HOME AND AWAY:Making a living out of basketball was always going to be a struggle for Conor Grace
WE LAST looked in on Conor Grace in September 2005. Fresh from graduating with a political science degree from Davidson College, the Stillorgan native was called up to what was considered Ireland's strongest ever international squad. And he saw game time.
Things were looking up. He had just signed a two-year contract with Italian club Reggio Calabria and held ambitions to eventually return Stateside, this time to the bright lights of the NBA.
Now 26, the best laid plans haven't exactly fallen into place. While the reality of life on the European professional circuit has shaken his resolve, his 6ft 9in frame has been filled out to carry 215lbs and he is an established member of the Irish international squad that gathers for European qualifiers later this year.
The Reggio experience ended rather abruptly. Seemingly, the club nestled on the toe of Italy's boot don't believe in honouring contracts.
"There were a few financial problems," Grace explains. "Before coming out of college I always presumed that once you sign a contract it would be valid and the club would hold up their end of it. But that is not always the case. Some clubs are not in a position to pay players their wages."
Think Eircom League but in a different language and you begin to get the picture.
"The Italian experience was a really steep learning curve. Definitely.
"Coming from Davidson you're expecting everyone to want to play for the team and want to win. That wasn't the case at all. It was everyone out for themselves.
"In basketball, statistics are such a big thing that everyone wants to shoot all the shots they can. It's not a case of working for the team. A lot of teams will only offer a one-year deal, which isn't a good idea because guys are worried about getting another club the next season. They don't have any job security so everyone starts looking after their own statistics."
Grace left Reggio after just one year, followed by a brief stint in France with Boulazac and then getting stiffed financially for a second time at Finnish club Componenta before finally signing a one-year deal with Swedish club Norrkoping last January. He is playing regularly (getting his stats up) and finally surrounded by a positive vibe.
"I would consider coming back here because this is the first place I've gone where there is a family feel to the club."
It helped that he could do some research on Norrkoping, as former Davidson team-mate Ian Johnson was already there, while another former team-mate's uncle is on the coaching staff.
His agent is KC Callero, part of the Sports Management Worldwide group, an American based out of Valencia, Spain, who negotiates most of his deals.
"This club got in touch with me the day I left Finland but a lot of the time KC would put together DVDs and statistics for different clubs that allow me go try out for them. A lot of it is just getting your name out there.
"He's great as far as agents go. He is always on the other end of the phone. I had another agent who wouldn't return my calls for a few days. He is always there, be it money issues or, say, your apartment. He will call the team and get it sorted."
The Grace surname is stitched into the sinews of Irish rugby folklore. In 1973, Ireland drew 10-10 with the All Blacks at Lansdowne Road thanks to Tom Grace's brilliant individual try at the Havelock Square end. A full scale pitch invasion was averted by a gust of wind dragging Barry McGann's touchline conversion the wrong side of the uprights.
About 10 years ago Tom Grace's son returned home from a school day in St Andrew's College to inform his father that rugby was no longer his sport of choice. Henceforth, he would be concentrating on basketball full time in an attempt to gain a scholarship to an American university.
"I don't know what I'd do without my dad's advice. It has been really valuable. Some decisions I would have made without his advice would have been detrimental to my career. He has helped to put me on the right track."
Grace senior, an external consultant for Price Waterhouse Coopers, supported his rapidly growing son's ambitions. After gaining underage representative recognition through his exploits with the Marian club, a summer honing his skills in Portland, Oregon and prep school in Maine, there followed a four-year NCAA college career in Charlotte, North Carolina, where Grace built up a reputation as a rebound master and steady three-point merchant.
Grace has been around the block a few times, but would like to shake off the journeyman tag. "I wanted to go somewhere and play pretty much the whole game so I could improve. That's what I've done since arriving in Sweden and we are now on the verge of the play-offs."
Last Tuesday night Grace shot 12 points and picked off 10 rebounds despite defeat on the road to Lulea - a northern outpost, near the Finnish border. He has also expanded his personal development by working with sports psychologist, and Armagh All-Ireland winner, Enda McNulty.
"Being a basketball player in Ireland there is not a huge support system for you. Myself and Michael Bree and a couple of others are the only Irish lads playing basketball abroad so it's been useful to sit down with Enda and plan out a path for the extra needs of a professional sportsman like a nutritionist, someone to take care of your stretching and weight-lifting. He's just very good at setting goals for you. Otherwise you can get stuck in a routine of going from game to game without ever really improving."
With the little things seen to, the longer term aspirations remain firmly fixed upon those bright lights.
"I hope to stay playing into my mid-30s. Obviously that depends on how well it's going and what kind of contracts I sign.
"You do have to reassess goals but I hope to sign with a bigger club in Spain or Italy and eventually I'd like to return to America and play in the NBA."
We'll look in again soon.
Irish in Europe
AUSTRIA: Brian Scharrenweber (Mattersburg).
BELGIUM: Sean O'Connor (Nivelles) DENMARK: Miceail Coghlan(Lemvig) BRITAIN: Chris Bevin (West Anglia), Ciaran Burns (Worthing), Mike Commane (Plymouth) Bran McCotter ( Newcastle), James Mooney (Worthington), Andrew Sanders (Scottish Rocks)
SPAIN: Richard McLaughlin (Santurtzi), Jim Moran (Gran Canaria), Justen Naughton (Hellin), Jesse Young (Estudiant), Michael Westbrooks (CB Almunecar)
ICELAND: Isaac Westbrooks (Thor Thorl)
FRANCE: Brian Bracey (Chalon) Lorcan Precious (Autun (N2), Shawn Swords (Mulhouse)
GERMANY: Colin O'Reilly (Freiburg), Mihajlo Pesic (Freiburg), Mark Reynolds (Crailsheim)
GREECE: Chris Bracey (Egaleo) Levon Kendall (Panionios) Ken Lacey (Olimpia GE Larissa) Glenn Sekunda (Iraklis)
ITALY: Colin Falls (Pierrel), James Larranaga (Pepsi), Donnie McGrath (La Fortezza), Damien Ryan (Vanoli), LUXEMBOURG: Michael Kostur (Bascharage)
SWITZERLAND: Tony McCrory (The Starwings) Liam Farrell ( Nyon) POLAND: Jeff Nordgaard (AZS Koszalin), Michael Bree (Kotwica), RUSSIA: Pat Burke (Khimky)
