Former Waves men’s basketball player Taylor Darby signed a contract to play for the Israeli national team Yokneam Meggido.
Darby played in all 32 games of the 2009-2010 season at Pepperdine his freshman year averaging six points and six rebounds per game. He made the West Coast Conference All-Academic first team his sophomore year after scoring a total of 194 points in the season. Darby scored 817 points his junior year scoring 253 points in the 2010-2011 season. His senior season, Darby led the team in scoring with 12 points per game. He was named to the WCC All-Academic first team again for the 2011-2012 season. Finishing his collegiate career with a total of 997 points, Darby barely missed the opportunity to become the school’s 37th person to reach the 1,000-point mark. Darby was the eighth player in Waves history to start in more than 100 games throughout his career.
Darby recently left the U.S. to join his team in Yokneam, Israel on Sept. 20. Darby said he believes Pepperdine helped prepare him for the “physical part of the game,” but he has had to adjust to the different training strategies of his new team. The style of practicing in overseas teams differs from the typical NBA style. Darby says they like to do a lot of scrimmaging and offense. Very little focus or emphasis is put on defense and defensive drills.
Moving from one country to another is no easy task. In addition to physically preparing for his new team, Darby has had to prepare himself for the transition. “You must prepare yourself mentally by getting used to being away from home….” He admits that the lifestyle of a professional athlete is not an easy one.
“Guys are always leaving teams and going other places. The transition is definitely difficult. Every place is different than the USA. You have to get used to not seeing your friends and family for long periods of time.” It is hard to adjust to a new country and try to improve your personal skills. Darby says that he tries to stay focused on his career by going to practice and “putting forth a hundred percent everyday in practice.”
Darby originally planned on playing with the national team in Uruguay, but after things didn’t work out, he signed on with Israel. Although this was not his original plan, he enjoys playing for Yokneam Meggido. He looks forward to “learning about different cultures and just seeing how other people live in different parts of the world.”
The team itself is a very diverse atmosphere. In addition to the native Israeli players, there are also players from Toronto, Canada and San Diego, California.
After attending a few practices, Darby is looking forward to the upcoming season with his new team. Yokneam Meggido will begin their preseason games beginning in October 2012.
