During my summer term in the Gambia, West Africa, one particular moment stands out to me that reveals the evolving perception of sports on the continent. My Gambian friend and his father were intently watching the final minutes of the Senegalese basketball team's game on television. Every time Senegal missed a shot or gave up a basket, they exhibited the same bouts of frustration that my father and I regularly experience watching New York Jets football games on Sundays. In a country where soccer is by far the most popular sport, I found it quite surprising that a basketball game seemed to draw out such strong emotions. It's a sign that basketball, more so than any other American sport, is successfully expanding its reach into Africa.
Cameroonian-born Herve Metsam '12, who for two years played varsity basketball for the Big Green and will graduate this fall, is a testament to the sport's growing popularity in Africa.
It was his basketball skills that gave Metsam the chance to come to the U.S. He participated in Cameroon's annual nationwide basketball tournament, and his home district's team advanced all the way to the national round, bringing together the strongest teams from around the country. That's where the Ring True Foundation discovered him and linked him with the Canterbury School in Connecticut.
Seven years after arriving in the U.S., Metsam is intent on extending to other Cameroonians the same opportunities that he's had. In 2008, he started a project called Heart of the World, which brings sneakers to Cameroon to give youth a chance to play basketball.
His grander vision is to eventually teach those children that aiming for strong academic performance opens doors to play basketball and go to college in the U.S.
"Basketball is one of the rare sports where, if you want to compete at a higher level, you have to go to school," Metsam said.
The same cannot be said for soccer, however. There are no shortages of opportunities to play the sport in Africa, but that means that any relation between academics and soccer is absent. This discord, in fact, has even surfaced onto the agenda of Gambian president Yahya Jammeh, who banned soccer in rural areas, claiming that it interfered with men's farming responsibilities. The ban is embedded Jammeh's "back to the land" initiative, aimed at encouraging more Gambians to be involved in agriculture.
Several years back, Cameroonians' view of basketball was not too dissimilar from Jammeh's, and many adults saw basketball as nothing more than a distraction. But their regard for basketball has been transformed, in part because of the country's runner-up finish in the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship.
"Sport is about discipline, humility and sportsmanship," Metsam said. "We need to use sports to empower kids. By using that passion, there's the perfect chance to teach them about anything in life."
Without a doubt, the number of African basketball players who have gained prominence in the NBA are an inspiration to today's African youth. Dikembe Mutombo, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, is one of the best defensive players. South Sudan's Luol Deng was a member of the Duke University team that made it to the 2004 Final Four. It was their ability to play at the college level that enabled these players to acquire their current fame.
Metsam knows he faces several challenges in trying to provide Cameroonian students with chance to play high school ball in the U.S., least of which is the language barrier. Metsam attended ESL courses in the U.S., and it took him a while to get acquainted with English instruction.
At another level, the concept of the student-athlete is difficult for Cameroonian youth to grasp. Leisure, competition and academic excellence are not connections that make sense to many, Metsam said. A lot of the youth that Metsam encounters at basketball camps in Cameroon largely view school performance as secondary to athletics.
"If you have good grades, you can enjoy basketball as much as you want," Metsam said. "I knew I had to keep my grades up."
