Former Syracuse guard Brandon Reese on living in Kuwait, sustaining basketball injury

posted on: May 22, 2015

Syracuse, N.Y. — Brandon Reese “took a hit” to his left kidney during a recent basketball tournament in Kuwait.

The former Syracuse University guard bled internally for a few hours and developed a hematoma. All of this required that he check into a hospital, then spend two weeks of bed rest. The injury will prevent him from playing on Syracuse’s The Basketball Tournament team this summer, when a collection of former Orange men will compete for $1 million.

“In the meantime,” Reese wrote in an email, “I can’t play any sports where I could take any hits, but I’m back to work and everyday normal life.”

Syracuse assistant coach Gerry McNamara works with Brandon Reese and Trevor Cooney at the Carrier Dome before the Orange’s game against Marshall. Dennis Nett/The Post-Standard
Donna Ditota | dditota@syracuse.com
 
“Normal” for Reese is relative these days. He plays professional basketball in Kuwait and coaches at a basketball academy called Hoop Mountain. He hopes to sign a new contract to stay in the Persian Gulf, where he is learning a new culture and “trying to understand the people.”

English is spoken widely in Kuwait and the kids who attend Reese’s academy speak English, so Reese has had to learn only rudimentary Arabic. The emirate’s economy is fixed on petroleum, which affords many citizens a comfortable lifestyle.

“Lots of wealth indeed, but not as built up and shiny as Dubai,” Reese writes. “With all the wealth, people live very comfortably. And being an expat out here you get to live very comfortable as well. Food is imported from everywhere and the grocery stores have everything you can imagine.”

Reese said the pain from his injury has quieted, but he will require surgery when he gets home. Reese plans to return to the United States in June and have the surgery in August.

Source: www.syracuse.com