Norwegian Harald Frey has thrived in the Bobcat men's basketball program
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Happy 4th of July! Bobcat Men's Basketball Celebrates by Welcoming Players from Different Cultures to the U.S.
7/4/2018 3:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Brian Fish uses varying backgrounds to build a common bond
BOZEMAN, Montana – The irony isn't lost on Montana State men's basketball assistant coach Chris Haslam.
"We weren't taught that in English history," the London native says with a laugh of the reason the United States stops in its tracks to celebrate on the Fourth of July every year. "Or else I missed it."
A long-time resident of the U.S., Haslam might be spotted with the Union Jack on him in some way today, but also revels in celebrating American independence from his native England. And it began early in his time stateside.
"The first time I realized the significance of the day was my year in high school (in Savannah, Georgia)," he said. "When I first moved in with my host family, that was the4th of July and they told me they were having people over, a party, a celebration. And I was confused, so they sat me down and explained the importance."
With roots on both sides of the pond – he has raised his family in the U.S., and his father also spent time in America – Haslam is uniquely positioned to explain the meaning of the 4th of July and American values and what Bobcat head coach Brian Fish calls America's "first buy game" to MSU Basketball's burgeoning international presence.
"I was talking to Max (Schuecker, a freshman center from Austria) about it the other day," Haslam said, "and he didn't really know the story of the 4th. I talked to him about it, and he thought it was pretty neat. That's what we can do, educate kids and help them become more well-rounded human beings."
Montana State's recent rosters have featured players from Turkey and England, and this year's team also includes players from Norway and Finland. Fish said that understanding takes root more strongly when it happens organically. "You don't try to force anything on anyone," Fish said. But a moment before Montana State's season opener against Omaha in Great Falls last November, when players from each team stood with military veterans on Veterans Day, spoke to him.
"When you see what happened in Great Falls with the military presence at the game and you see our guys locked in, the American kids and the (international) kids, you can't help but understand and respect how important it is."
Lectures aren't necessary, Fish said, but establishing important concepts like outward respect for service and respecting the nation's principles begin on nights like Tuesday, the night before Independence Day, when "we talk about it a little bit."
Fish said his platform and environment is uniquely set to build understanding. "I really believe that the locker room is the last remaining place in the world where things can be discussed and problems can be solved without a bunch of problems," he said. "When you don't have a good locker room there's one belief in this corner, another belief in that corner, and something else in the other corner. But when you have a good locker room you can talk about things with respect."
Haslam said that commitment, and the belief that people with different backgrounds make a group stronger, has taken hold in Montana State men's basketball. "In my career I've played in different countries and I've always tried to learn the culture and some of the language," he said. "I've learned about the 4th of July, about Memorial Day, and I've taken the attitude that learning the culture helps you settle in."
"We weren't taught that in English history," the London native says with a laugh of the reason the United States stops in its tracks to celebrate on the Fourth of July every year. "Or else I missed it."
A long-time resident of the U.S., Haslam might be spotted with the Union Jack on him in some way today, but also revels in celebrating American independence from his native England. And it began early in his time stateside.
"The first time I realized the significance of the day was my year in high school (in Savannah, Georgia)," he said. "When I first moved in with my host family, that was the4th of July and they told me they were having people over, a party, a celebration. And I was confused, so they sat me down and explained the importance."
With roots on both sides of the pond – he has raised his family in the U.S., and his father also spent time in America – Haslam is uniquely positioned to explain the meaning of the 4th of July and American values and what Bobcat head coach Brian Fish calls America's "first buy game" to MSU Basketball's burgeoning international presence.
"I was talking to Max (Schuecker, a freshman center from Austria) about it the other day," Haslam said, "and he didn't really know the story of the 4th. I talked to him about it, and he thought it was pretty neat. That's what we can do, educate kids and help them become more well-rounded human beings."
Montana State's recent rosters have featured players from Turkey and England, and this year's team also includes players from Norway and Finland. Fish said that understanding takes root more strongly when it happens organically. "You don't try to force anything on anyone," Fish said. But a moment before Montana State's season opener against Omaha in Great Falls last November, when players from each team stood with military veterans on Veterans Day, spoke to him.
"When you see what happened in Great Falls with the military presence at the game and you see our guys locked in, the American kids and the (international) kids, you can't help but understand and respect how important it is."
Lectures aren't necessary, Fish said, but establishing important concepts like outward respect for service and respecting the nation's principles begin on nights like Tuesday, the night before Independence Day, when "we talk about it a little bit."
Fish said his platform and environment is uniquely set to build understanding. "I really believe that the locker room is the last remaining place in the world where things can be discussed and problems can be solved without a bunch of problems," he said. "When you don't have a good locker room there's one belief in this corner, another belief in that corner, and something else in the other corner. But when you have a good locker room you can talk about things with respect."
Haslam said that commitment, and the belief that people with different backgrounds make a group stronger, has taken hold in Montana State men's basketball. "In my career I've played in different countries and I've always tried to learn the culture and some of the language," he said. "I've learned about the 4th of July, about Memorial Day, and I've taken the attitude that learning the culture helps you settle in."
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