Fresno State Athletics
Far From Home
1/31/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2000
FRESNO, Calif. - Sophomore forward Andrea Bona is approximately 6,226 miles from his home in Rome, Italy. But he has probably traveled more than 20,000 miles to get to where he is now.
Bona grew up under the watchful eye of his father, Ambrogio, who was captain of the Italian national team and was inducted to the Hall of Fame. His friends always expected him to play rugby but he found the game of basketball to be extremely fun.
"I started playing basketball when I was six years old," Bona said. "My mother told me that tall people play basketball, and since I was one of the tallest boys at my school, I decided to give it a shot."
Bona gave it a big shot and he hit nothing but net. At the age of 15, Bona took a train to northern Italy to play basketball. For four years he played with Club Cantu and participated on the Italian junior national team for two years.
Through competition Bona had the opportunity to play against some of the top players in the country at a very young age. He learned the fundamentals, techniques and basic strategies, but also picked up on some fancy moves from the few foreigners. One player foreign to the country was an American and he said that Bona had the skills to play in the United States.
Bona was immediately intrigued with the notion of playing basketball across the ocean. So he packed his bags and took a flight to New Jersey where he participated in an elite basketball camp. For 10 days Bona competed against the best youngsters from around the nation. With scouts and coaches looking on, the Italian was quickly singled out by a prep school near Albany, N.Y., Redemption Christian Academy.
At that time, Bona was faced with the most important decision of his life. He had been offered a three-year contract by his club team in Italy to play at the highest division of basketball in the country. Redemption had offered him a scholarship to play basketball and attend school in the U.S. But the choice was not difficult for Bona.
"My dream was to play college basketball in the U.S.," Bona said. "In Italy, the NCAA and the NBA are like dreams. Redemption gave me the opportunity to follow my dreams and now I'm the first Italian ever to earn a basketball scholarship in the U.S. I didn't care about how much money I could make in Italy, or how hard it would be in a new land. I just wanted to fulfill my dream."
So Bona thanked his team in Italy for its generous offer, but he couldn't refuse the opportunity of a lifetime. Although he could not speak a word of English and was unaccustomed to the alien style of play, Bona continued to trudge on. "It was very difficult being in a different environment with people I didn't know or couldn't speak to," Bona said. "But I kept working hard. By the end of the year I was a starter and I earned the student-athlete of the year award."
"Here in the United States the game of basketball is much faster and more physical," Bona said. "In Italy the players are very smart and are very good fundamentally. But they say the best basketball is played in the United States, and that's why I came here."
Playing Division I basketball in the U.S. will give Bona many advantages. He will become a better all-around player because he will face a wide variety of athletes. The NCAA has a larger population of bigger, stronger, quicker and keener athletes than any other amateur association. Bona also said that he has had the opportunity to work individually with accomplished coaches, something he had not experienced in Italy.
"Most importantly, I think I have become more disciplined," Bona said. "I've developed a habit for working hard and not playing lazy."
Tarkanian agrees that Bona has nowhere to go but up.
"Andrea has become a tremendous defensive player," Tarkanian said. "He's really improving on offense and all he needs is a little experience. But he's just a great competitor."
