MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Natalia Pereverza and her three children have lost a great deal.
Their house, most of their possessions, and their father Vladimir, who died of a stroke during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Natalia believes the stress of enduring the constant bombardment of Russian shelling contributed to her husband’s death.
“The kids have gone through things that kids should never have had to go through,” said Collierville resident Steve Rice. He and his wife Sheila agreed to sponsor and house the four Ukrainian refugees last October.
“We felt it was the right thing to do,” Sheila said.
The three children, Ruslana, Mark and Ihnat go to Collierville schools. They all take English as a second language courses, but going to school in a foreign country—and in a foreign language—has had its challenges.
“It was difficult at first, I couldn’t communicate,” said Mark, a junior at Collierville High School, through a translator. “They would ask me a question and I couldn’t answer. I didn’t know what to do. Started feeling isolated all by myself.”
But on the basketball court, the Pereverza family feels at home.
“Natalia calls it her stress relief,” Sheila said with a smile.
“My parents played basketball,” Natalia said, also through a translator. “My mother, my father played it in their school. My eldest son played and involved Mark and Ruslana.”
Shortly after starting school, Mark joined the boys JV basketball team. Ruslana, a senior, made the varsity squad.
“Sports doesn’t require English skills,” Sheila said. “You just get out there and you have a common interest. So we saw from the first moment how welcoming the teams were to them.”
The language barrier was difficult at home. Steve and Sheila primarily communicated with the Pereverzas through Google Translate.
But when the Memphis Grizzlies are on, no translation is required.
“We already went to two games,” Natalia said. “We became huge fans of the Grizzlies."
All it took was the NBA regular season for the two families found common ground.
“I used to just watch the Grizzlies games by myself,” Steve said with a laugh. “My wife wasn’t all that interested. Now we have a whole rooting section.”
The games provide a chance to come together and to unwind.
“There’s a great deal of pressure on Natalia to take care of her kids,” Steve continued. “The stress was tremendous. I remember one of the first time she watched the Grizzlies with us, she just let loose and started cheering. It was a chance for her to relax and forget about the troubles for a minute. That was cool.”
Even back in Ukraine, Mark was an NBA fanatic. He’s followed Ja Morant’s career since he played at Murray State.
“My journey was not easy,” Mark said. “But to come to America, that was my dream. In Ukraine, I would only watch American basketball.”
Sheila brought Mark to his first Grizzlies game on October 24 against the Brooklyn Nets.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Mark said. “To see the Grizzlies, that was beyond me.”
“We walked into the arena and he said he got chills,” Sheila recalled. “Just walking in and seeing the floor and the players. Almost tears. The joy on his face to be at that game, somewhere he never thought he’d be before, it was extremely heartwarming to see.”
Mark’s dream is to make it to the NBA and follow in the footsteps of Grizzlies assistant Vitaly Potapenko, the first Ukrainian player to be drafted in 1996.
“One of the reasons we came to America is to follow Mark's dream to make the NBA,” Natalia said. “I would do whatever it takes for him to achieve his dreams. Even if it doesn't happen. I will do everything possible for him."
No matter how far basketball takes him, it has already provided the entire family a welcomed escape.
“Our goal has been to provide them with some normalcy in their lives,” Sheila said. “And just getting to watch a game is exciting. Just to look over and see the smile on their face and enjoying it with no other concern in that moment but to have fun.”