‘Iron sharpens iron’: MoKan Elite gets firsthand look at influx of international NBA talent

Amid a heavy influx of foreign talent into the NBA, spearheaded by players like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and even Joel Embiid — now on Team USA for the 2024 Olympic Games — lies a team from the Kansas City area with a front-row seat to said revolution.

At the NBA Academy Games in Atlanta, which began Wednesday and go through Sunday, youth players from across the world were invited to showcase their talent in a tournament-style showdown. Two teams from Africa, a team from Latin America and a select squad were entered into the mix with three Nike EYBL teams, all of which are competing for a championship at the end of the five-day tourney.

Competing at that stage has been an eye-opening experience.

“Kids like us, we’ve never played against players from different countries around the world like that,” MoKan Elite point guard Aaron Rowe, a 2025 Missouri commit, said of the weeklong event. “It’s cool seeing how they play. … They’re all big. Their bigs are all either 7-foot or like 6-foot-11.

“We usually see that online, so seeing that in person is cool.”

MoKan was one of the three Nike circuit squads participating in the tournament, along with All Iowa Attack and Howard Pulley. For those squads, competitive basketball is nothing new, but facing world teams certainly is.

Even from a coaching perspective, the difference in play style is clear.

“This is just a different opportunity,” MoKan Elite coach Dave Milliren said. “To see how globally the game is played, to see how fantastic these athletes are and more so, how skilled the world is … you can just really see the development of the game.”

Last season, the NBA rostered a record number of foreign players (125), up from 108 back in 2018. That figure will likely only continue to grow. And at the forefront of that surge?

The NBA Academy.

This week in Atlanta, scouts from nearly every NBA team were present to watch for potential prospects and speak with players. Yes, the event centers on the basketball being played, but for the kids, it’s a chance to show exactly what they’re capable of.

“(The NBA Academy Games) has now become a staple on the calendar for NBA scouts and college coaches,” NBA vice president and head of international basketball development Chris Ebersole said. “This year, it’s been really special. We’re (hosting) teams from not only our international academies, but the Nike circuit. This is truly a global event where the best of the best from around the world get to play against some of the best of the best.”

Both Ebersole and Milliren used a familiar phrase to describe the impact playing against worldwide talent has on the U.S. players: “Iron sharpens iron.”

“If you want to play at the highest level, you need … to play against the highest level,” Milliren explained. “These guys are future pros, future Division I guys, too. This is a high-level form of basketball.”

“Sometimes you get in your little bubble of facing and seeing the same players over and over. These are all new kids that I’ve never seen before.”

As Milliren watched from the sidelines, his squad adapted to the new style of play while staying true to its own strengths.

That was something Rowe was proud of.

“I think we push the ball really well compared to other teams,” Rowe said. “They’re really transition teams. Mostly (just) half-court teams and stuff like that, but I think we’re really fast compared to how they play.

“... Everybody is always saying that the world is starting to come over and take control of basketball. Playing against them and just seeing how they actually play, it makes us (want) to go home and just work harder.”

For Rowe and company, MoKan’s “home” is in the Kansas City area. But home means different things to different squads, especially those representing a different part of the world.

“You can see how badly these teams want to win,” Ebersole said. “(This) is a great opportunity for all of these young people to get to know players of their age group, but from other parts of the world. It allows them to really expand their horizons.”

That has made the experience all the sweeter for Rowe and company.

“People back at home in Kansas City, they’ve done a lot for us,” Rowe said. “So we want to (come) out here and play the best we can for them. To show them that the things they’ve done for us, we’ve noticed it. We’re going to try our best for them.”