Parsa Fallah came from Amol to the United States by way of a six-month stay in Africa and a bribe paid to an official of Senegal.
He’s played basketball for Southern Utah University and Oregon State University and now he’s signed to play next season with Oklahoma State University.
He’s a mere 6-foot-9 (206 centimeters) and carries a passel of sterling basketball statistics with him.
. . . playing hoops
It was anything but simple for one of Iran’s best young players to fulfill a dream to play basketball in the United States. The process as Fallah understood it meant traveling to the US Embassy in Senegal. Once there, Fallah was told it would take a few days to secure a US visa to travel to Utah. There, Fallah would begin college and play for the school team.
Days became weeks, and weeks become months.
“Every day I was like, should I go back home, or should I stay? I’m not sure if I’m going to get the visa. I don’t want to disappoint my family. My dad was like, just come home. No one will care. But as I’ve said, it’s a dream to come [to the US] and play basketball. I’ll deal with it.”
Fallah, who prefers to be known as Persian, is often asked about living in a war-torn country. He says it’s anything but that. Fallah said he’s never seen fighting anywhere near his city. The first time he saw a gun was in the US.
Fallah played all sorts of sports as a youth—powerlifting, volleyball and, of course, soccer. But not basketball.
A basketball coach spotted Fallah one day playing soccer and suggested he try his sport. Fallah didn’t like it at first, but at his father’s urging, stuck with it.
Turns out it can be a good sport for someone who grew to be 6-9. Fallah evolved into one of Iran’s top young players, as he played key roles for Iran at FIBA U-19 and U-20 tournaments.
It was 2019 when Fallah arrived on Southern Utah’s radar. In 2021, Fallah decided to make the move from Iran to Southern Utah. He packed a suitcase, put $500 in his pocket, hugged his parents goodbye and left for Senegal, where Fallah met his first hurdle at the airport immigration desk.
The security officer told Fallah he needed a visa to enter the country. It was Fallah’s understanding that as an Iranian citizen, he didn’t need a visa. The two argued. Eventually, Fallah paid the man $300 to enter the country. “He kind of black mailed me,” Fallah said.
Fallah recalls arriving in Senegal on a Sunday, as he had a Monday appointment at the US consulate. Then he was told to wait for a call or email. Days went by. Weeks, even. Fallah stayed in a barebones hotel, each day checking his email to see if this was the day he’d get a visa appointment.
Fallah had friends in the basketball community who helped him out financially, so he had a place to stay and eat.
One day, to Fallah’s surprise, he opened his email and discovered he had been approved for a visa. “Just the best day of my life,” Fallah said.
Fallah liked what he saw in Utah. The one weird thing was eating.
“I remember my first meal. Coach bought me Chick-Fil-A. I couldn’t eat. I’m not sure if it was because I was stressed out, or nervous, but I couldn’t eat for two or three days,” Fallah said.
Fallah’s appetite quickly returned, but basketball, not so much. Because it took six months to get to Utah, the 2021-22 season had only about six weeks remaining. Fallah was nowhere near college basketball playing shape.
But he was ready for the 2022-23 season. And the following year, Fallah started every game, averaging 13.2 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. Late in the 2023-24 season, Fallah began to think about transferring. He loved Southern Utah and the coaching staff. It’s where he met his wife, Ellie.
“I was really sad to leave there. But I need to do the sacrifice to go somewhere bigger,” Fallah said. Oregon State was somewhere bigger. Fallah has started each of OSU’s 16 games this season, scoring double figures nine times, with back-to-back 25-point games in December. Fallah is unsure of the future. He’d like to take a run at the 2028 Olympics, playing for Iran.
Fallah would like to remain in the US after college, but his family is a concern. “I need to bring my family here. Family is really big for me, my little brother, my parents,” Fallah said. “I would love to stay here. I really love America. It’s like my second home.”