Basketball is a growing game, and the NCAA is filled with collegiate athletes worldwide.
International students accounted for 12.6% (14,921 people) of athletes across Division I sports, according to an article by The Associated Press.
“They represented a bigger piece of men’s and women’s basketball, two of the higher-profile sports. International athletes accounted for 14.7% of Division I men’s basketball players and 13.1% of women’s basketball players,” The Associated Press said.
Westminster University’s basketball teams compete in NCAA Division II, but there’s a strong presence of international players in the league.

Lime Okada, a senior sports management major, is a basketball player at Westminster University from Shizuoka, Japan. Okada came to the States in 2021 and played basketball at Arizona Western College before transferring to Westminster.
America’s appeal to athletes:
International college athletes are often asked why they chose to play in a country far from home.
For Lime Okada, it was simple.
“I wanted to come to the United States to play basketball because of my parents,” Okada said. “My mom went to a university in the States, and my dad also played basketball in the States.”
Some international students come because of America’s booming sports culture.

Westminster has another international basketball player on the Men’s team, Simon Akena. Akena is a junior from Stockholm, Sweden, and previously attended McCook Community College in Nebraska and Utah Valley University.
“I wanted to come to the United States because basketball is such a big thing out here,” said Akena. “You’ve got packed out high school games, and the college games go crazy.”
“There was just a lot more opportunity in the United States. Being from Sweden, there was just nobody really watching your games, no scouts, and not a lot of opportunity,” Akena said.
Coaching Styles:
Though the rules of the game stay the same between countries, a big change international athletes have to adjust to is different coaching cultures.
“Japanese coaching style is more like sticking to the plan,” said Lime Okada, a senior basketball player.
“We always do what the coach tells us, there are no other choices. And it usually works well, but when I came to the United States, I felt like the coaches here were more approachable because they show us their emotions and that they care,” Okada said.

Coaching techniques also vary between cultures and region.
“[Basketball] in the States, and especially the NBA, is a lot more fast-paced,” said Simon Akena, a basketball player from Sweden. “Whereas in Europe, every time a basket is scored the coach wants to set up a play.”
“Here in the States, the players get up and down way quicker. The college basketball game feels a lot like how I would play growing up in Europe, so the adjustment has been really easy for me,” Akena said.
College basketball is largely predicated on systems and executing plays. That is a significant reason why some European players like Akena adjust well to American basketball.
Adjusting to a new environment:
Okada said she the adjustment between Japan to the United States was smooth and gave credit to the people supporting her.
“My teammates always trust and believe in me,” Okada said. “Sometimes when I feel like I am not doing good, my teammates tell me that I am doing great, and I am able to be confident in myself.”
Her roommates too, have helped Okada feel more comfortable.
“Having roommates is really helpful to just talk daily, not only about basketball but just life […] it is so fun to have roommates,” Okada said.