the NCAA Hall of Champions and a tour and clinic at Indiana University, giving them a well rounded view of collegiate level basketball.

When the team returned home, they reflected in an interview, “The trip to the USA was officially called rehabilitatory. But properly, if to use simple language, it was about the Americans giving a small piece of their spiritual warmth to our boys. That’s the main thing.” According to the Kyrgyz newspaper Vechernii Bishkek, the team now says, “Yes, after this tragedy we didn’t play very well in tournaments in our country. But now let our rivals fear us. We have returned from America a different team.”