RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – Former University of Richmond basketball standout T.J. Cline is thousands of miles from home, playing professional basketball in what has become a war zone and trying to take it day by day.
Cline, who plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, said Tel Aviv has become “like a second home” after years of playing overseas.
But this latest round of missile attacks is not the first time he has experienced war in Israel.
“It was understanding the lay of the land and understanding, like, this is a normal thing out here,” Cline said in an interview. “As much as it stinks to hear it and stuff like that, this is kind of the risk you run when you sign out here.”
Cline said people in his area had some time to prepare and brace for what was coming. Still, when the missiles started, the reality hit hard.
He described seeing smoke in the sky and hearing loud explosions nearby.
Cline said that during the attacks, he spent much of his time in what’s known as a bomb room — a reinforced safe room built into many homes and apartments in Israel, including his.
With little to no cell service inside, it was difficult for him to respond to worried family and friends.
“I think the biggest thing is, like, for now, anytime that I hear a loud motorcycle or anything that sounds like a siren whatsoever, it kind of brings back PTSD a little bit and you kind of freak out,” he said.
Because it has been so hard to get back to everyone individually, Cline has turned to social media.
He has been posting videos to document what he’s seeing and to keep relatives, friends and fans updated on how he is doing.
In recent days, Cline said the situation has calmed somewhat, with Iran firing fewer missiles.
He said he feels safe, crediting the efforts of the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli military, and the resilience of the people around him.
“I really don’t fear for my life at all,” he said. “I’m in as good a headspace as you can be for someone in the middle of a war in the Middle East.”
Cline said messages from the Richmond basketball community and from Dallas, where he has strong ties, have helped him stay positive.
“Everybody’s calling and doing this, and I want to get back because I feel the love, I feel the support, especially in Richmond and Dallas,” he said. “I even got my Spider shirt on now, always repping the Spides. But I feel incredibly loved and I feel blessed. And I really can’t wait to see them — more so in the sense to calm everybody else down.”
Cline is now on a standby list with about 1,000 other Americans waiting for an emergency evacuation flight back to the United States.
Only 50 people are allowed on each flight, and he’s hoping his name is called for one scheduled to leave Sunday.
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