RISHON LEZION, Israel

“Shalom,” he said.

It’s one of a handful of words former Terrapin men’s basketball player John Gilchrist said he learned since starting a new career in Israel last fall.

The word means goodbye, hello and peace – three words that have defined the former Terrapin basketball player’s life since he left the Terps nearly a year ago.

Gilchrist said “goodbye” to the Terps amid a firestorm of problems, opting out of his senior year for a shot at glory in the NBA.

But things didn’t work out so well for the outspoken junior. After not being selected in the NBA draft or signed as a free agent after playing in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ summer league squad, Gilchrist said “hello” to a whole new country and a new start on his professional career.

Gilchrist is now the starting point guard for Maccabi Rishon LeZion, the third-place team in the top league in Israel. As a rookie, he’s averaging nearly 14.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and two steals a game.

But it’s not about the statistics. Gilchrist still plays with the same emotion he did as a Terrapin, but one can’t deny he has matured from a college player widely criticized for his erratic play and backhanded comments into a professional.

As Gilchrist sat in a Rishon LeZion sushi bar, he spoke mildly about the myriad problems he left in College Park and his unfulfilled NBA aspirations, choosing to focus more on how lucky he is to be playing professional basketball anywhere.

“Everything happens for a reason,” said Gilchrist, dressed in a baseball cap, dark jeans and his usual Timberland boots. “I felt that [the NBA] wasn’t meant for me at that time. I’m happy where I am right now. I look at it, I’m able to travel the world, play basketball and still make money. To me I don’t see anything bad with that at all.”

Now Gilchrist lives in a single apartment in downtown Rishon LeZion, a medium-sized town 20 minutes outside of Tel Aviv that is nothing like the university city Gilchrist spent three years in.

The Virginia Beach native left behind his one-and-a-half year old daughter Haven to pursue his career, not his dreams. He has a tattoo on his left forearm dedicated to Haven, a sharp reminder of what and whom he’s playing for.

“Haven, she’s my first priority,” Gilchrist said. “At the end of the day, it’s all about feeding your family and working.”

And right now, that’s what basketball is about to Gilchrist. It’s not all about the glamour, the fame and the millions. It’s a profession he takes seriously. And although his goal is to reach the NBA, he said he loves Israel and his lifestyle.

“As a kid it was always my dream to play in the NBA,” he said. “If it works out then I’ll be happy. If not, I’ve got a good life here in Europe.”

This summer, Gilchrist plans to take online courses and complete his degree in criminal justice. He’ll once again try to catch on with another NBA Summer League squad. Last summer in the Vegas Summer League, Gilchrist averaged 6.8 points and 2 assists in 16.4 minutes per game playing alongside former Terp Ryan Randle.

After failing to land an NBA contract at summer’s end, Gilchrist turned down offers to play for teams in France and Greece, electing to come to Israel “to be on a team that lets the guards play.”

He plays for a team that features other former NCAA players such as Boston College’s Ryan Sidney and Memphis’ Omar Sneed. The league he plays in also features former ACC stars in Virginia’s Roger Mason Jr. and Clemson’s Will Solomon.

“This is a perfect step between college and playing at bigger jobs like in the NBA,” Gilchrist said. “I’m able to enjoy the game, have fun still. It’s like college to me, but no classes and getting paid. My lifestyle hasn’t changed much really. I love it here. I love Israel.”

The language barrier has not been a problem for Gilchrist, as English is prevalent throughout Israel and all of his teammates speak it. Communication issues might have been more of a problem in College Park, where the former Terp point guard and head coach Gary Williams didn’t always see eye-to-eye.

“He was a real intense guy to the point where you had to have it the way that he said. If not, then it’s a problem,” Gilchrist said. “He’s going to get his way.”

Gilchrist has matured though, and has put any rift he had with the winningest coach in Terrapin history far behind him. As for Williams, when asked if he kept tabs on Gilchrist, the coach said he had heard he was doing well.

“At the end of the day, it’s the game of basketball,” Gilchrist said. “He’s the coach of a team that I played for, and now I’m gone. All the hype and how many people follow it, that’s what makes it bigger and more of a story.”

Looking back on his days as a Terp, Gilchrist said he misses the camaraderie with his teammates, some of whom he keeps in touch with via the Internet, and the fan support. One of Gilchrist’s former teammates has also gotten to see what it’s like to flourish in Europe. Drew Nicholas, who this year led Euroleague in scoring during the regular season, averaged 18.6 points a game for Benetton Treviso in Italy and set a precedent that a Terrapin guard can succeed overseas.

Gilchrist said he has no regrets about leaving school early, though he wishes his junior year were more successful. The hype and anticipation fans brought to games was the main thing he missed about college basketball.

Between the Terps’ failure to make the NCAA tournament and Gilchrist’s personal struggle to build on his 2004 ACC tournament MVP performance – one that led the Terps to a title – things didn’t end up as planned.

“I was thinking junior year would’ve been better,” Gilchrist said. “We had a better team.

“You always have to weigh all your options. I knew I took a risk by leaving Maryland after my junior year, but in my opinion I feel like playing in Europe and turning professional was a better move than playing college basketball.”

Playing in Europe has suited Gilchrist well, as he’s scored in double figures in 13 of his team’s 15 games. His two best performances were vintage Gilchrist circa the 2004 ACC tournament. He notched a 31-point (13-19 from the field), nine-rebound, six-steal effort, and a 22-point (7-10 from the field), 14-rebound, six-assist game that were both reminiscent of his efficient and dominant MVP showcase in the Terps’ improbable run to the conference championship.

Gilchrist was also part of the biggest upset of the year in Israel, when Rishon LeZion knocked off two-time defending Euroleague champion Maccabi Tel Aviv 85-78 about a month ago. It may not have quite been the Terp/Duke rivalry Gilchrist was tossed into in college, but Tel Aviv had won 40 consecutive games against Israeli squads before being shocked by Gilchrist’s team.

Gilchrist has no regrets about anything that happened while he was a Terp, and he said he learned valuable lessons in his three years in College Park.

“I learned a lot about the business side of sports,” Gilchrist said, “About how to conduct yourself and what the public should know.”

If given the option to change anything in the last four years, Gilchrist said he wouldn’t.

“There are not too many things I’d do differently,” he said. Looking at my life right now, I’m happy.”

To him, it’s not the fame and glamour, or even the headlines on ESPN that drive him. It’s the happiness and being able to provide for his family that gives him peace.

THE JOHN GILCHRIST FILE

BORN: June 29, 1984

HOMETOWN: Virginia Beach, Va.

HIGH SCHOOL: Salem High School

TIME AT MARYLAND: 3 VL

CURRENT TEAM: Maccabi Rishon LeZion

[AT MARYLAND]

YEAR/ GMSPPG/ FG%3pt%APGRPG

02-03 / 314.6 / 59%55%1.72.1

03-04 / 3215.4 / 47%38%4.93.0

04-05 / 2813.9 / 43%38%5.55.1

[AT MACCABI RISHON LEZION]

05-06 / 1614.4 / 57%40%3.64.3

Reporter Avi Creditor is a student studying abroud who is also interning for The Jerusalem Post. He can be reached at sports@dbk.umd.edu.