Five years ago, a transfer student from London tried out and made the WolfPack men’s basketball team. This started a new trend of having students from different countries coming to play ball as part of the WolfPack.

This year there are three players from different countries, two of whom are from England. Ryan Plaice, a red-shirt freshman and Christian Daley join the WolfPack in the 2011-12 season. Both Plaice and Daley play guard.

Ryan Plaice

Plaice was able to join the WolfPack basketball team from Kings Lynn, England. His coach from his homeland played basketball in Des Moines, Iowa. Through the connections of his coach he found his way to Madison College.

He has been playing ball for about eight years now. Since coming here Plaice has noticed several differences in the game between here and England.

“It is more fast paced, and you use more of the court here,” Plaice said.

Plaice misses the presence of his family. However, that does not stop him from loving the experience he is gaining while being apart of Madison College.

Currently, Plaice is in the Liberal Arts Transfer program here at Madison College. He has aspirations of transferring to a four-year school. He has sought the potential outlook of a degree in Sociology.

Christian Daley

Daley joins the WolfPack basketball team this year as a freshman from London. He was able to come to  Madison College via an online video that was seen by Scot Vesterdahl, the WolfPack men’s coach.

Daley has been playing basketball since he was 14 years old. Before basketball he played soccer, which is referred to as football in London.

“I still got a place in my heart for football,” Daley said.

This is Daley’s first semester here at Madison College. He actually moved to Madison this past August. Since he moved here, he has noticed a vast difference between the American game and what he is used to in London. In his homeland, he was used to only having to play in one role on the court. However, since coming here he has been challenged to be versatile, playing several different roles on the court.

Even though, he needs skill development and to work hard in the gym, Vesterdahl looks at Daley highly. He looks at Daley as a good student and thinks that may help him out long term.

“He works hard,” Vesterdahl said. “He is a lot of fun to be around.”

Daley is currently in the Liberal Arts Transfer program. He plans to transfer to a four-year college in Florida to earn a Bio-medical degree. He chooses Florida because he wants to move to a warmer climate.