This whole Yao Ming thing has really got me thinking about the state of American basketball as we know it. Things have really changed in this sport, and boy did basketball need it. Saint Louis University basketball could take a few notes from this new trend in hoops. Let me tell you the “why’s” and “how’s” of the new little project I have cooked up.

Now on the surface, I am speaking of the dreadfully dull National Basketball Association. But this year, the foreign invasion has landed right here at SLU, and it is creating enough buzz to brighten things up around the SLU basketball scene.

If I may, I will now compare the worst professional sport in America to SLU basketball. Before you spout your rage against me, just see where I am going with this. My idea could change Billiken basketball forever, and boy could it use a facelift.

Exhibit A: The NBA. What a sham it was only a few years back! A bunch of giants walking up and down the court spotting up for fade-away jump shots and cutting to the basket for one reason only: the highlight-reel dunk. When that nonsense takes a break for halftime, we are treated to more giants and a host with a goatee ranting about how funny they are and which political office they are going to run for and win.

Okay, so the halftime antics might still take place, but the game made a change for the better. More and more European, Australian, Asian and, dare I say, Canadian players, have leaked their way onto the courts of American basketball arenas. Now, over a span of just a few years, the game has made a complete transformation. There are players that are over 7-feet tall and can drain a three-point shot from anywhere behind the arc. You can argue that guys like Larry Bird and Dr. J could do that in their respective times, but the real wonder of it all is that many of today’s teams have three or more guys that can do that kind of stuff. And most of them are foreign.

Let me give you an example. The Dallas Mavericks were the worst team in basketball for about 105 years, until they opened the doors and welcomed the rest of the world. Dallas owner Mark Cuban said “hello” to Canada’s Steve Nash, Native American Eduardo Najara, Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki and even Utah’s Shawn Bradley. Portland said yes to Arvedis Sabonis (who, if you take one look at his massive 7-foot 3-inch frame, is from somewhere other than the United States) and you definitely know about the Ming Dynasty in Houston. Ming, Sabonis and Nowitzki can all shoot lights-out from behind the three-point line. They are the three most influential players in this new type of NBA (besides Jordan, because he is the NBA).

So where does SLU fall into all this? Well, in my opinion, Billiken basketball is like watching the NBA, minus the giant players and the monotony of made jump shots. Don’t get me wrong. I love the Bills. I still believe Marque Perry is one of the top guards in college basketball and Josh Fisher IS the best defender in Conference USA. But let’s face it, the games aren’t that much fun. Some of the reason is because Cincinnati thinks they are an NBA program; you know, they leave school early, don’t listen to one of the smartest coaches in the land and boast a bad attitude. But the main reason is because there is not much to get excited about now that the Bills are 2-6 in conference play.

Don’t fret, SLU fans. The foreign invasion has come to the rescue. This time it comes to us from the most unsuspecting basketball machine: Jerusalem, Israel. Sophomore forward Izik Ohanon has lugged his 6-foot 9-inches body across many seas to play for the Billikens. He is fresh off a mandatory three-year term with the Israeli army and has played with his country’s top club-level basketball team, Hapoel Jerusalem.

But this 22-year-old transfer is more than just another body to bang down low against the big bodies in conference play. Ohanon brings the same dynamic play that I have preached throughout this commentary. The man can shoot, dish, run the court and is beginning to prove that he can score.

My assumption is that they teach basketball differently overseas. And it goes deeper than a mere language variation. Overseas, the sport is not so cut-and-dry. In America, the oafy kids play in the paint and the quick little squirts play from the perimeter. You go on to play those positions for the rest of your life, or until you get cut from the team.

So my request is that Billiken coach Brad Soderberg catch a flight across the Pacific, Atlantic or any ocean that might have the next great all-around basketball player and offer him a full-ride to a good school and an opportunity to play with the best players in Division I college basketball. The sky is the limit with this project. It can happen, but it will take an urgent effort from Soderberg. The Billikens must not let Ohanon be the last of the overseas acquisitions.

Overseas they learn all the skills of the game. They teach the oafy kids to shoot from outside, to run the length of the court just as quickly as the smaller kids. Just think what the Billikens would be like if Kenny Brown and Marque Perry were trading shots behind the arc. Project Overseas will work; just use the NBA as an example. In a few years this idea may not seem so silly when the Billikens are still dancing in March.