Before Dirk Nowitzki took the NBA by storm, basketball was barely on Germany's radar screen. Fortunately for the Fordham hoops team, one young German with American roots wasn't content with just playing soccer.
Sebastian Greene, who has recently emerged as the Rams' starting swingman, did not start playing basketball until he was 12 years old. But ever since then, the 6-foot-8 citizen of both Germany and America has been thoroughly addicted.
In fact, Greene's love of the game brought him to America for his sophomore year of high school, when he left his parents behind in Germany to live with a brother in Indiana.
Greene himself is half-American - his father was born and raised in the United States and played basketball. Whenever his father went home to Indiana to visit family, he would bring back basketball equipment and build hoops in their backyard in Klein-Gerau, Germany to share his passion for the game.
"My father really sparked my interest," Greene said.
Without much of a basketball presence in Germany, Greene and his father took it upon themselves to create opportunities to compete.
In Frankfurt, Greene's father established the first youth basketball club in the city and served as his son's first coach.
However, as Greene grew older - and taller - he realized that he would have the chance to pursue basketball more aggressively by moving to America.
"When I was growing up in Germany, there was no real basketball hero or anyone to look up to," he said. "It was very tough to find clubs that would offer basketball."
Once Greene settled into Central Catholic High School in Lafayette, Indiana, the most difficult part for him was not adjusting to the level of competition, but adjusting to the unfamiliar way of life.
"The greatest thing I had to learn was just about the culture," he said. "You have to communicate on the court and understand what people are talking about. If you don't understand what people are saying, it's really tough to play."
Once Greene was able to overcome the initial culture shock, he excelled on the court, leading Central Catholic to a state championship as a junior.
In putting together his first recruiting class at Fordham, coach Dereck Whittenburg saw great potential in Greene, given his athleticism and versatility.
After accepting a basketball scholarship to play for Whittenburg and the Rams, Greene made an immediate impact - he has appeared in every game since his freshman season.
In Greene's last three games as a starter, he has averaged 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds, posting a career-high 20 points against Iona.
He has grown accustomed to playing on the wing because it gives him the chance to make the most of his range of skills. "It just gives me the opportunity to do everything," he said.
Given Greene's experience with big transitions, it is no surprise that versatility is one more thing he embraces.
