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Khoshee and her team, made up of Iraq and American girls, strike a pose after a hard day of basketball.

Age: 24

Favorite Player: Chamique Holdsclaw

Position: Guard

Hi, my name is Khoshee, and I’m 24 years old. I’m a coach for the team from Sulaymania, and I’ve been playing basketball myself for six years. I’m originally from Halabja in the north, but Saddam attacked the town in 1988, so we moved to Sulaymania.

Yesterday was a very long day – the last full day of camp. It was very good to learn new skills and work on improving others. Defense was the focus, and we learned that defense is the heart of the game. If you don’t play defense, you can’t win. We learned to guard our person closely – about an arm’s length away – and how to move around and help other players if they need it. We saw a video about the University of Tennessee’s team practices, and it’s so different from ours. We play basketball for two months before the tournament and then nothing, and these girls play all year long and lift weights and stay in shape. I really want to teach my kids more about the attitude they should have on the court, and also this kind of training.

When I came to the U.S., this was a dream trip. I will tell others that the U.S. is like this: more open than Iraq, especially for girls. Girls here can even travel by themselves, and their parents are so supportive of them. It’s so much more free, and people also respect others and protect their environment. For us, too, we learned something about ourselves. When we first came to the U.S. as a group, it was hard to mix the girls from the different cities in Iraq. We quickly saw that we are all good girls, and it was important to be a good friend to the other girls, especially the girls from the South.

The most surprising thing to me from the whole trip was the time we spent with the kids from TOPSoccer. It was such a great experience – it was the first time I’ve ever worked with kids with developmental disabilities, and I was surprised by how fun it was, and how much they responded to us. I’m going to go back to Iraq and see if I can find people like this who could use my help.

Shinyan shows off ball handling skills.

Age: 14

Position: Point Guard

Favorite Player: Michael Jordan

Hello, my name is Shinyan, but my friends call me Shini. I’m from Sulaymania and I’ve been playing basketball for one year.

Yesterday was the first full day of individual camp. I’m very tired – we played all day long. I learned a lot about basketball and made lots of new friends. I learned about where to go on the court when we play. Pat Summitt taught us how to shoot with the players from her team, and our coaches really showed us exactly what to do and how to use good form. I learned a lot about ball handling, and I have better control than before. I see that there are some things that I can do well, and I didn’t know this before. When we played games in the evening I played well, and it was really fun.

Girls here are different than in Iraq because of cultural differences. In basketball they are the same, and they like music and fashion like we do. Here, though, anyone who wants to be successful can be. Overall, I didn’t expect to meet so many Americans. I thought we would be at a camp by ourselves, but we have met many girls here and the camp is so big. It’s better than I thought. I expected people to be nice, but they are very very nice to us.

Today is our last full day of camp. It will be a long day, but we will learn more and play again tonight.

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Iraqi girls line up for drills at University of Tennessee basketball camp.

Age: 15

Favorite Player: Michael Jordan

Position: Forward

Hi, my name is Mariana. I’m from Erbil and I’ve been playing basketball for a year.

On Friday we finished team camp. The camp was really fun. I really liked winning the games. Our team changed a lot during the camp. We were weak at first, but then we got stronger by the end. After our last game we went to lunch on the river, and the view was very pretty.

Saturday we went hiking, and it was the best day so far. It was the first time I’ve ever gone hiking in the woods, and it was amazing. I love adventure, and Saturday felt like a real adventure. It was great to have everyone from the team together to do this. Then we went to the outlet mall. I bought lots of outfits for basketball, gifts for my friends, and high-heeled shoes for my sisters.

Today is my birthday. There was a birthday party for me with cake and singing and everything, and it showed that everyone here loves me very much. I really had a good time. Then we started the new camp where we mix up teams with American girls. This camp is better than the first camp. It was really nice meeting new girls. We can’t talk with them now, but we understand each other, somehow.

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Iraqi youth and University of Tennessee women’s basketball camp athletes pose with Coach Pat Summitt

Age: 16

Position: Forward

Favorite Player: Alana Beard

Hi, my name is Shan.  I'm from Sulaymania, and I've been playing basketball for one year.

Yesterday we played three basketball games.  We won two games and lost just one. We cheered a lot, and sang on the way back from the last game. I had fun in the games. At the beginning I didn't play well, but I got better after a few days.  I became more open, and comfortable after the first few games. 
Things are very different here than in Iraq. We eat rice in Iraq - there is no rice here, but I like all of the food. It's very different weather, and the place looks very different.  I've learned so much about basketball, and I saw places that are very different from Iraq. The people here are very well-educated. In the U.S. all of the sports are important and are very organized, but the biggest sport in Iraq is soccer, and people aren't as interested in basketball. All the players we met were the same as girls in Iraq - they were all very friendly. Like here, we also shake hands after the game, but not in a line - we do it in a big group. 

The biggest thing we've learned since we got to the team camp is about being a team.  We've learned to listen to new ideas, and we aren't too tough or mean to each other- we have learned to trust each other.  All the information I have gotten here I will use in Iraq - I will teach it to my friends and other players.  Everything I have learned - don't litter, be nice - I will share.
 

Shamam jumps high, demonstrating proper lay-up form to her team

Age: 23

Favorite Player: Kobe Bryant

Postion/Role: Assistant Coach

Hello, my name is Shamam. I’m an assistant coach on a basketball team in Sulaymania, Iraq.  I also play soccer and compete in track and field events.  I’m the only athlete in my family, so everyone supports me a lot!

