“Start Packing, You Leave Tomorrow.”
Those are the words which signaled the start of a nine-year career in basketball for Pete Strobl. In his premiere book Backspin, Strobl details his growth from a youth on the streets of Los Angeles, to a Division I athlete on the other side of the country, to a veteran player with nearly a decade of experience playing in Europe’s various professional leagues.
Much of Backspin delves into Strobl’s adaptation to each new country he is recruited to play in, and the variety of individuals he encounters during his travels, whether they be coaches, teammates or fans. Each new location brings fresh experiences and vital lessons on what it’s like to play basketball in Europe.
In a style reminiscent of the film Slumdog Millionaire, the title Backspin refers to sections of the book wherein Strobl reflects back on moments of his youth and important lessons he learned which helped him deal with situations in his professional life.
One of the earlier “backspins” in the book reflects on the first time Strobl completed a put-back dunk in high school. Trailing his point guard down the court following a steal and finishing his teammate’s missed layup, the lesson Strobl gleaned from that experience was to never give up on a situation – to always follow through. That lesson and mentality helped him complete another put-back dunk during his time at Niagara University, but this time it helped him land on SportsCenter.
Strobl grew up in Los Angeles, but chose to travel across the country and play collegiate basketball at Niagara where he would develop his game under coaches like Mike Rice and Joe Mihalich. Strobl played three years with the Purple Eagles between 1997-2000 while staying on to earn a Master’s degree in business. During the 1998-99 campaign, Niagara tied Siena for the MAAC regular season title before falling to St. Peter’s in the conference tournament.
Following that final season in college, Strobl found himself in a situation hundreds of recent graduates around the country find themselves in today. He could do nothing but stay in shape and wait for word from his agent on what foreign country he would call his new home. That word could come over the phone at any moment, or never.
”I spent my time working out, worrying and wondering,” Strobl says in Backspin. “I ran up and down the hills around Pittsburgh every day, trying to make sure my body was ready whenever I finally got a job offer.”
After learning he was signed to play professionally in France, Strobl had to quickly adjust to life overseas. The language difference is often the main concern when entering a foreign country, but even a simple task like shopping for food can become a major ordeal.
“Just trying to go to the grocery store was an adventure,” Strobl said. “Just trying to live your daily life when you can’t speak your native tongue and you’re not able to communicate with anyone is a real challenge.”
Strobl spent his nine years overseas playing with teams in France, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Iceland, and Switzerland. He also traveled to countries such as Russia, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Cyprus. In Backspin, Strobl highlights the unique opportunity playing basketball overseas presents in terms of exploring the unique cultural offerings of each country.
When leaving to play in Austria for the first time, Strobl reflects on words of advice from his father.
“I know you think you’re lucky, but you don’t even know how lucky you really are,” his father said. “You’ll be getting paid to do what a lot of people save up a lifetime to experience.”
Backspin is a fantastic read into the life of a player making the jump from college basketball to the professional leagues of Europe and all the struggles and victories along the way. For the hundreds of players around the country who dream of taking a similar step each year, Backspin provides valuable insight into what to expect along the way.
The advice Strobl gives to players on that path?
“Have a very open mind and understand that things are going to be different, but different doesn’t mean worse.”
Pete Strobl has run The Scoring Factory in Pittsburgh since 2009. At The Scoring Factory, he and his team run developmental skills clinics for middle school and high school players throughout the year. During the summer months they expand their focus to college players and professional players returning from their seasons overseas.
Copies of Backspin are available on Amazon in both Kindle and Paperback versions.
Vincent Simone covers Quinnipiac and the MAAC for Big Apple Buckets. You can follow him on Twitter @VTSimone.
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