Saturday, January 30, 1999
Europe a learning
By Al Chase
experience for Flores
Star-BulletinNani Flores would rather be playing professional basketball for Mosa Gambes Femina in Namur, Belgium, rather than on one of the UH Wahine alumni teams tonight at the Stan Sheriff Center.
However, the 6-foot-2 center, who spent four months playing in Europe, made the decision not to return when she came home for the Christmas break.
The decision was not easy. There was much she liked about her first involvement with the pro game, but by last Dec. 16, Flores knew she would pack all her belongings for the trip to Hawaii.
"I didn't think they were very professional on their end. I understood I was the first American, but they really didn't know how to do things. I never even got a visa," Flores said.
"They tried to stick me in a school as a student so they could bypass all the taxes they would have to pay for as a regular visitor. It wasn't even a university, but a high school."
Although Bob Stephens, the Kamehameha Schools coach who helped Flores get a spot on the team, told her attending school might be mentioned, she didn't think it was a requirement. After all, she had just received her degree from Hawaii in May.
But, after being told to go to school or go home, she tried. First it was an art school where she made abstract things with clay. Then she tried another school. Flores thought she might learn French, but the idea there was not to attend classes in the language, but to simply be around people who spoke French.
"They wanted me in school all day and I couldn't see going to school more than I practiced," Flores said. "I came all this way to play and that's what I wanted to do."
Fortunately, Mosa Gambes Femina was competing in the European Cup and Flores got to play against some pretty tough opponents, did well and this helped.
"One game I scored 32 points and after that is when I were really heard the yapping. It was in French but it was translated somewhat in a nicer tone to me," Flores said. "I met with the board and said, 'what's the problem,' They said, 'The problem is you're too good. They've never played with a player at your level and it's hard for them to adjust.'
"They had girls who played with the national team so they had seen that level before. I think it was a jealousy thing. I just wanted us to be successful and play together.
"I went there to play ball and win games. That's what I was getting paid for. Some of the girls got upset at the amount of points I was scoring, but these girls could not shoot and we needed to score."
And there were family considerations. Flores father, George, had knee surgery and back surgery and suffered a collapsed lung.
"They didn't want to tell me about it. I finally found out from my sister-in-law that he had a collapsed lung. That got me really worried and I'm half way around the world," Flores said.
The chance to travel (Holland, France, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg), the overall wonderful treatment by the people of Namur and being taken into the family of the club's president "like a daughter" were positives that made Flores want to stay for the whole season.
"I prayed to God to see what he wanted me to do," she said. "I know they are trying to build a strong team. They keep calling and asking me to come back. I left on good terms and the door is open for next year."
Next time she will have an agent working for her. There will be a lot more attention spent on the details of her employment. She has learned that.
