After playing professional basketball overseas, Prosper Karangwa aims to help others do the same.
The former Siena College star and his wife, Colonie native and former Siena player Michelle Blot, recently moved back to the Capital District so Karangwa could start Global Scouting Service.
When you start a busi-ness, you tend to do what you know, said Karangwa. `[A scouting service] came pretty easily to me because I’ve always been someone who looked at the analytical side of basketball.`
Karangwa’s scouting service is unique in that he isn’t looking for players who can only light up the scoreboard. He’s scouting for players who fit into a team concept and aren’t afraid to practice several hours a day, which is the way pro teams operate outside of the United States.
`It’s a whole different ball game ` not just the work ethic, but also how they play,` said Karangwa, who spent the last seven years playing for pro teams in Germany, Austria, France and Syria. `In the NBA, it’s all star driven. In Europe, it’s all team driven.`
There is also the language and cultural barriers to bridge for American players heading to Europe, said Karangwa.
`One of the things you have to look at is the kid’s personality. Is he open minded? Has he been away from home for any length of time?` said Karangwa. `If the kid isn’t open minded, then it’s not going to work.`
Karangwa first came to Colonie in 1999 to play at Siena. He said the team-first style that was in place at the Loudonville private school suited him.
`There were eight guys there who wound up scoring more than 1,000 points in their careers, so we never had to rely on one person,` said Karangwa, who finished his four-year career with 1,274 points.
During Karangwa’s senior year, he met Michelle, who was just starting her collegiate basketball playing career. They carried on a long-distance relationship for three years before Michelle graduated in 2006, and they got married in 2008.
`It just kind of happened,` said Michelle. `Neither one of us imagined [at the time] that it would turn into marriage one day.`
`I guess being tall and playing basketball gave us similiar interests,` said Karangwa.
Karangwa did a lot of traveling after graduating from Siena in 2003. He played on the Canadian national basketball team for four years, which gave him the chance to play alongside NBA star Steve Nash and against the likes of Manu Ginobli, Yao Ming and Peja Stojakovic.
But it was his time playing for European pro teams that gave Karangwa his biggest challenge: trying to live in countries where he didn’t know the language. Even when he played in France, he found that the French he knew growing up in Montreal wasn’t accepted there.
`In France, they don’t even consider us to be French,` said Karangwa. `Our French wasn’t the same as their French.`
Michelle said she had to become bilingual in order to communicate with Karangwa’s mother. `It took about two years` to learn the language, she said.
Now back in Colonie, the couple are getting used to living the American suburban life.
`I think it was harder for him because he’s a city guy,` said Michelle. `But I definitely miss Paris. We had a great life there.`
Karangwa asid he plans on traveling to Europe several times a year to `keep in touch with the leagues and how they’re playing.“