When we arrived in Tennessee, we were welcomed so warmly!  The people who took us to the basketball camp brought a banner and roses for everyone – it was very kind. There were even small gifts for us in the rooms when we arrived. At the camp opening, all of the teams (more than 60) were there and they were all girls!  They introduced us as the Iraqi team, and everyone was so eager to talk to us and get to know us.  They wanted to know what we knew about basketball, and they took lots of pictures with us, and we took pictures with them. They were all very nice. 

We played a couple of basketball games yesterday, and the team played well for the most part.  They got very emotional when they lost the games so we had a chance as coaches to talk to them about what they should do when they lose, and they promised us to change their attitudes.  It’s our job as coaches to make them come together as a team, and realize that every basket is for the team, not the individual. After the last game Pat Summitt came over and took a picture with our team.  It was awesome!  So many people dream to have that opportunity, and the Iraqi team did it. 

Iraqi girls pose on the D.C. Boys and Girls Club court with club coaches after a fun training session

Age: 15

Favorite Player: Michael Jordan

Position: Point guard

Hello my name is Zhelwan. I have been playing basketball for one and a half years now, and I like it very much.  I hope to play basketball at the university level, and maybe more.

Yesterday was great, because we played basketball at the D.C. Boys and Girls Club. We learned lots of drills, ran, and practiced coordination techniques. The coach even said that if there had been more time, we could have played more and learned new drills. For the most part we stuck to the basics, but that was cool. At the end, my teammates and I took a picture with the club coaches. The coaches gave us t-shirts and bags from their program—everyone was really excited because we all love t-shirts. Even when we had to put away the basketballs and get ready to head to the airport, we took our time and continued to play. One of the club team members, who was in high school, taught us a few tricks. He was so tall, and we threw a ball up for him to dunk!

I am very excited to go to the basketball camp at the University of Tennessee. I am looking forward to practicing basketball and playing games. I am excited to show all the pictures from my time in the U.S. at home. I will feel mixed—I know I will want to stay and learn and play more basketball, but I will also miss home and be happy to return and see my family.

Marwah and Hanan cheer on a teammate at a bocce game

Age: 13

Favorite Player: Khoshee (My coach)

Position: Forward

Hi. I’m Marwah and I have been playing basketball for three years.   I really like playing basketball because I get to be with my friends and there is a lot of competition.   I want to play basketball for a long time and eventually become an engineer.

I like everything about the U.S. I enjoyed playing Bocce at the park yesterday.  My favorite part was the competition between my team and Khoshee, my coach from the other team.  I learned that Bocce is an Italian game and that it is fun.  Throwing the balls to the other side of the court and hitting them together was a lot of fun.  I was scared of the dogs at the park, but then I saw that they were nice and smart, so I had fun with them.

Basketball at George Mason University on Monday was my favorite part of the trip so far.  The coach was very nice and she taught many good drills.  We did some defense drills that taught us how to use our hands and move our feet.  I learned that defense is very important.  It is important to have a good technique.   I want to play in a competition in a gym like this one day.  It was very big and impressive. 

The Iraqi girls at the Race for the Cure activities on the mall in Washington, D.C.

Age: 13

Favorite Player: Michael Jordan

Position: Point Guard

Hi, I’m Domara and I’ve been playing basketball for one year.  I like all of the teams in the WNBA, and I play all sports.  My dream is to be a professional basketball player.

Since we’ve been here, I’ve seen that the U.S. is very beautiful. It’s very well-organized.  The people must follow the laws.  It’s very clean.

On Saturday we started the day by cheering on runners in a race – I really liked the idea of honoring someone by racing for them.  Then we went to see an IMAX movie and we saw the Hope Diamond!  After that we went to TOPSoccer.  It was very beautiful – I had a great time.  I was so happy to help the kids with developmental disabilities. I’ve never seen kids with developmental disabilities in Iraq.  They are kids just like us.  They have every right to live normal lives and play sports, just like us.  I wanted to help every kid I saw have a good time.

On Sunday we went to the Ropes Course, which was very fun because we used all of the different games. I learned not to be afraid of adventure. I learned to have faith and confidence, and that my teammates will support me.  Then we went to the WNBA game, the Washington Mystics versus the Atlanta Dream.  It was my dream to see such a game!  Afterwards we got pictures with some of the Dream and Mystics players.  It was a fun weekend.

Ramrama shows off her new pair of basketball shoes after a day of shopping.

Age: 15

Favorite Basketball Player: Kobe Bryant

Position: Guard

Hi, I’m Ramrama and I’ve been playing basketball for two years. I really wanted to play volleyball first, but I changed my mind when I saw the basketball players – it looked really fun. I played basketball in school and went to play with a club the same time my older brother did.

Last night, the first full day in the U.S., we went dragon boat racing. I learned a lot about paddling a boat with my teammates – and I got a chance to talk with lots of Americans. I really liked it, it was so fun. There’s nothing like this in Iraq!

Everything we’ve seen here is different than in Iraq. The schools are especially different. Where we were today, there are so many more languages to study! In Iraq, everything is so formal, and we have to sit very quietly and look at our teacher the whole time. Here, teachers and students talk and laugh together. The classrooms are totally different, too. There’s just a blackboard there, and no extracurricular classes like music. We only go for four hours a day so there’s no lunch. We just go home after lunch, and the next group of students comes in. The girls from the basketball team were really nice, especially the coach and Isa, who I spent time talking to. So far, I really like being in the U.S.!