Hawaii Pacific University Athletics

Iran. Few places evoke such a strong response from the American public. For decades, relations have been strained between the two countries. The only things the average American knows about Iran is its nuclear aspirations and its attitude towards Israel.
 
That big bad wolf image that you see on the news doesn’t work anymore after you meet Farbod Farman, Hawai’i Pacific’s men’s basketball center. An affable giant (6-11 and 230 pounds), he quickly disarms you with his grin. It hasn’t always been all smiles for Farman however, the transition to the USA was difficult one, but as Farbod will tell you, “anything worthwhile requires sacrifice.”   
 
The Sea Warrior paint protector’s story begins in the Shia heartland of Mashhad, Iran. Mashhad is Iran’s second largest city that is located in the north east with a population approaching three million. It is a modern city, complete with a metro system, but its calling card is as the holiest city in Iran. The Imam Reza shrine is the biggest mosque in the world.     
 
Like most of the population, Farman wanted to play soccer as a youth. At age 13, a figurative twist of his arm led to a literal twist of fate. When it was time to pick a sport in school, Farbod picked soccer. His gym teacher Masoud Shafa, a former member of Iranian National Basketball Team and considered by some to be the greatest Iranian basketball player ever, saw Farbod’s size and potential and said no. He would be playing basketball from now on. Farman resisted, and was told that if he didn’t play basketball he would flunk gym class. Worried about his academic record, he acquiesced.
 
Under Shafa’s tutelage, Farman learned the game. Soon, the Iranian National Team noticed and brought him on board. By 2007, he participated in Basketball Without Borders Asia, playing in Shanghai, China with coaches such as Scottie Pippen and Yao Ming. That same year he also won the Asia Championship 3-on-3 tournament in Macau. The next season Farman helped the U-18 team win the title game at the FIBA Asia Championship in Tehran, and won the title in the West Junior Asian Championship. In 2009, he played on a team that participated in the U-19 World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand, where he led the tournament in blocks.
 
 Just when his basketball career was starting to flourish, then came a roadblock. Farbod broke his tibia as he went up for a layup during a scrimmage, he heard a loud crash. “At first I thought someone slammed the gym door shut, but it was my leg,” said Farman.  The injury was serious and he was abandoned by the national team. He was out for the next seven months recovering. “They (the national team) never checked on me once, it was just me and my parents on our own,” remembers Farman.  With his days on the Iranian National Team over, he thought about hanging up his size 15 sneakers. It was his parents who pushed him not to give up, not to let his dream die. His dream: to play in the Mecca of basketball, the United States of America.  
 
Farbod had a family friend in Canada who agreed to try to help him find a place to play by sending out video tape. The tape caught the eye of a NCAA Division I coach on the East Coast, but he didn’t feel Farbod was the ideal fit on his team. Instead, he contacted Yancy Walker at Missouri State University in West Plains and told him about Farbod. “We watched Farbod online and started the recruiting process. We liked what we saw in him. A student-athlete of his size at our level is a rarity. On top of his size, he had nice touch and pretty good post moves,” said Walker.
 
Now with a place to play, attention turned to how to get there. The visa process could take several months, even up to a year, and there was no embassy in Iran. Farbod traveled to Dubai and completed the interview as best he could, although he spoke hardly any English and the person working at the embassy had a rudimentary understanding of Farsi. Waiting for an answer from the embassy was excruciating, hours turned to days and days to weeks and nothing. The time was ticking on how long Farbod could legally be in the UAE. As luck would have it, a member of Farbod’s soon to be host family at West Plains worked for a United States Senator. After a phone call, Farbod’s visa was expedited and it wasn’t a moment too soon, he received his visa to the USA on the same day his UAE visa expired. An 18-hour flight later, he landed in Atlanta.
 
Up to that point, all Farbod knew about the United States was what he saw on TV and the movies. Logically, he thought everywhere was like New York or Los Angeles or even Atlanta. How wrong he was. He ended up in West Plains, MO. West Plains is small town America, less than 12,000 people call this middle-of-nowhere south central Missouri town home. Its biggest claim to fame is being the birthplace of actor Dick Van Dyke, who was popular decades before Farman’s birth.
 
The transition was hard; Farbod’s lack of English didn’t help. More than most could probably bear; this was the definition of culture shock. “The first couple of weeks were tough, I had to talk to my parents every day, but I never thought that I made a mistake. I thought about going home, it took me a few weeks to decide, but I decided to stay the course,” said Farbod.
 
However, what West Plains lacked in glitz and glamor it made up for with good people. “Everyone was really kind; I’d heard racist stories back home (about Americans) so I imagined that people would be looking down on me. It wasn’t like that at all, the whole town took care of me,” Farbod recounted. “Coach Walker is a great coach, I learned so much from him: basketball, life, everything.”
 
It showed. His freshman year Missouri State University in West Plains the team was ranked #1 in the nation and by his sophomore season Farbod was ranked #20 in the nation for field goal percentage. He left campus with his Associates Degree and a much better understanding of America. “He was a fun young man and he was excited to be heading to Hawai'i. He made huge strides from his freshman to sophomore year,” remembers Coach Walker.
 
Before Walker built a powerhouse in West Plains, he was HPU’s top assistant for Darren Vorderbruegge from 2006 to 2008. When it was Farbod’s time to leave, he contacted his old friend Coach V and then assistant Coach Sky Wilson. “We heard about Farbod from Yancy and we needed a post player so Sky and I looked at the tape and decided this was a player that we wanted,” remembered Coach V.
 
“Personally, it was great to see him go to HPU. I knew Coach V would see that he was well taken care of,” said Walker.
 
“Hawaii was a place I always dreamed about, but never thought I would be able to go. Coach Walker said good things about HPU and Coach V and Coach Wilson, I trust him so that is why I decided to come to HPU, said Farman.”


It was again a huge transition. Just by the time Farbod mastered doing his own laundry, and the other tasks associated with living away from home for the first time, he was thrust into a new situation, a situation without a cafeteria. “Learning how to cook was another big adjustment. I had no idea. I would Skype with my mother and she would give me instructions. I’d show her the pan and she’d tell me what to do, like add more salt,” laughed Farman.
 
“I never coached a player that has matured more than Farbod has over two years. He has evolved into a complete team player and is a good guy to be around,” said Coach V. He has also become a great player on the court, averaging 10 points and nine rebounds a game while ranking near the top of the PacWest in rebounds and blocks. His presence in the middle has been a key to the Sea Warriors success this season.    “It brings me great joy to see HPU basketball achieve at a high level with Coach V at the helm and Farbod playing a significant role,” said Walker.
 
The journey isn’t over, however, with a month of the season remaining. “Last year we tested the PacWest Tournament,” said Farman. “This year I want something more, to play in the national tournament.” Farbod is on track to graduate and put himself in position to play professional basketball, something that is impossible in Iran. “In Iran, I’d have to choose, either go to school or play basketball, not both. I’m grateful for this opportunity.”
 
Farman wants to continue his basketball journey after leaving school, most likely in Europe. No matter where he ends up, the adjustment won’t seem like much of a challenge after going from Iran to Missouri to Hawai’i.
 
Iran hasn’t had an ambassador to the United States since 1980, well, officially. Farbod has taken that role, and HPU is better for it.