Spring Break
Ameziane A 'Stand-Up' Guy
WHERE ARE THEY NOW
Kevin Duffy
Issue date: 3/5/08 Section: Sports
Sami Ameziane had heard all the stories. He'd seen all the movies. They said the same thing - America was a land for new opportunity; a land where dreams are made and destiny is fulfilled.
But Ameziane wasn't sold. Before he came to UConn as a foreign exchange student, he didn't expect to accomplish much in America. Maybe brush up on his English, meet some new people, but nothing big.
That all changed in the instant Ameziane planted his foot on American soil.
"I felt like a new man. I felt it was a land where people of all around the world have built new lives. I could just feel it in the air," Ameziane said. "In America, there is an enthusiasm that lacks in Europe, a positive sense that makes you feel you can do it. It's not a myth when they say 'everything is possible' in America."
And for Ameziane, nearly everything that was possible happened.
The 24-year-old French exchange student never intended to walk-on to the UConn basketball team. But he did. He never expected to return to his home country and be laughed at by thousands of people, especially after completing a season as the back-up point guard of the Huskies. But that also happened.
And somehow, Ameziane relished the experience. He encouraged the laughter. He even embraced it.
After all, what comedian wouldn't? The former French class teacher's assistant turned basketball walk-on has become a stand-up comic, and as odd as it sounds, no one is surprised.
"Sami's got a great sense of humor. He has a way with words," said Elaine Dalmolin, a UConn French professor.
"He was a stand-up comedian when he was with us," joked UConn assistant coach George Blaney.
A Long, Strange Road
A legendary basketball player in Saint-Denis, France, Ameziane took his sweet-shooting stroke and unflappable confidence to Guyer Gym when he arrived at UConn to study abroad. Mostly playing basketball for fun at this point, Ameziane's main focus was finishing up his business degree. He never strongly considered walking onto the team when he signed up to come to Storrs.
But Ameziane wasn't sold. Before he came to UConn as a foreign exchange student, he didn't expect to accomplish much in America. Maybe brush up on his English, meet some new people, but nothing big.
That all changed in the instant Ameziane planted his foot on American soil.
"I felt like a new man. I felt it was a land where people of all around the world have built new lives. I could just feel it in the air," Ameziane said. "In America, there is an enthusiasm that lacks in Europe, a positive sense that makes you feel you can do it. It's not a myth when they say 'everything is possible' in America."
And for Ameziane, nearly everything that was possible happened.
The 24-year-old French exchange student never intended to walk-on to the UConn basketball team. But he did. He never expected to return to his home country and be laughed at by thousands of people, especially after completing a season as the back-up point guard of the Huskies. But that also happened.
And somehow, Ameziane relished the experience. He encouraged the laughter. He even embraced it.
After all, what comedian wouldn't? The former French class teacher's assistant turned basketball walk-on has become a stand-up comic, and as odd as it sounds, no one is surprised.
"Sami's got a great sense of humor. He has a way with words," said Elaine Dalmolin, a UConn French professor.
"He was a stand-up comedian when he was with us," joked UConn assistant coach George Blaney.
A Long, Strange Road
A legendary basketball player in Saint-Denis, France, Ameziane took his sweet-shooting stroke and unflappable confidence to Guyer Gym when he arrived at UConn to study abroad. Mostly playing basketball for fun at this point, Ameziane's main focus was finishing up his business degree. He never strongly considered walking onto the team when he signed up to come to Storrs.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Matt McGarry
posted 3/05/08 @ 2:28 PM EST
The article was alright. It wasn't the worst thing I read, but it sure wasn't the best thing either.
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