Pride of a country

Arkansas State freshman Norchad Omier is the first player from Nicaragua to compete in Division I college basketball. He is averaging 12.4 points per game and leads the Sun Belt Conference with 11.5 rebounds per game. (Photo courtesy of Arkansas State University)JONESBORO -- It's been 18 months since Norchad Omier left Bluefields, Nicaragua. Naturally, the 19-year-old misses home.

Family, friends and the seafood of the Caribbean coast feel distant. In Jonesboro, the closest Omier comes to home-cooking are meals at Los Arcos Mexican Restaurant.

"I eat Mexican food," he said. "It's different, but it's the closest thing I could compare with it."

Comfort on the basketball court in the United…