Thousands of miles away from Louisiana cajun food and Southern accents is former LSU men’s basketball guard Darrel Mitchell’s new home away from home in Istanbul, Turkey.
The St. Martinville native nears the playoffs as a point guard for Galatasaray Cafe Crown (18-10) in the Beko Turkish Basketball League. He has played in all the team’s 28 games and averages around 14 points and four assists per game.
Mitchell left for Turkey in August 2006 – just months after the Tigers’ 2006 Final Four appearance. Mitchell averaged nearly 17 points per game during his LSU senior season.
Mitchell said he soon realized he would need to pursue playing overseas to have a professional basketball career. Greece and Israel were both options, but ultimately Turkey seemed like the best deal.
“Your agent gets the best money and living situations that you could be in,” Mitchell said. “So for me coming out of college at the age of 22 and having the salary I have now was something I couldn’t pass on. My agent did all the research in finding a good place for me … a team where I would get playing time and a place with good living conditions.”
The team provided Mitchell with his own apartment and car, but the transition was not seamless. His team is comprised of mostly Turkish players, and the language barrier was difficult to overcome.
“I had no clue what was going on when I first got here,” he said. “I didn’t understand anything or anyone. I got a lot of funny looks from them and just was real uncomfortable at first.”
Mitchell said the language is “too fast,” but he has learned a few frequently repeated words.
“‘Su’ means water, ‘Evet’ means yes, ‘Canim’ means sweetheart, ‘Askim’ means my love, ‘Hayir’ means no and ‘Bravo’ means good job,” Mitchell said. “I know a few others, but I don’t know how to spell them.”
Mitchell said some apprehension was eased when his father Darrel Mitchell Sr. visited in November 2006 to watch his son play in two games. Mitchell Sr. played a key role in his son’s development as a basketball player when he coached him at St. Martinville High School.
“It was great,” Mitchell Sr. said. “It was a little different though. There are lot of big guys. [Darrel] just goes by them so quickly, but they can shoot.”
Mitchell Sr. said he mails his son certain treats difficult to find in Turkey, such as honey buns, cupcakes and pecan candy.
“It’s really hard,” Mitchell Sr. said of the separation from his son. “I constantly check stats on the Internet, and win or lose – I call him.”
Mitchell’s most recent trip to Baton Rouge was in January, when he filled up on home-cooked meals and even had his jersey retired at St. Martinville High School.
Senior forward Darnell Lazare, who played his last game as a Tiger at the Southeastern Conference Tournament in March, said losing Mitchell’s “poise and toughness” may be a reason LSU struggled during a 17-15 season.
“You knew you were going to get some productivity from him,” Lazare said. “He was a real quiet guy, but he played hard.”
Assistant coach John Treloar still keeps in touch with Mitchell through e-mail. Treloar said the four-year starter provided consistent leadership.
“He was a quiet leader but a great leader,” Treloar said. “He was a big-game player. There was a calmness about him. In the crunch time of the game, he kept his composure really well. He was a scorer that could knock down big shots for us.”
Mitchell said the Tigers’ 2006 Final Four run was primarily because of a solid team support.
“I was just being the leader that the team needed, and thanks to a good backbone support of teammates, they made me look like a great floor general,” Mitchell said. “Being that I didn’t get to watch any [of this season’s] games, I can’t really comment on the team’s inability to fill the guard position. But I think that they had guys that could step in and get the job done. It’s just unfortunate the team had the season they had.”
Mitchell’s two-year contract with Galatasaray Cafe Crown has an option on the second year, meaning that he could be released from his contract or bought out by another team in the league.
“Of course I would love to play in the NBA,” Mitchell said. “That’s always been a dream of mine. I’ll leave that in God’s hands … I feel he put me in Turkey for a reason, and I’m taking full advantage of it.”
—–Contact Amy Brittain at [email protected]