UNH junior center Dane DiLiegro is a solid big man in the low post, willing to bump and score or go up for a rebound at any time. This nitty-gritty attitude that he plays with puts him among the best in America East.
Last summer, DiLiegro had the chance to show off his talent to the rest of the basketball world while also representing his country and religion.
From July 12-23, DiLiegro, along with 11 other players, represented the United States men's basketball team at the 18th Maccabiah Games in Israel.
Held every four years, the Maccabiah Games includes the top Jewish athletes from around the world.
Over 50 countries were represented and out of those 9,000 participants, the U.S. alone brought around 1,000.
The U.S. basketball team was coached by University of Tennessee men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl.
DiLiegro had high praises of Pearl.
"Coach Pearl really knows basketball. This summer, he, along with my teammates, taught me some valuable tools for playing at a higher level of basketball," he said.
The U.S. men's basketball team started off by going 3-1 in round-robin play, grabbing the top seed and a spot in the semifinals.
Led by DiLiegro's tournament-high 20 points and nine rebounds, the U.S. defeated Canada 123-76 to set up a championship date with 5-0 Israel.
Trailing by eight with under two minutes left, the U.S. roared back to tie the game and force overtime, eventually pulling out a 95-86 win.
"It was one of the best, craziest sports experiences of my life," DiLiegro said. "It was even cooler that I got to play with other Jewish basketball players since there aren't many."
It was a good learning experience for DiLiegro, who said that, over there, it's a different game.
"There's a higher level of competition (over seas), and games are much more intense," said DiLiegro.
Because of the stiffer competition, DiLiegro felt that he acquired a better feel for the game.
"I learned a lot over there," he said. "As a player, I feel almost one-hundred percent better. One thing I learned I need to work on, though, is my fouls."
But, when asked if his newfound experience would affect his upcoming season, DiLiegro didn't seem too convinced. "I'm still the same player I used to be," he said.
The experience seemed to have more than just an effect on DiLiegro's ability.
He said enjoyed the competition so much,that he wouldn't mind pursuing it as a career in the future.
"Hopefully after college I can try to play professionally overseas," he said.
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