Former Northern Michigan University men’s basketball player Naba Echols, center, dribbles against a defender in a Croatian pro league game in Europe. (Photo courtesy Zvonko Kucelin)

SINJ, Croatia — This year 2020 hasn’t been easy for many athletes, but former Northern Michigan University guard Naba Echols has been one of the lucky ones.

While the Wildcats wait and wonder when, and if, their season will begin, Echols is pursuing a dream overseas — that’s playing professional basketball.

He signed with an agent based out of Serbia after graduating last December, and when the agent told him that KK Alkar, a team in the Croatian League, was interested in him, Echols quickly signed a contract.

“We had some other leagues looking at me, but a couple deals fell through,” Echols said in a FaceTime interview. “So I decided the next deal that came about, and if it was good, we were gonna take it … because right now, it’s hard to get overseas, or start a professional career with everything going on right now.”

Not surprisingly, Echols said that it was quite an experience when he arrived in Croatia and he compared it to what it was like for him moving from hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, to the Upper Peninsula.

“It almost reminded me of arriving in Marquette five years ago as a freshman,” he said. “It was a huge culture shock and it still is right now just with the way they talk and things like that.

“I can say ‘hey’ and ‘bye’ and ‘thank you’ (in Croatian) and a couple things like that. I haven’t just really focused on learning anything yet because I wanted to just get adjusted.

“I hear it every day, so I’m getting adjusted to it pretty fast.”

It wasn’t just the culture difference that Echols had to deal with, it was also how the game is played in southeastern Europe. He said that although crowds are limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, games are entertaining to watch.

“The practices over here are intense and way harder than American practices, so I had to get used to that,” he said. “The style of play, it depends on the game. Guys normally play real patient and slow on different teams and some teams play high level. So it’s a switch up.”

Playing basketball in a foreign country can be tough when you don’t know much of the language, but luckily for Echols, he can talk with his coach.

“He speaks pretty good English,” he said. “He goes back and forth during games, timeouts and after games. He’ll speak in English first and then he’ll speak in Croatian. So I gotta get used to that.

“He communicates really well, so that’s a big thing. That’s a huge plus for me that I can understand him.”

Echols also has some coaches back home that are helping make his transition overseas easier, like his cousin and former Northern assistant coach Charles Belt, current Wildcats head coach Matt Majkrzak and former NMU head coach Bill Sall.

“I talk to Charles quite a bit, almost every day,” Echols said. “He watches all my games and he’s still coaching to this day. Also, Matt, the head coach now at Northern, he does the same thing.”

In terms of basketball, Echols said he hasn’t changed how he plays much. Why should he, considering he is the fifth-leading career scorer at NMU and a two-time All-GLIAC First Teamer.

However, he said he is trying to connect with his new teammates and is also trying to become a better defender.

“In college, I didn’t guard my position. I guarded 2s and 3s due to the fact that I was with another guard in Sam Taylor. So he usually guarded the point guards. So now I’ve just got to get used to like getting over ball screens and things of that nature.”

Echols said his contract is a one-year deal and all rookie deals are that way. He said it’s so they can prove themselves that they can play at the professional level and that he’s already made an impression with the powers-to-be after just a few games.

“We had a couple conversations already about it (his contract),” Echols said. “We’ve had four games, so I guess I kind of impressed them in a way. I know they had mentioned something about it.

“It depends. The coach, he had been really good to me. He’s basically saying that if I have a good enough year, he won’t allow me to come back. He’d want me to go higher and go for like a bigger contract and things like that.

“He’s not that type of coach, that if one of his players had a good season, he wouldn’t make them come back.”

It’s been kind of a roller coaster for Echols so far during his first month in Croatia with the culture shock and intense practices, but he’s grateful that he gets a chance to play in the pros and he wants other players to know that it can happen for them, too.

“To all of the players that are trying to pursue a professional contract, man, just keep going and just keep believing. It can happen you know, even during times like this.”

Ryan Stieg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 252. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.