Former Bears Star Catching On Overseas

Leave practice…get a sandwich from the shop around the corner…walk up to the balcony…check out the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.

What a difference eight months can make.

Less than a year after graduating from the University of Northern Colorado, Jabril Banks has seen a lot, including one great view of the ocean from his new hometown- Casablanca, Morocco.

It seems like a long way from Greeley, Colorado, and Banks will be the first to tell you—it is. But before making it to Morocco, he experienced quite a bit along the way.

Throughout the past two basketball seasons at Northern Colorado, Banks was a huge part of a Bears program building toward success.

From 2007 to 2009, the UNC forward led the team in scoring (12.6 points per game) and rebounding (5.7 rebounds per game), and was named to the 2009 Big Sky Conference’s All-Conference Team in his senior season.

“Jabril really helped put this team on the map,” Bears head coach Tad Boyle said. “A lot of people remember him from George Washington High School in Denver, and the fact the he chose to come to Greeley gave us a lot of credibility. He’s probably one of the most terrific kids I’ve ever coached. He’d do anything I asked of him.”

After graduation, Banks hired an agent and, with the help of his coaches, put together a three-minute highlight tape of his college career to send out with the goal of playing professional basketball.

It worked.

Goodbye Greeley, Hello Germany
Just four months after finishing school, Banks was hired by F.C. Bayern Munchen, a pro team in Munich, Germany. In his first game, Banks played 32 minutes and scored 11 points. In 11 total games with the club, he averaged 5.5 points per game.

“First and foremost, being a professional athlete is great but it is very, very time consuming,” Banks said in a recent phone interview. “It’s basketball 24-7, all day, learning plays, going through tapes… but I’m so happy to be doing this.”

Banks, one of only four Americans on an otherwise all-German team, said the European game did have some major differences from American basketball.

“The three-point line is closer, and there are not as many set plays. If you have the skills to go one-on-one, you can do it,” he said. “And traveling gets called all the time, especially on American players. The refs know who we are, and they always watch our first step. You have to be sure and put the ball down first.”

Banks said he is learning a lot by playing against a higher level of competition. One teammate of his even played on the German National Team alongside NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki.

Although Munich is somewhat Americanized, according to Banks, one cultural difference he has learned to love is the game of soccer, which is incredibly popular in the city. “It’s breathtaking—watching a goal for the first time with 80, 90-thousand people—you can’t even explain it,” he said.

Banks has even started to improve his own game during a few pre-practice matches. “It’s funny; we have soccer goals set up in the gym, and we play before practice. I’m starting to look pretty good now,” he said.

Ballin in Cassablanca
Unfortunately, midway through the season, Bayern’s coach was fired, and as a result, many of the players moved on to other teams to avoid playing with a rebuilding group. “It’s just the business side if it,” Banks said.

So with the help of his agent, Banks went back on the market for a new team, and two days after Christmas, signed a contract to play for Casablanca’s pro team.

Unlike Munich, there are no other Americans on the team, and Morocco is much less Americanized, Banks said. The culture is heavily influenced by French culture, as Morocco was once under French control, and as a result, Banks is learning the language as quickly as he can.

“If there’s one thing I could go back in time and do, it would be to take a foreign language class,” Banks joked. “And learn how to drive a stick… all the cars over here are small.”

While Banks is enjoying the beginning of his career in Casablanca—the warm beaches, the chicken sandwich place down the block from his apartment and the ocean views—he says he still misses Colorado and plans to return in the off-season to condition and train for next year.

“I’m looking forward to everything in the U.S.- regular conversation, friends, family- everything I had before I left,” he said. “But I feel like as long as I’m playing- I’ll go wherever the game takes me. Whether I come back and play in the states, or keep playing around the globe, I really do enjoy it.”

Colorado Connection
Even though Banks will have been gone for nearly a year before he has a chance to make it back to Greeley, he has kept in touch with most of his teammates and coaches.

“We wish him the best. He was really popular with the students and teachers on campus,” Boyle said. “He’s a kind person and a really great kid.”

And although he has moved on to bigger teams in bigger cities, Banks has still been closely following the UNC Bears team throughout this season, which has gotten off to a great 15-3 start.

“I’m so happy for them and proud of how well they’re doing,” Banks said. “The coaches are doing a great job and they’re having a fantastic year. I’m really proud to be a UNC Bear.”

Contact the writer at mlaughlin@milehighhoops.com