Basketball holds int'l appeal at Bryant

SMITHFIELD – Eager to build a strong roster of players for its (almost) Division I basketball team, Bryant University has recruited players internationally, including Ben Altit of Herzliya, Israel, and others from Australia and elsewhere.

Altit, 18, completed high school in Israel and played basketball on one youth club team – the Maccabi Tel Aviv – as well as on the Israeli Junior U-18 National Team, where he was a starting center.

A full-time freshman on a full athletic scholarship and one of only four Israelis playing on Division I men's basketball college teams in the United States, Altit described Bryant as "the right place. I thought it would be a good school academically and [I] jumped on the opportunity."

Pleased to play basketball at a "higher level" while getting more advanced basketball training than he could in Israel, Altit expressed a few reservations about Smithfield, which, he said, is "so far from  [Providence]; it's pretty isolated." Although he has attended some Bryant Hillel functions, he has not yet followed through on plans to attend Brown RISD Hillel events. Much to his surprise, Providence is not the sole Rhode Island locale that transplanted Israelis call home – he can speak Hebrew to his heart's content with another Bryant student who is Israeli.

So, why recruit basketball players from overseas?

It's a way to cast a wide net, explained Tim O'Shea, Bryant University's men's head basketball coach. During the four-year process of transitioning from a Division II to a Division I intercollegiate athletic program, the school is not eligible to compete in post-season competition. So, for example, Bryant's basketball team has not been able to compete – or even dream of competing – in basketball's "March Madness," the "Final Four" or the NCAA championship, said O'Shea. With those restrictions, creating a Division I identity is challenging, especially in recruiting students from the U.S. who are ready to play on a Division I team. International students, in contrast, might appreciate the challenge of playing in the U.S. and may be less likely to be recruited by already established Division I schools. For these reasons, recruiting internationally makes sense for a school like Bryant.

When O'Shea went to Israel to watch an U-18 European championship game, he saw Altit play. O'Shea had heard about Altit, talked to his coach and ultimately offered him the opportunity to come to Bryant.

Although it's been "a challenging season, with two wins and 25 losses (with the season almost over)," said O'Shea, "I can see a lot of progress."

Men's basketball teams that transition from Division II to Division I often "have a very difficult time during the transitional years," said O'Shea. "We should be tremendously improved next year."

At 6 feet, 10 inches and 220 pounds, Altit could benefit from some additional strength training. But, said O'Shea, "he's getting more adjusted to life here and to the faster-paced American basketball game. [Altit] is really talented and has excellent potential."

He's an "investment in our future," said O'Shea.

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