Athletic department imports international talent

By Matthew Cucuzza

The first few months of college are an adjustment for nearly every incoming freshmen. But when home is half a world away, the transition to college life can be slightly more intimidating.

A modest but steady flow of athletes from around the globe have entered Santa Clara in recent years, representing areas such as the Philippines, Australia and Puerto Rico.

Rhianna Faithfull, women's basketball

When guard Rhianna Faithfull visited Santa Clara on a recruiting trip, former men's head coach Dick Davey mentioned to her that he was recruiting an Australian player himself: forward Ben Dowdell.

The two future Broncos were old friends from state basketball tournaments and training programs in New South Wales, Australia.

"Finding out he might be coming here was really exciting," said Faithfull. "I decided to come here before he did, so I e-mailed him and said, 'I'm coming to Santa Clara. You should too!'"

Faithfull has known Dowdell since she was 14, but lost contact with him when she moved to Oakton, Va. to live with her aunt and play her last two years of high school basketball at Flint Hill School.

Coming to the States to play in college was always an option for Faithfull, she said, whose parents were both NCAA athletes; her mother ran track at Arizona State University and her father swam at UCLA.

Her brother currently plays high school basketball in Portland, Maine with aspirations of playing in the NCAA.

The guard became serious about playing in America around eighth grade when she travelled to the U.S. during the summer to play against American high school teams with her club team.

"I knew I wanted to play basketball in college, and to help with the recruiting process, I knew two years in (a U.S.) high school would help the coaches see me," said Faithfull. "I went to Virginia because that's where my aunt was, and my parents said, 'You can only go if you live with family.'"

Faithfull's parents had always encouraged her and her brother to consider universities in the United States, she said.

"Athletics is the perfect way for us to come over and do that, so they were always very supportive."

Faithfull made the move across the country from Virginia to Santa Clara to be closer to Australia and immersed in better weather.

"I really wanted to get away from the cold; I hate snow a lot," said Faithfull with a smile. "I've never grown up with it. Those two years in Virginia were a bit rough in winter."

Despite the unpleasant weather, Faithfull said her experience in Virginia helped her adjust to life in America.

"It's always hard going to high school halfway through and not knowing anyone. Being on the other side of the world, it was tough," said Faithfull. "I grew up a lot and I think it made coming to college easier than other students have it because I had already been away from home."

In her hometown of Sydney, Faithfull played for the Sydney Comets, a top inner-city club that made it to state championships in each of her three years on the team.

They finished third in New South Wales in her final year before leaving for the U.S.

Faithfull said in Australia, college sports are not especially competitive.

"Over there, if you take a sport seriously, you play club sports," said Faithfull. "If I wanted to keep playing seriously, (American) college was my only option."

Faithfull averages 27.8 minutes per game for Santa Clara this season and shoots 86 percent from the free throw line.

She says her choice to come to Santa Clara was a matter of perfect timing. Faithfull had sent DVDs and letters to each school in the West Coast Conference, and former women's head coach Michelle Bento-Jackson invited Faithfull to visit.

"Santa Clara's really good academically, and that's really important to me, and it was in California, back on the West Coast," said Faithfull. "That was a place I really wanted to be."

Kyle Dandan, men's tennis

Adjusting to California life after spending his younger years in the Philippines has been easy for men's tennis player Kyle Dandan. Though it's his first time studying abroad, this is Dandan's fifth time in the States.

After all, he has already travelled the world, playing in junior tournaments at the French Open, Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2007. He even received advice from some of the world's elite tennis players.

"Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic told me just keep playing hard, keep practicing hard, because eventually you'll be one of us," Dandan said.

Perhaps that time is not far off.

Dandan won two matches in this year's SAP Open pre-qualifying round, though he lost to Bijan Hejazi in the round of 32.

The freshman said he aspires to make the SAP Open main draw before he leaves Santa Clara.

"I would love to play more of those kinds of tournaments," said Dandan. "Playing college tennis and then a men's open, it's a really different thing. It's tougher, of course."

Dandan's tennis resume reads like that of a seasoned professional, not a 19-year-old college player.

A native of Manilla, Philippines Dandan joined his country's Davis Cup team when he was 15. Had Filipino American players Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino not been asked to join the team, Dandan would have seen time on the court.

Regardless, Dandan gained a wealth of knowledge and experience while eating, living and practicing with Mamiit and Taino.

"It was really good exposure for me," said Dandan. "Cecil and Eric, they're in their thirties now, but they're still very healthy, and they've been through a lot already, so all their knowledge was passed on to me. I learned a lot from them."

Dandan was home-schooled during his high school years in Manilla while training for International Tennis Federation competitions. In 2007, he made the top-80 and earned spots in ITF junior tournaments at Wimbledon and the French and Australian Opens.

Dandan suffered first-round losses in each of the tournaments. Wimbledon was also Dandan's first match on a grass court.

"I played bad," said Dandan. "I struggled a lot. I kept slipping. I was all over the place actually."

The desire to turn pro was a major factor in determining Dandan's move to the Santa Clara for college.

"Nothing will happen if you stay in the Philippines," said Dandan. "It's better to stay here if you want to pursue a professional tennis career. There are a lot more opportunities here."

Dandan is undeclared, but wants to major in either psychology or business.

The freshman said he wasn't able to watch the end of the SAP Open.

He was too busy studying.

Cory Hall, baseball

Pitcher Cory Hall was raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, a place where the weather does not permit much baseball. The fields there are frozen until May.

"It was all about summer teams," said Hall. "In high school, we could only play about 10 games."

Hall represented his country in the International Baseball Federation Junior World Championships in 2006. He was the winning pitcher in the bronze-medal game.

Baseball was not Hall's only sport. He played Tier 1 hockey, one time against San Jose Sharks winger Devin Setoguchi, a native of neighboring Alberta.

Hall originally attended Gonzaga, but redshirted his freshman year and decided to transfer to Santa Clara after a brief stop at Taft College. Hall said he picked Santa Clara because of the weather and his admiration of the campus.

"My parents like coming out here and visiting for the warm weather," said Hall.

Juan Parra, baseball

Senior Juan Parra is a graduate of former Major Leaguer Edwin Correa's Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and High School in Gurabo, Puerto Rico.

His brother, Hector Pellot, was selected by the New York Mets in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. His godfathers are Alex and Joey Cora. Alex currently plays for the New York Mets and won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2007. Joey has retired from a Major League career and now works as the bench coach for the Chicago White Sox.

"They were small guys, like me," said Parra. "Joey taught me to work on strength. He was small, but he had good hands, so he worked around it."

The group, despite possessing different backgrounds and experiences, has one important thing in common: They are happy to be Broncos.

Contact Matthew Cucuzza at (408) 551-1918 or mcucuzza@scu.edu.