By John RittenhouseSteve Esselink is playing professional basketball in North America.The 1999 Hills-Beaver Creek High School standout didn’t earn a roster spot for a team involved with any of the major basketball associations in this country, but he is getting paid to play hoops in our continent.And, according to his father, Gary Esselink, the leading scorer in H-BC school history is loving his new job."Steve’s playing in a professional basketball league in Mexico," his father said Monday."He’s a member of the Mexicali Soles, an expansion team in the country’s LNBP league. Mexicali is a city about 100 miles east of San Diego (Calif.), and Steve is living and playing there."According to the elder Esselink, the Soles (a Spanish word that means Suns) are the newest entry in the 20-team league.The new squad held tryouts in May, and Esselink earned one of three roster spots that are available to American-born players.The Soles, who currently sport a 2-2 record, will play 40-plus games from now through late October. The playoffs for the league will run through November.Esselink has made an instant impact for his new team.He scored 32 points during his league debut, which turned into an overtime loss for the team. The home game was played in front of a sellout crowd (4,500 fans) in Mexicali, as well as being televised and viewed by an estimated 75,000 more basketball fans throughout the country.Gary said his son is playing between 30 and 35 minutes through the first four games of the season, and he’s scoring points at a clip of 24 for each game."Steve said the players are treated like celebrities, and the team takes good care of them," Gary Esselink said."They fly to all of their games. The team puts them up in a house in Mexicali. There are three players in each house, and they all get their own rooms. Each house has a maid that does the cooking and cleaning for the players."Gary said his son seems to be adjusting to life in a new country well.He’s learning to speak the Spanish language, and he’s grown comfortable with his new life in Mexicali.Best of all, he’s getting paid to play basketball in a country that is devoted to the sport."He said the crowds seem to be more emotionally involved with the game in Mexico. That can be good or bad, depending if you are playing at home or on the road," Gary said."Steve doesn’t know what he’ll be doing after this season, but this will be an eye-opening, life-learning experience for him. He’ll get to see the whole country of Mexico, and he’ll get to see it for free."
