Yassine?s Teammates, Coaches Aide Transition to America
2/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Scott Latta
UA Media Relations
TUSCALOOSA, Ala.- When Houssam Yassine decided to leave his family and friends in Morocco and play tennis at the University of Alabama, he knew the decision would be hard on his family. He knew spending the next four years of his life more than 4,500 miles away from his brother, sister and parents would be tough.
What he didn't count on, however, was his leaving for the US coinciding with another family member also leaving for overseas.
"My brother left home in September to pursue his career in Paris and I left in January, 2007 to come here," he said. "It was hard on my parents and my sister when we left. We are a close family but I did not get to spend as much time with them as my brother and sister growing up because I traveled a lot for tennis, playing in Futures tournaments."
Yassine's brother, 21, works in France as a Civil Engineer and his sister, 9, is enrolled at the King's School in Morocco with the Moroccan Princesses. Growing up in the capital city of Rabat, Morocco, Yassine began playing tennis with his father as a recreational activity at about age 6.
As he got older and decided to pursue a career in tennis, he said, his father didn't initially approve due to the time constraints the sport would put on Yassine's school career.
"My dad didn't want me to play tennis because it would interfere with school," he said. "In Morocco we go to school eight hours a day, five days a week, and five hours on Saturday. My dad wanted me to quit, but I think without tennis I would not be doing as well as I am doing now. I don't think I would have done as good in school without tennis."
As one of six international players on the Alabama men's tennis roster, Yassine's decision to pursue his college career in Tuscaloosa began when he first met Alabama coach Billy Pate at a tournament in Morocco.
But it was Pate's influence on his family, who he also met while in Rabat, that paid large dividends in convincing Yassine to come to Alabama.
"Coach Billy Pate came to Morocco to see me play," he said. "I initially spoke to Mario Rincon, brother of the women's assistant tennis coach Eduardo Rincon, who coaches at Miami and he sent Billy my stuff. Billy sent me an e-mail saying he was interested, then he came to Morocco to see me play, meet my parents, and my coach."
"I came here because my parents preferred to send me to a school where they knew the coach. They met and liked Coach Pate and wanted me to come to Alabama."
Yassine hasn't seen his family since arriving at Alabama but will travel back to Morocco this summer to visit. In addition to getting used to the American lifestyle, he has also been forced to adjust to the American game, including hard surfaces and indoor play.
"Right now I am trying to focus on my studies and tennis," he said. "My English is not very good so it makes it hard to understand my professors in class. Also I have never played indoor tennis before I came here and I have to work hard at learning how to play indoors. We play on clay in Morocco where the ball moves slower; on indoor courts the ball moves a lot faster. I need more time to get used to playing on an indoor surface."
Pate and Alabama assistant coach Lee Nickell have both played a role in Yassine's growing comfort with living in Tuscaloosa. Unlike many college athletes, Yassine enjoys practicing??competition is hard to find in Morocco without traveling to another country.
Yassine's role on the Alabama roster has been fluid, with the freshman's contributions coming mainly from the No. 4 singles spot early in Alabama's season.
Culturally, Yassine's adjustments have primarily regarded getting used to the slower pace of Tuscaloosa. Unlike the 1.2 million-population capital of Rabat, he said, Tuscaloosa is slower and less congested. The climate is colder, and there are no beaches nearby to play soccer and swim during the summer.
The Internet, a requirement for many of his classes, is unfamiliar, though Computer Science is one of his easiest classes.
Yassine's teammates have helped him adjust to life in Alabama, however, including his roommate and fellow freshman Saketh Myneni. Myneni, a native of India, arrived prior to Yassine's arrival in Tuscaloosa in January and, according to Yassine, it would have been tough without him.
"He has helped me so much since I got here with everything," he said. "Without him it would have been hard to adjust. He helped me with everything from finding classes and study hall to tennis and homework."
Yassine is fluent in French and Arabic, and is improving his English, though he likes speaking French to Quebec native and Alabama teammate Mat Thibaudeau. Though there have been many adjustments in becoming assimilated into American culture, he said, it hasn't been too difficult.
American food is popular in Morocco, so he's used to the variety and he prefers pizza and hamburgers. American TV is just as popular in Africa as it is in the states, and Yassine even has a favorite show.
"I really like watching ??Prison Break' on the TV," he said. "I watch it every week and don't like to miss it. We get American TV in Morocco and we get movies before you guys get them here. We can watch American TV for free and you guys have to pay for it."
With his adjustments to American life coming easier than many international students find it, in fact, there really is only one other area in which Yassine says he has struggled early in his time at Alabama. Despite his proficiency in math, science and the game of tennis, he said, the mastery of one class currently eludes him.
"Music," he said. "Some of the words I don't understand but I think some of the Americans in my class have a hard time with the class too."
