Blake Murphy Sports Writing

Title: Around the World in 80 Baskets: Brylle Kamen’s Basketball Odyssey
Date: October 5, 2012
Original Source: UBC Thunderbirds Men’s Basketball Program
Synopsis: After 369 articles/blogs published online, #370 was my first in print. It is a feature on Brylle Kamen, a UBC Men’s Basketball player who transferred to UBC after four stops in the U.S. (including two D-I NCAA programs). Brylle is from Paris, France and is also a member of the Cameroon National Basketball team. I wasn’t sure how to reproduce the piece (other than maybe scanning and uploading the shots), so I just reproduced the text below, so you miss out on the pictures/formatting etc that had me so excited about my first “in print” piece.

It’s taken Brylle Kamen six years and five stops to find a home in North America, but he seems to have found one with the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds men’s basketball team.

Kamen, a 6’7” forward from Paris, France, is in his second year with the team but the first in which he can play, having sat out a year as part of the CIS’s transfer rules. Previously, Kamen was playing with San Jose State’s NCAA Division-I program, but his journey to UBC starts long before that.

At 18, Kamen was forced to make a tough decision – try his hand at professional basketball in his native France or come to North America and pursue an education while honing his basketball craft. Kamen chose the scholarly route and took off for a prep school in California.

“I was about to sign my first pro contract in the French Second Division,” said Kamen. “To be a professional basketball player at 18 is too young, and my parents didn’t want me to stop going to school, so my best option was to play in the U.S.”

After prep school, Kamen enrolled at Jacksonville State, an NCAA Division-I school in Alabama, for his freshman year of college. At Jacksonville State, Kamen was uncomfortable with the drastically different lifestyle, while injuries kept him off the court.

For the 2009-10 season, Kamen followed his coach to Western Nebraska Community College, an NJCAA school where he would have an expanded role. Averaging 8.3 points and 6.9 rebounds, Kamen put himself back on the NCAA radar and transferred to San Jose State. Through 10 games Kamen lived up to expectations, posting 6.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, but off-court issues shut his season down early.

“I think I was young and stupid. I was always on, trying to be the best I can be,” Kamen explained. “Mentally, when you’re not happy, it translates on the court. My numbers were good, but could have been better if I could just relax.”

It was then that Kamen started the process of transferring once again, this time looking for a home that fit for him on and off the court. After conversations with many schools, coaches Jamie Oei and Kevin Hanson convinced Kamen to come to Vancouver and be a Thunderbird.

“I went to visit Loyola in southern California, and I was about to sign,” Kamen recalled. “But during this time UBC called me. I had never heard of Vancouver or UBC before. But a friend of mine told me it was a great school, and I had a visit and I liked the team’s European style of basketball. How I made my decision is, basketball-wise it’s all about what you do, and the work you put in, so do I want to go to a place like where I’ve already been, or go to a different place where I might have fun, too?”

“I should just go to Canada,” laughed Kamen.

So far, it seems to be a great match. Kamen has found a comfort zone in Vancouver, but it’s been a big change from the easier life an NCAA scholarship affords a basketball player. He now juggles the pursuit of a Sociology degree, a part-time job, and his basketball responsibilities.

“Life is tougher, but it makes you grow up. It gets you out of the bubble.”

But it’s been on the hardwood that Kamen has immersed himself most, finding a prominent role in Coach Hanson’s schemes to be very much to his liking. A super-athletic player with the ability to play any position on the floor comfortably, specifically shooting guard and the two forward spots, Kamen brings tempo, range, and grit to the Thunderbirds lineup.

“Coach Kevin is the first coach that has really understood my game. It’s very open for me as long as I play as a teammate. I’m very happy.”

Maybe even more importantly to the goals of the team, Kamen brings experience and leadership to a young roster.

“He’s actually been a big surprise,” explained Coach Hanson. “I knew he was a great basketball player and a very kind person, and he’s really starting to emerge as a leader. Without a doubt, his basketball skills are going to take us to the next level, but more importantly his leadership is going to be crucial.”

It’s that same combination of skill and intelligence that has caught the eyes of the Cameroon Basketball Federation. Kamen, whose parents are both originally from Cameroon and whose father maintains citizenship, has been approached about joining the national team whenever it fits his UBC schedule. Kamen is eager to suit up and represent his parents’ homeland alongside the country’s elite, potentially including Luc Richard Mbah a Moute of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.

Asked about playing for Cameroon, Kamen perked up with excitement, “Oh yes, yes, definitely! This is something I’m definitely looking forward to. The team is getting much better in Cameroon, so when they called me I was very proud.”

Meanwhile, his current team has big hopes for Kamen on both ends of the floor, where his shooting touch and inside-outside offensive game and natural instincts and hustle on defense can provide substantial value. It’s developing into a very nice situation for both player and team, a formula that the Thunderbirds hope will propel them to a successful year.

Just as importantly for Brylle Kamen is that with the Thunderbirds, he’s found a home.