---
title: Showing Support on the Court
date: 2023-02-03T12:34:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://terp.umd.edu/showing-support-on-the-court"
section: Articles
---
# Showing Support on the Court

*February 3, 2023* — by [Annie Krakower](/authors/annie-krakower)


- *Top photo by Julio Cortez/AP*
- *Inset photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics*

> Men’s Basketball Player From Ukraine Grapples With War From Afar

*UMD men's basketball team stands on sideline, with one player with Ukrainian flag draped over his shoulders*

Before he turned 16, [Pavlo Dziuba](https://umterps.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/pavlo-dziuba/10463) was already representing his native Ukraine on the basketball court, driving to the hoop, nailing threes and laying down dunks. Last February, he saw photos and news coverage of the court in Kyiv, where he learned the game he loves, burning to the ground.

Then a new transfer, Dziuba absorbed the horror of Russia’s invasion last year from UMD’s campus, and he continues to grapple with anxious and uncertain feelings as the war rages on. As he balances school and basketball with that added stress, he’s raised awareness and showed support for Ukraine during games, even from halfway across the globe.

“The first day, I was crying—I didn’t know what to do,” he recalls. “Sometimes rockets were coming half a mile away from my mother and father.”

The 6-foot-8 junior lived in Kyiv until he was 14, then briefly moved to Spain to play for FC Barcelona’s under-18 team. He also impressed as a center on the under-16 Ukrainian national team, averaging 13.8 points and 9.3 rebounds in the 2019 FIBA Division B European Championship. That attracted the attention of universities in the U.S., with Dziuba deemed a four-star recruit.

Though he barely spoke English (watching Netflix with subtitles and lots of practice helped him learn quickly), he moved to America to play at Arizona State. After that 2020-21 season, he entered the transfer portal, persuaded in part by a fellow Ukrainian and former UMD basketball star, Alex Len of the Sacramento Kings, to become a Terp.

“I like the way we practice and the way we compete,” Dziuba says. “It’s different, the Pac-12 and Big Ten.”

Midway through his sophomore season, he began hearing rumblings about Russia invading his home country. When it happened on Feb. 24, he frantically tried to reach loved ones, asking friends about footage he’d seen of tanks emerging and rockets blasting, and urging his family to leave Kyiv.


*Red basketball shoes that say "PRAY FOR UKRAINE" in marker — Forward Pavlo Dziuba, a Kyiv, Ukraine native (above, third from left), began writing supportive messages on his UMD-themed sneakers after Russia invaded last February.*




**Issue:** [Winter 2023](https://terp.umd.edu/editions/winter-2023)


**Types:** [Campus Life](https://terp.umd.edu/category/campus-life)