photo by: Photo courtesy Kerry Darting

Campers from around the world compete in the College Stars International basketball camp held at Sports Pavilion Lawrence.

Sydney Street wasn’t sure what his basketball future would look like.

Street — who is from Canberra, the capital of Australia — has played basketball for most of his life. At 18 years old, he’s right at the age of heading off to college, and he didn’t know whether his next step would be coming to the United States to play at a university there.

That’s when Street found a basketball camp held on the other side of the world — in Lawrence — geared toward international basketball players. He spent three weeks in Lawrence, competing with 47 other international kids in AAU tournaments and growing his skills.

“After being on this trip and seeing this experience, it really made me want to push for college or junior college,” Street said. “Something that lets me stay out here and play the game.”

This year was the second year of the College Stars International basketball camp, with over twice as many campers as the inaugural 2024 edition. Fellow 16- to 18-year olds joined Street from 13 total countries, including Croatia, Lithuania, Serbia, Spain and others.

Kerry Darting grew up in Kansas and played at Kansas State and Missouri S&T, where he finished his playing career in 2004. After that, he became a college coach and eventually the director of basketball operations at Illinois State. That’s where he met Igor Vrzina, a basketball coach from Serbia who had played at Abilene Christian.

photo by: Photo courtesy Kerry Darting

Kerry Darting, left, and Igor Vrzina hold practice for the College Stars International basketball camp at Sports Pavilion Lawrence.

As basketball continues to grow into an international game, the two wanted to foster the development of international basketball players by creating a program to bring international kids to the birthplace of basketball for a three-week summer camp.

“We worked together for several years and always wanted to do something like this, but there was always a missing piece,” Vrzina said. “We were able to do logistics from Europe and it’s been great. We bring kids together who don’t know each other and get them to play basketball. It’s a unique experience.”

Vrzina is from Serbia and has seen Europe’s basketball prominence increase with NBA stars like Nikola Jokić, Luka Dončić and others. Creating an opportunity for more European and international basketball players to play in the U.S. has long been something Vrzina has hoped to accomplish.

Darting, who started his own Darting Basketball Academy to train local athletes, utilized his connections in the area to build the camp, and Vrzina used his own connections in Europe to help bring in kids. The first year, the program was held in Topeka at Washburn University before moving over to Lawrence this summer.

The previous edition of the program at Washburn was successful and a rewarding experience for the players, but Darting wanted to move its base to Lawrence, where the history of basketball is etched into the fabric of the city. The campers practiced at Sports Pavilion Lawrence and often had onlookers watch their two-hour practices.

That was one of Street’s favorite parts of the camp. The group even got to tour Allen Fieldhouse and walk through the Booth Family Hall of Athletics.

Last year, the program brought in 23 kids, but that number doubled this summer.

“When you’re a parent and you’re sending your kid halfway across the world, you want a proven program, a proven event,” Darting said. “So last year was a chance to let people see what this program is, so this year the recruiting process was a lot smoother and easier.”

This year, the program had four girls included in the camp. They came a week after the boys arrived, and they competed in two AAU tournaments with scrimmages against some local kids.

“We were hoping to get (a girls team) off the ground this year, and hopefully, similar to the boys program, we can grow that next year,” Darting said.

Branko Delić came to Lawrence from Kotor, Montenegro. He found the program on Instagram and shortly after applied to join.

“It’s been great,” Delić said. “We’re playing basketball — that’s what we like. It’s a great experience to meet different people and play against Americans.”

Delić said he developed his basketball IQ throughout the camp, thanks to the number of different coaches with college experience that work in the program. The team got to cultivate a more American style of basketball while also learning from each other different skills from around the world.

The goal of bringing international kids to Lawrence isn’t just for the experience of being in the environment — it gives those kids a chance to be seen by college coaches in the states where many of those international kids hope to end up.

Colleges in the states have a lot of their own connections to find international players and see tapes of their games. But highlight tapes don’t compare to in-person tournaments, which is where the College Stars International program comes in. The camp competed in two tournaments in Kansas City, Missouri, and a final tournament in Chicago with hundreds of teams taking part.

“When (college coaches) get to see kids in person, it’s a way better evaluation process for them,” Darting said. “They get to see the caliber of kids we have. Now they’re contacting us to see who we’re bringing in.”

In the tournaments, the players get a chance to face competition that differs greatly from what they’re used to at home.

“Everyone here can shoot,” Street said. “Back in Australia and Europe, it’s a lot more physical. Here, it’s a lot of shooting and isolation play. It’s been good to adjust to it but it’s been a bit hard when everyone can shoot the ball real well.”

Of last year’s 23 campers, 16 stayed in the U.S. to attend either high school or college. Darting is expecting similar results this year with the 48 total campers.

It wasn’t just a success for how many kids stayed in the U.S., but also because of the relationships built during the camp. Darting said he’s heard from last year’s group that many participants from around the globe still get together and go on vacations together.

“It’s super cool that these kids come from all over the world,” Darting said. “They’re all so different. They speak different languages, they have different cultures, but they have the game of basketball in common. Within a couple days, they’re all friends, laughing and joking together.”

Campers flew in on July 1 and flew back home on Monday. During a given weekday, they took part in morning skill sessions, afternoon practices and then nightly shooting. In total, campers spent about five to six hours a day in the gym. Campers had roommates from different countries, so everyone got a chance to meet someone with a different culture or language than their own.

“It’s been a different experience for me, going to a different country with a bunch of people I don’t know,” Street said. “To play basketball together and spend all day together has been really cool.”

Having doubled the number of campers from last summer, Dartling and Vrzina are hoping for a similar jump this coming year. While the goal is to help international kids draw the eyes of college coaches, the experience alone of being able to make new friends from around the world in the birthplace of basketball is a rewarding one that could continue to succeed in Lawrence.

“All of these kids love basketball, and they get to come to where basketball started,” Dartling said. “They see the Naismith statue and they’re staying at Naismith Hall and they’re right across the street from Allen Fieldhouse. This is a great experience for them — it’s great exposure.”