Russia's little hero: Ex-Cougar is invited to join Russia's Olympic camp

OREM — Former BYU basketball player Travis Hansen hopes to be wearing red, white and blue at the Olympics this summer — for Russia.

The U.S. has the same colors as Russia, where Hansen has been embraced for his basketball skills and humanitarian efforts. He is so well liked in Russia that he has been given citizenship and an invitation to the national team's Olympic training camp.

If he makes the team, he could wind up facing the Americans later this summer. For Hansen, it is an opportunity to play on the biggest stage in sports, albeit for a different country than he could have ever imagined while growing up in Utah.

Hansen said he is an American first, but that the U.S. roster was already stocked with names like Kobe and LeBron, and USA Basketball wasn't going to consider a 30-year-old who had played one season in the NBA and the rest in Europe.

"I'd love to play for Team USA but they didn't invite me," he said.

Nor did he expect them to. In the era of "Dream Teams," Hansen has never really been on the U.S. Olympic radar. The Russians, on the other hand, were interested.

Hansen only gave the OK to continue with the naturalization after being assured that it would in no way affect his U.S. citizenship. He will also miss the first part of the Russian camp to be home for the Fourth of July.

"Every athlete dreams about playing in the Olympics," Hansen said. "The Cold War ended a long time ago, so I figured why not. For a country to come to you and say 'Hey, we want you to represent our country in the Olympics,' that's pretty nice."

While his shooting touch and versatility would make him a welcome addition on the Russian national team, his good deeds have made him welcome most everywhere in the country.

Hansen and his wife, LaRee, have tackled one of the most troubling issues in Russia — the care of orphans. In just two years, the Hansens' Little Heroes foundation has grown into something big and given Hansen a reputation as an American player with a genuine heart.

"We had to convince them 'We want to help,"' Hansen said. "We don't want to have our name on the hospital or anything. We just want to help."

The initial wariness the Hansens ran into as foreigners trying to lend a hand eventually diminished. Hansen said he doesn't think Little Heroes necessarily sped up the citizenship process, but it didn't hurt either. After an extensive background check, Hansen said he was approached by the head of Russia's Federal Security Service, the successor to the KGB.

"He shook my hand and said 'Thanks for all you do for Russia,"' Hansen said.