Wednesday, October 14, 1998
Hoop Junkets
Former Wahine basketball
By Al Chase
players Nani Flores and Nani
Cockett have taken their talent
°and their aloha spirit—
to the pro ranks in
Belgium and Israel
Star-BulletinNANI Cockett and Nani Flores traded the security of families and friends for the opportunity to display their basketball talents at the professional level a long, long way from home.
Cockett is playing for Nirosoft Carmiel Basketball Club in Israel and Flores is competing for Mosa Gambes Femina in Namur, Belgium. The pro game affords the former Hawaii Wahine standouts the opportunity to experience new surroundings, customs, cultures, food and historical sites.
Flores spent one year at college in Chicago before transferring back to UH, but this is Cockett's first extended stay away from Hawaii. Either way, there was a certain amount of anxiety as each headed to a new land.
"At first I was a little skeptical because whenever you're in the Middle East you have to stop and think about your safety," Cockett said. "But Carmiel, the town I live in about two hours north of Tel Aviv, is a very safe town. Everybody has been real nice as far as the club is concerned."
"I was definitely apprehensive about coming over here, especially since I'd never been to Europe before," Flores said. "I didn't know what to expect, but it's been a lot better than what I thought it would be.
"I get to eat in the team owner's restaurant every day and the food is pretty good. Nothing exotic. They eat a lot of meat here, but they try to provide me with as much fish as possible."
Besides league play, both teams are involved in ongoing tournaments. Flores' team competes in the European Cup and Cockett's in the Israeli Cup. Both tournaments have formats similar to the NCAA tournament -- keep winning and keep playing.
Flores helped her club defeat Portugal's champion twice in a home-and-home series, averaging 19.5 points and 11 rebounds per game to start Mosa Gambes Femina's European Cup run.
"The win in Portugal was the biggest in my club's history," Flores said. "This is only the third year the team has been at the Division I level, so the whole town was very happy for us.
"I really enjoyed Portugal. It is a very beautiful country. The area we visited is called Coimbra. I got to see many 12th and 16th century churches that were just breathtaking and the oldest university and library in all of Europe.
"It also is nice to know I actually have family over here, although my dad didn't know exactly where."
Cockett won't forget her pro debut. She scored 12 points -- despite missing many open shots -- and had three blocks in Nirosoft Carmiel's victory.
"The crowd was wild and they even played the 'Hawaii 5-0' song when they introduced me," she said. "It made me feel like I was home in the arena again for one brief moment. Then reality set in and I realized I was halfway around the world from home.
"I played point guard for half the game because one of our guards was sick. I actually enjoyed it some to tell you the truth."
She recently enjoyed a three-day holiday weekend celebrating the Jewish New Year.
She headed for the Sea of Galilee with friends, hoping to relax and have a barbeque. Instead, the day-long trip became a tour of religious sites, starting with the Sanctuary of the Primacy of Peter at Tabgha -- the church where Jesus performed the miracle of the loaves and fishes. It is built around the stone where the apostles ate their meal.
Cockett visited the Mount of Beatitudes, Nazareth and the Church of Annunciation, built around the home of Mary and Joseph.
"We even stopped to take pictures of some camels. They are such peaceful animals, yet we were kind of afraid of them," the Kamehameha School graduate said.
"It was an interesting day. Not expecting to see the things we saw made it so amazing. I learned a lot of religious history I never would have known if I hadn't been here."
Flores, who has her own apartment, remembers her first month, when she lived with the mother of a friend of the team.
"Although she couldn't speak English, we got along fine," Flores said. "In fact, I kind of miss living with her because she spoiled me. She did my laundry, cleaned my room and had breakfast ready for me every morning.
"The people here are very friendly. What I've noticed most is that old and young people hang out at the same places. It's not like back home where some places are for certain age groups. Here, all age groups hang out at the popular spots. I think that's very cool."
Cockett recently watched former UH volleyball players Yuval Katz and Naveh Milo on television. They were playing for the Israeli national team against Solvenia.
"Yuval looks the same, put on a little weight, but so have I," she said. "It must be the food here. There's only one American fast food restaurant in Carmiel -- McDonald's -- and I'm sick of it right now.
"I miss the food at home and I especially miss Taco Bell. But I'm surviving here on whatever comes before me.
"I tried some Israeli food. The national dish is called hummus. It looks like paste, but it's not that bad. These people sure do eat it up though."
And the seasons are changing, especially for Flores.
"I'm definitely beginning to miss the sunny weather back home," she said. "I'm freezing my okole and they say it's only the beginning (of winter). But next week we travel to the south of France and that should be fun."
