Foreign Aid: International Players Continue Making Valpo Vibrant

Basketball simply doesn't have borders any longer. The top two scorers for Horizon League champion Valparaiso this season - Ryan Broekhoff and Kevin Van Wijk - are not North America natives. No school has benefitted more from an influx of foreigners over the years than the Crusaders, who are also getting significant support from New Zealand product Richie Edwards.

Valpo's spanning-the-globe foreign invasion has included: Lubos Barton (Czech Republic), Ali Berdiel (Puerto Rico), Broekhoff (Australia), Antonio Falu (Puerto Rico), Benjamin Fumey (Germany), Joaquim Gomes (Angola), Raitis Grafs (Latvia), Samuel Haanpaa (Finland), Shawn Huff (Finland), Mohamed Kone (France), Calum MacLeod (New Zealand), Moussa Mbaye (Senegal), Roberto Nieves (Puerto Rico), Stalin Ortiz (Colombia), Marko Punda (Croatia), Michael Rogers (Jamaica), Oumar Sylla (Mali), Van Wijk (Netherlands), Antanas Vilcinskas (Lithuania), Zoran Viskovic (Croatia), Hrvoje Vucic (Croatia), Ivan Vujic (Croatia) and Cameron Witt (Australia).

Barton, Berdiel, Gomes, Grafs, Ortiz and Viskovic were all-conference selections in the Mid-Continent Conference before the school switched to the Horizon League. The Crusaders' foreign aid next season will include redshirt center Vashil Fernandez from Jamaica.

Among other squads counting on multiple foreigners in order to enhance their national postseason tournament prospects are:
California - Jorge Gutierrez (Mexico) and Emerson Murray (British Columbia, Canada)
Creighton - Gregory Echenique (Venezuela) and Jahenns Manigal (Ontario, Canada)
Gonzaga - Elias Harris (Germany) and Kevin Pangos (Ontario, Canada)
Miami (FL) - Raphael Akpejiori (Nigeria) and Kenny Kadji (Cameroon)
New Mexico - Cameron Bairstow (Australia) and Hugh Greenwood (Australia)
Rice - Ahmad Ibrahim (Lebanon) and Arsalan Kazemi (Iran)
Saint Louis - Cody Ellis (Australia) and Rob Loe (New Zealand)
Saint Mary's - Matthew Dellavedova (Australia), Jorden Page (Australia), Kyle Rowley (Trinidad), Clint Steindl (Australia) and Mitchell Young (Australia)
Syracuse - Kris Joseph (Quebec, Canada), Bave Moussa Keita (Senegal) and Fab Melo (Brazil)
UNLV - Carlos Lopez (Puerto Rico) and Brice Massamba (Sweden)
Vanderbilt--Festus Ezeli (Nigeria) and Jeffery Taylor (Sweden)

You can work on your geography by assessing the comprehensive list assembled by CollegeHoopedia.com of foreign players impacting college basketball.