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Ryan Boatright, what were you thinking?
It’s the question that immediately came to mind when I learned last season the East Aurora graduate, national champion at Connecticut and eight-year professional basketball player was back in Russia.
He had played there during a 2019-20 season shortened by the pandemic, followed by two seasons in Paris.
American women’s basketball star Brittney Griner was still being detained last summer when Boatright returned to Avtodor, the team he had previously played for in Saratov, Russia. A city of 900,000, Saratov is the 17th largest in the country and located about 370 miles from the nearest border with Ukraine.
Can you say hot spot?
Would have been for me.
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“You think about it, of course,” said Boatright, a 5-foot-11 point guard.
Griner had been detained at Sheremetyevo Airport, just outside Moscow.
“I’ve been through that airport so many times,” Boatright said. “The Americans playing over there, we’d talk about it every time we go through security or whatever. Brittney’s situation was unfortunate.
“You’re not in that world so you don’t know exactly what’s going on, but you see people that 100% you know are Russian mob. They’re in black SUVs, black Benzes and wearing black suits and traveling in convoys.”
Time to steer clear.
“You just had to move the right way,” Boatright said. “Stay out of the way. Go to work. Go home. Keep moving. Ain’t got nothin’ to do with me.”
Daniel Hazan, president of Hazan Sports Management in New York, represents Boatright and 40 other professional basketball players.
“We definitely had a lot of concerns about returning to Russia,” Hazan said. “But we felt comfortable, given the circumstances, that he was going to be OK.
“We gained a level of confidence after talking to people over there, including team officials and players who were already there.”
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Boatright said everything went smoothly, even for his French bulldog Bentley, who has traveled extensively the last few years with the player and his girlfriend.
Boatright’s pro stops have been in nine countries.
“It can be a hassle with the dog, with papers, shots,” Boatright said. “They even have dog passports. They’ve asked me to see it at customs, too. I’m like, ‘Bro, seriously? It’s an animal, man.’
“They make the time go a lot smoother and a lot faster, that’s for sure.”
Boatright normally has about an eight-week break in the summer after his foreign team completes play in its domestic league and other international events. He’s been at his offseason home since April, however.
“Russian teams couldn’t play in European competition this year because of the war,” Boatright said.
He’s using the extra time to host a basketball camp Aug. 5-6 at Waubonsee Community College, with sessions for children ages 5-13 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and high school players from 1 to 4 p.m.
“I’ve been waiting for the perfect time to do this and realized there’s never going to be a perfect time,” he said. “I need to just do it and put it together.”
It will include an educational workshop covering name, image and likeness and a 3-on-3 tournament for boys and girls campers, with a $1,500 cash prize for the winners.
Cost of the camp is $100. There’s a link on his Instagram account, boatshow6, or contact camp manager Derek Drew at ddrew@dreamplasia.com.
Boatright, who turned 30 in December, has come a long way from the skinny 14-year-old I first met the summer after he finished eighth grade and had a scholarship offer in hand from USC coach Tim Floyd.
“I’m still enjoying the actual basketball — you don’t lose your love for the game,” he said. “But it’s not as fun, sometimes. You’re not on TV. You go from charter flights to catching regular planes, and you can have the game of your life and no one will know.”
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He has seen much of the world.
“I really liked Istanbul, Turkey, and had an amazing time, but the basketball situation wasn’t the best,” Boatright said. “A lot of people are surprised at that, worried because it’s so close to the Middle East.
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“The same was true in Malaga, Spain, where I lived on the beach. It’s the Miami of Spain. The basketball situation, though? Wasn’t the best.”
Most of his family made a trip to Paris, getting to see him play in person for the first time since he was in college.
“Paris was probably my favorite overall,” he said. “I would have to say it’s the total package as far as basketball because the owner is David Kahn, general manager with Minnesota in the NBA for a long time, and he runs it more like an NBA team.
“And Paris, I feel, is more Americanized. It felt more like being back home than any other team our country I’ve played in. To me, Paris is more culturally hip to America. Plus, it’s only a six-hour flight to New York.”
Hazan believes Boatright can play overseas for eight to 10 more years.
“I will as long as it makes sense,” Boatright said. “I’ll give it up either when my body is does or I can make what they offer overseas, somewhere in America.
“As long as I’m healthy and the money makes sense, I’ll keep playing.”