WEST LIBERTY - As the all-time leader in 3-point field goals at West Liberty University, Barry Shetzer is no stranger to long distances.
So it was no surprise that when his agent called and told him CAB Madeira in the Portuguese Men's Basketball League was interested in signing him last week, he jumped at the chance.
CAB Madeira is located in the city of Funchal on the Portuguese resort island of Madeira, which is, apparently, one fine place to live and work.
Some call it paradise.
''I'm really excited about it,'' Shetzer said. ''I can't wait to go. I mean, to get paid to play basketball and live on a resort island?"
Who wouldn't want to put grad school on hold to work in a place where the average annual temperature is between 61 and 71 degrees, that is visited by a million tourists a year, that boasts the world's best fireworks show on New Year's Eve?
Of course, the situation has its drawbacks. For one, the tiny island of Madeira is located 500 miles off the mainland, meaning CAB Madeira has to fly to half of its games.
Shetzer took three years of Spanish, but knows little, if any Portuguese. It will help that each team is allowed four American players - Shetzer was CAB Madeira's first signing; most don't get offers until August - plus you have to figure a lot of those tourists are coming from English-speaking areas.
Shetzer's not sure of the level of play in the PMBL, which is the top professional basketball league in Portugal, but says it isn't on par with other overseas basketball leagues like those in Italy and Germany.
Either way, it looks like he might get a chance early on.
''One of the good things about it is they want me to play the 2-3 spot,'' said Shetzer, who is back at home in Canton playing in summer basketball leagues in an effort to stay in shape.
For the first month, he might have to fill in for a national player the 4-spot, a sign CAB Madeira liked Shetzer's versatility. Meanwhile, the team's best 3-point shooter was at nearly 40 percent, but he averaged less than three points per game for a team that was under .500 last season.
The contract Shetzer signed runs from Sept. 12-May 12, but his stay could be extended with a long playoff run.
Signing it was a no-brainer, he said.
''I didn't want to look back in 5-10 years and say I wish I would have done it,'' he said. ''Extra school will be here when I return.
''If I like it, and I do really well, I'm sure I'll want to go back. Any time you get paid to play a sport, you have to take that.''
Shetzer, who was one of four 1,000-point scoring seniors to graduate from West Liberty's 33-1 national quarterfinal team, is the only Hilltoppers player ever to make more than 100 3-point field goals in back-to-back seasons. He also holds the school's career 3-point record with 284.
And he's quite familiar with traveling abroad, as he and teammate John Wolosinczuk played in Italy last summer, along with family trips he's taken to Israel and Ireland.
"I like it,'' he said. ''I feel like it's a good fit for me.''
Shetzer is the second West Liberty player to sign a contract overseas in the last two seasons, joining Mike Mathey, who signed to play for the BG Leitershofen Red Kangaroos in Germany's ''Pro-B'' League in 2010.