Bound by home, hoops and rain

Basketball is just a game for most, a hobby for some and a job for others.

But for Penn's Anca Popovici and Drexel's Gabriela Marginean, basketball offered something more. It was a plane ticket to the U.S., a way to continue their educations and to represent their country. Not to mention a chance to visit the "wide and wonderful" land of West Virginia.

The two grew up three hours away from each other in Romania - Popovici in Arad and Marginean in Cluj-Napoca. They met at a Romanian national basketball tournament when they were 16 and 15, respectively.

Who won that first matchup? The two women laughed.

Marginean was on the better team back then - just as she is now. The Dragons defeated the Quakers 60-41 earlier this season, behind Marginean's game-high 16 points and eight rebounds.

But before the girls participated in the battle for 34th St. or played together for the Romanian National team, they were teammates at Mount de Chantal Academy in West Virginia.

"My coach in Romania suggested that if I wanted to keep playing and go to school then I could go to America," said Popovici, now a Quakers tri-captain. "In Romania you either go to school for academics or athletics - you don't get to do both."

Once in the Mountain State, her coach asked if she knew of any good players from back home. She thought of Marginean.

"She kept calling everyday, asking 'Are you coming, are you coming?'" Marginean joked.

But Marginean faced a difficult decision. Her father did not want her to leave, and she only recently accepted her living in America.

One Friday, she decided that if it rained on Sunday, she would come to the States. Sure enough, it rained. She saw it as a sign and hasn't looked back.

Marginean, a sophomore, joined Popovici for one season of high-school ball, leading their school to a No. 1 state ranking.

Both women said that it was coincidence that reunited them in Philadelphia. To a certain degree, though, Drexel owes Popovici for recruiting Marginean to the U.S.

Indeed, they owe her a big thank you: Last Thursday, Marginean reached the 1,000-point plateau in her 58th game, tied for fastest in Colonial Athletic Association history.

Marginean's family was likely watching her achieve the milestone. The women both said their families wake up at 2 a.m. local time to watch the games.

"They don't care if we win or lose," Popovici said. "They leave me a message just saying 'It was so good to see you.'"

Marginean laughed. Her father, though glad to see her play, cares about the outcome - and tells her things she needs to improve. And, though she has starred for Drexel, she will still need to improve to reach her goal of playing professionally.

Maginean and Popovici are 4,500 miles away from home, and neither girl regrets her decision. They said that they rely on themselves, their senses of humor and their memories to keep connected.

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