Princeton in the Pros: 2011 graduates take talents to Europe

Maddox was the first player to sign overseas, inking a contract with Landstede Basketbal in the Netherlands. Before tearing his meniscus in a game on Jan. 28 — an injury that Maddox said is expected to sideline him for about a month — the 2011 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year was back to his old habits, leading the Dutch Basketball League in blocks and scoring 9.4 points per game. Mavraides, his teammate on last year’s Ivy League championship team, has averaged 4.5 points for Aris Thessaloniki in Greece’s top division.

Micir, the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year last season, has had a slightly different experience with Residence de Walferdange in Luxembourg. The only foreign player on her squad, Micir often trains with the Residence men’s team; because most of her teammates are students or have other jobs, the women only have three practices and one game per week. The sharpshooter ranks eighth in the league with 20.4 points per game and is making more than half of her long-range shots. Micir earned a spot on the midseason All-Star Team and won the women’s three-point shooting contest.

Though there are minor variations in the gameplay — a shorter, 24-second shot clock and a slightly further three-point line — the transition to a new country and a new culture has been much more significant.

“I’ve never been to Europe before, and starting in a place like Luxembourg is great,” Micir said in an email. “There are many cultural differences, some of which make me appreciate home more, while others opened my eyes to some negative things we deal with in the States.”

Though all three former Tigers are trying to learn the language of their respective countries, they said they often find themselves surrounded by English speakers.

“There was really no language barrier because everyone here, for the most part, speaks English,” Maddox said, “which has killed any motivation to learn Dutch, but it has made it a lot easier to get around and get grocery shopping done.”

“I have a Greek tutor whom I meet with once or twice a week, which has helped a lot with the language barrier and helping me to pick up on the language quicker,” Mavraides said. “I have really enjoyed living in another country and learning more about Greek culture, especially since I am half Greek and, as of recently, a Greek citizen. However, there is no place like home, and I am definitely missing America.”

In European basketball, top teams play international tournaments concurrent with their regular league season, similar to European club soccer competition. Aris played well enough last season to qualify for this year’s Eurocup, which is the continent’s second-tier tournament, featuring teams that did not qualify for Eurobasket.

After losing its first three games of the four-team group-stage ‘regular season,’ Aris won its last three — including the final game in overtime — to qualify for the last 16. Playing in another four-team group, Aris is currently on track to reach the quarterfinals at 3-1 with two games remaining. Mavraides scored 18 points in a recent win over Asvel Basket and is averaging 6.5 points per game in Eurocup play.

But for teams not competing internationally, postseason tournaments are the main focus, leading to a reduced intensity in the early months of the regular season. This comes as a major contrast to veterans of Ivy League play and the proverbial 14-Game Tournament, in which all conference games are significant.

“The big moments aren’t quite as big, and the lows aren’t as bad, especially coming from Ivy League conference play where every game meant the world,” Maddox said. “Although that was stressful, it’s also what made it a lot of fun.”

And without the common thread of a school to connect teammates and draw in fans, the atmosphere of professional basketball is different from what players experienced in college.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

“I would say the primary difference for me has been the team chemistry,” Maddox said. “Although it’s pretty good for our squad, it doesn’t compare to what we had the last few years at Princeton, and it’s hard to replicate at the professional level.”

“In terms of atmosphere, to me, it definitely doesn’t compare to Jadwin,” Micir said. “Especially in my last two seasons as a Tiger, we had a great following of loyal fans. Games not only mean something to your team, but your school.”

All three players said they have been faithfully following the teams they used to play for at Princeton, staying in touch with old teammates and watching games online as often as possible — even into the wee hours of the morning, due to the difference in time zones. Seeing the action through a fan’s eyes has been somewhat bittersweet for the former Tigers.

“I definitely miss being there, but I keep in mind how difficult it was and how stressful the conference can be at times, so it is nice to be able to sit back and watch,” Maddox said.

“It is great to see former teammates take on a bigger role and watch the new seniors lead the team,” Mavraides said. “There is a huge part of me that wishes I was out there wearing the P on my chest again, battling with those guys, but it is great to be a part of Princeton basketball still as an avid fan.”