There is no doubt in my mind. In the United States, we are elitists. No matter what we do, we do it the best. When it comes to basketball, the only basketball played after college is the NBA. Yes, we are aware of the CBA and that new league that wasn’t smart enough to utilize Ryan Perryman, but for the most part, that’s it. However, if you look hard enough, there are hundreds of teams and thousands of players around the world that get paid to play basketball.

Several years ago, UD was successful in luring a highly recruited 6’ 10″ player to come to UD. Outmaneuvering OSU, Indiana, and UC for his services, Jim O’Brien attracted Marco Pikaar to his style of offense. Although Marco never became the star that many had envisioned, he never failed to give it his all during every performance. Always a fan favorite, nobody could set a screen like Marco.

Pikaar is now living in Rotterdam, Holland, and still playing the game he loves. It certainly isn’t like playing at the UD Arena, but the enjoyment is still there. Unlike his counterparts in the US, basketball is not his life however. Marco doesn’t need seven accountants to worry about where all the money is going. Although he does get paid for his ability to play the game, there is far more to it than just showing up and grunting and sweating for two hours.

After graduation, Marco received several offers to play in Germany and Belgium. Unlike our pampered high school and college players that get to appear on ESPN and wear a baseball cap with their new team logo while wearing a $3,000 suit at the draft, Marco had a very different set of circumstances to worry about.
“I decided to take an offer in Rotterdam, Holland,not only because it was 25 minutes away from my hometown but also because it came in combination with a job (My boss is the head sponsor for the team). I could make as much money by just playing in Germany, but what would I do after my playing days were over, being 30 years old with no work experience.”

Sounds a little different than the “I’m the man, either feature me or trade me” that we get to hear on a regular basis over here. Marco would work 40 hours a week as a Purchasing/Logistics Manager, practice 5 days a week and then have to play one or two games. It was during this period that he actually thought about giving up the game. “It all became too much and I thought about stopping my basketball career. Then during my summer vacation I was offered a 2-year contract with another team and I decided to take it. I now practice three times a week with one game but still work 40 hours a week for the same company.” The day job has always been a necessity as “the first team gave me a car, an apartment, three tickets per year to the States and a small allowance.” The new team pays more but has reduced the perks. Overall, the better American players earn $20,000 to $30,000 per year with free use of an apartment and car.

The level of play varies by league, but for the most part, would resemble Division II basketball in the States. The play is physical with a much lower level of athleticism. The crowds are also similar to Division II in that good teams average 1,000-2,000 while the poorer teams are in the 100-200 range. Playing in facilities that closely resemble high school gyms, the fans can get rowdy at times, especially when national teams are involved. There is no hopping on the charter plane for these guys, as all travel is either by car or standard coach fare.

Basketball has become less important in Marco’s life as relationships have become more significant. “I made a choice to see basketball as a sidelight, I put a lot of effort in basketball during the season and try to stay somewhat in shape in the off season but during our summer break I try to spend more time with my girlfriend. I bought a boat last year which I can utilize each summer and during that time I don’t think about basketball at all. There are more things to life than basketball, I learned that in college.”

Known among his friends and teammates as an entertaining and fun-loving guy, relationships have always been an important part of his life. We all like to fanaticize that the reason a player picks this university or that university over UD is because of TV, winning, or some other non-controllable sticking point. But for the most part, it is because of relationships. Probably the main reason that he selected UD was because of relationships.

Pikaar relates that, “I had just become adjusted to the American life style and made a lot of friends in the Dayton area and I didn’t want to move far away again, as I had done when I left my family and friends two years before when leaving Holland. The UD coaching staff really did a good job recruiting. I really enjoyed the staff with Doc Conroy, Butch Carter, Larry Miller and Tom McConnell. All of them, except for Doc, left soon after and some new guys were brought in (if I had known I would have chosen a different school). Coach O’Brien also took the time to go to Europe and visit with my family as well as coming to watch me play in Greece while I was playing with the Dutch Junior National Team. I did enjoy (the recruiting process) a lot in the beginning. I think most of us like the feeling of being wanted. After a while it became too much, coaches would call me over at my girlfriend’s house and at all hours of the day and night and almost every night. The recruiting trips, however, were a lot of fun, the schools really went all out to make me feel welcome and wanted.”

We sit in the stands and we think we know a lot about someone. We watch them play basketball for four or five years, read about them in the newspaper and we make our judgements about them as individuals. Sometimes we just don’t get to ask the right questions. I asked Marco whom he admired most and the answer that I received said a lot about what kind of an individual he really is. “There are many people I admire. My family because they gave me the opportunity to fulfill a dream, although it meant being separated from them at a young age. My girlfriend (Cindy Turner, who he met while attending Beavercreek), for sticking with me through many difficult years and always supporting me, even during the never- ending years with O’Brien. My host family in Beavercreek for taking in a total stranger and helping me fulfill a part of my dream.”

Yes, there is life after UD. It might be in a dingy gym in some small European town, or it may be in an office worrying about the delivery of that day’s shipments. We love our athletes and sometimes they even love us back. I think Marco did.