Anthony Acho is preparing to live his lifelong dream. At the end of October, the 23-year-old West Bloomfield resident will be in China competing in an international basketball tournament. “I can’t believe this is happening. I never thought I would get to live my childhood dream of playing professional basketball,” Acho said.

The FIBA (International Basketball Federation) World Club Championship is a new annual men’s world basketball tournament for national teams. Acho along with his friend Jenero Dawood, 28, also Chaldean and from West Bloomfield, will play for the Iraqi National Team (INT).  Acho will spend time in Iraq training, and hasknown Dawood his whole life. “Luckily my close friend Jenero will be there to keep me company,” Acho said.

Dawood and Acho are the only Chaldeans on the 12 member team. Acho learned about FIBA in September 2009 after a friend set him up with an agent who was familiar with his Iraqi background and got him in contact with the INT.

“Living in Iraq, I don’t know what I’ll be doing on a daily basis. I don’t really know what kind of lifestyle is out there. Other than practice, playing in games and working out on my own, I’m sure there won’t be much else to do. I plan on taking this time away from everyone to get closer to God. I know there is a Chaldean church over there so I will probably be spending a lot of time there,”Acho said.

Fikrat Toma is the INT’s coach. Acho has not met any of his team members. He’ll be playing for the Duhok, Iraq club team. The club team’s coach is Mohammed Alnajir.  “I’m not sure who’s on the team or how the team is going to feel about me. I hope they like me,” Acho said. 

The admission process wasn’t easy. Acho traveled to Washington, D.C. to obtain his Iraqi passport. “It took a lot of time for my paperwork to process, it wasn’t easy, a lot of times I wanted to just give up, but friends close to me kept me thinking positive and I stuck it out. Now that it’s actually happening, it’s all kind of crazy,” Acho said.

The teams on that league are Al Jaysh, Al Hilla, Al Karkh, Al Armany, Al A’zamiyah, Al Houdoud, Al Ittihad, An Nasiriyah, Al Shurtah, Al Tadamon, Duhok, and Al Mos.

Acho attended Marygrove College in Detroit and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He hasn’t graduated yet, and is taking time away from school to live his dream.  Acho says he plans on using Skype and Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family back home. 

“I’m hoping for this to be the start of a long, healthy and successful career. It’s a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to live in my parents’ home country and represent the Chaldean community from America. It’s also a great chance to see the world, and something to tell my kids one day,” Acho said.

PHOTO: Anthony Acho, a 5-foot-11 guard who played locally at Marygrove College in Detroit, will head to Iraq to compete in the FIBA Club Championships. Photo courtesy of Anthony Acho

PHOTO: The admission process wasn’t easy. Acho traveled to Washington, D.C. to obtain his Iraqi passport. “It took a lot of time for my paperwork to process, it wasn’t easy, a lot of times I wanted to just give up, but friends close to me kept me thinking positive and I stuck it out. Now that it’s actually happening, it’s all kind of crazy,” Acho said.