LIKE Thanksgiving and bottomless Pepsi, there is a tradition in America so big even President Obama sticks his neck on the line.
The college basketball season is huge and the annual ‘March Madness’ has arrived. Each year Obama appears on sports network ESPN to choose his ‘bracket’.
Like fantasy football, in layman’s terms fans predict how they think the 68 will whittle down to the national championship winner.
Duke University, considered in the top 20 worldwide for academics, are seeded third and boast a reputation for sporting excellence. Tamworth keeper James Belshaw experienced it first-hand on a soccer scholarship.
The 24-year-old spent three-and-a-half years at the university in North Carolina. He met likeminded peers from all over the world devoted to basketball, American Football, swimming, wrestling… the list goes on.
One good friend Mason Plumlee is now playing in the NBA for the Brooklyn Nets.
“I’m in a bracket myself with my mates from over there,” says Belshaw. “Duke basketball is a big thing. The coach Mike Krzyzewski also coaches the USA national team so he’s a cult hero. He’ll be making millions of dollars.
“Players for Duke basketball team are celebrities. Here you turn on Sky Sports News and see Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal – there turn on ESPN it’s Duke, North Carolina and all the universities and colleges. It’s a whole other world. That’s the culture.”
Belshaw majored in history – focusing on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust – and also left with a Business, Marketing and Management degree.
“It was a matter of wanting to get a degree, because that’s important, but also getting an opportunity to pursue a dream,” says Belshaw, who was spotted by Duke’s coaches on YouTube.
“The facilities are unbelievable. They’re sponsored by Nike, so you get kitted out in all the gear. It’s hard to explain to anyone what it’s actually like unless you go. It’s hard to sum up three-and-a half years of your life.
“For young players who get released it is something to seriously consider. You train every day, play in front of massive crowds, on TV and you’re getting a degree as well.”
After accelerating his final semester to finish early, Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire picked him in the draft. He had 24 hours to decide whether to sign a three-year contract.
“I spoke to my coaches back in America, spoke to my parents – it was deciding whether to build a life in the States or a life in England,” he says.
“The deal they offered me, I probably wasn’t going to play and I wanted to see what I could do in England.
“In effect I was coming back and starting again. People knew who I was in America and that helped me get to Chicago. Back home in England I’d not played any games.
“In 24 hours you learn what’s important, what you want from life and it gives you a wake-up call. For me, coming back was the right decision.”
Having decided to return home, he had trials at Walsall before successfully being called up to James Ellis’ Great British Universities squad for the university games in Russia.
The team returned with silver medals around their necks and it led to Belshaw joining Nuneaton for last season. He made his England C debut in November 2013, but after a frustrating back end to the season, moved to Vanarama Conference North Tamworth in the summer.
Largely thanks to an incredible 12-game winning run, and two defeats in 20 games, the Lambs are in the mix for an instant return to Non-League‘s top flight.
“I’ve absolutely loved it this season,” Belshaw says. “Yeah, I’ve dropped down a league but it’s been a breath of fresh air.
“There’s been a few thingsoutside of football this season that have been quite a lot to deal with. So football has been a release this season. It’s allowed me to relax and that’s probably part of the reason why I’ve been playing so well.
“I just wanted to enjoy football again and enjoy playing. That’s what I’m doing. The environment is great, the lads have been class and it’s a good place to be at.”
