Zezva Liluashvili, a Georgian basketball player has been studying at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States for 5 years now. Zezva is the captain of the University’s basketball team. Recently, he has been awarded All-American Scholar Athlete Reward for academic excellence. Due to his successful studies, the college covers his annual 42 500$ tuition fee.

Zezva comes from Kutaisi, a city in west Georgia. From Kutaisi, he continued his basketball career to BC Dinamo Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Zezva’s first coach was his father – every morning they would train before school. Then he was trained by female coaches.

The 23-year old basketball player went to the college with the help of Micah Lancaster, a famous American trainer. They have been working together for 5 years. The only Georgian he knows now in America is Zaza Pachulia, a Georgian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. Zezva contacted Pachulia to attend one of his matches. The professional basketball player immediately replied and initiated to know each other better.

According to Zezva, only a few students succeed in maintaining the balance between sport and academics. He believes it is due to his diligence and hard-working. Zezva takes time for both training and homework – He usually spends evenings at the library and doing exercises at night.

Meanwhile, the successful student and basketball player introduces Georgia to his friends in the US. A lot of people confuse the country with the state - Georgia in America and he tries to talk more about his origins. Despite his success, Zezva thinks he has to experience far more things than that.

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