Samer Jassar left Israel and three offers to play professional basketball to come to the United States and get an education.

He has a Facebook fan-page with 178 fans and is on Israel’s national basketball team, which is set to compete in the World Championships next summer.

Jassar is also a student-athlete at Baker University.

Jassar came to Baker to play basketball, but his ultimate reason for coming to the U.S. was to please his parents.

“I had offers after high school in Israel to play professionally, but I promised my parents to get my degree before playing professionally,” Jassar said.

Head basketball coach Brett Ballard recruited Jassar from Barton County Community College in Great Bend. Ballard first heard of Jassar from Barton’s assistant coach, who coincidentally was Ballard’s assistant coach while he was in junior college.

After watching Jassar work out, Ballard was impressed with his size and skills.

“I think the combo of size and skill-set is probably the biggest reason (I recruited him),” Ballard said.

Jassar is the tallest player on the basketball team, with a height of 6-feet 9-inches.

“He’s got a giant wingspan, and he gives a dynamic defensive presence,” senior Austin Bond said.

This season’s basketball team is filled with returning players, and Jassar was one of two transfers recruited this year, so fitting into a team that already had close ties was something he had to learn to overcome.

“When he first came, he was really shy, and now you can’t get the guy to shut up,” Bond said.

Not only did Jassar quickly fit into his new team, but he also has grown to know and fit into American culture.

“He’s been over here three years, so he’s adjusted well to American society,” Ballard said. “He’s pretty funny, actually.”

Although Jassar has adjusted well to the American way of life, he still gets homesick.

“I miss my mom’s food for sure,” Jassar said. “I miss all the food.”

Jassar still stays in touch with family and friends, and tries to talk to them whenever possible.

“(I use) mostly Internet and Skype, but I mean, I have a lot of people here that keep me strong,” Jassar said.

Some of the people keeping Jassar strong are the men he has become close with on the basketball team. Many of his teammates think highly of him both on and off the basketball court.

“Samer’s just a great guy,” Bond said. “He’s definitely one of my good friends on the team.”