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AIRPORT SECURITY IS ONE OF THE NECESSARY EVILS
in American society today. Everyone recognizes the importance of having security, especially in the wake of September 11th. But when standing in a long line waiting to get to their gate, people's views of the TSA and security in general are not generally positive. While most people prob- ably have personal stories about their experiences going through airport security, whether it be missing a flight because of the long lines or being pulled aside for a more detailed search, nobody has had quite the ordeal as Rice University forward Arsalan Kazemi.
"It was really hard," says Kazemi of his six-hour detention in a Houston airport upon his arrival. "I was only 17 years old at the time, I wasn't speaking English that well and I couldn't really communicate with the officers at the airport. I think there was something wrong with my pa- perwork and they kept asking me ques- tions, and some were crazy questions."
Kazemi came to the United States from his home country of Iran. Given the nature of the relationship between the U.S. and Iran, when problems arose with Kazemi's visa, he was pulled aside to endure six hours of questioning. It was quite the first impression for the kid who had just left all of his family and friends behind and come halfway around the world to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA one day. While he could have played professionally in Iran, he knew that if he wanted to take the next step in his career, coming to America was essential. He needed to play against the best players his age, if he wanted to ultimately play against the best players in the world.
Upon arriving in the U.S., Kazemi enrolled at The Patterson School near Lenoir, N.C., a small school known for its basketball prowess, having groomed players Hassan Whiteside, Wesley John- son and Jordan Hill before they landed in the NBA. Kazemi hoped to follow in their footsteps. During his senior year, he received interest from programs such as Syracuse, Louisville, Maryland, Seton Hall, and Oklahoma State, but bucked conventional wisdom and chose Rice University in Houston. Rice, known more
it was a surprise that Kazemi chose to play for Braun, one of eight Jewish head coaches in the NCAA at the time. Given the tensions between Iran and Israel, one might think that the cultural and religious differences could be a sticking point between the two. However, that has proven to be anything but the case as the two have become good friends, and Kazemi now jokes about the similarities he and Braun share during team meals.
for its success in the classroom than on the basketball court, hasn't made an NCAA Tournament since 1970. So what made Kazemi choose the Owls as the next stop in his path to the NBA?
"When you choose to go somewhere you want to be comfortable and you want to love the people around you," he says, explaining his reasoning for commit- ting to Rice in 2009. "You want people to be friendly to you and I found that at Rice. Also, Rice is a really good academic school and my parents always wanted me to get a good education. It is annoy- ing sometimes when you don't sleep the night after a game because you have a paper or exam, but I think it's worth it. Also, I looked at Coach [Ben] Braun's resume and was really impressed with it, seeing as he is one of the top coaches in the NCAA, and I had the chance to come in and play right away last year."
Not only did Rice turn out to be the sur- prising pick because of its lack of basket- ball history, but also to some observers
"The thing with me and Coach Braun is we both don't eat pork, so we have that in common all of the time," he says laughing. "We are very good friends, I don't think like that. He's my coach and whatever he says I know he wants the best for me, and he's a very good coach."
Upon stepping foot onto the court for the Owls in November 2009 during his col- lege debut, Kazemi made history – he be- came the first Iranian-born player ever to play in the NCAA. This accomplishment has made him a hero in his home coun- try, and even led ESPN's College Game Day to do a piece on him during his freshman season. This past year, Kazemi won the United States Basketball Writers Association's Most Courageous Award for the exemplary way in which he has car- ried himself these past two years even in the face of adversity. Kazemi expressed appreciation for the award, and the recognition being the first Iranian in the NCAA has afforded him, but now he is ready to move beyond that distinction. He doesn't want to be pigeon-holed as a basketball player because of his race, he wants to be recognized for his on-court accomplishments going forward.
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