( CNN ) -- As the players run on to the court , the excitement begins to build in the arena full of fiercely loyal basketball fans . It 's a small arena with capacity for only 1,200 people , not counting standing-room-only tickets . As the members of the team are introduced , fans jump up to cheer them on , clapping and chanting , full of team spirit . `` I 've been yelling my heart out ! '' says a fan who arrived early for the game . The team is `` The Miners '' and on a recent night it was playing at home in Cananea , a town of 33,000 in northwestern Mexico , known for its large deposits of copper and other metals . One of the largest mining companies in Mexico operates in the town about 35 miles south of the Arizona border . It 's an unlikely place for foreigners , but not when it comes to sports . Davin White , 29 , is an American immigrant in Cananea and a star forward for the Miners . White attended California State University in Northridge and has also played in Serbia , Italy and Qatar . But Cananea is much closer to his native Phoenix . `` The town is very small , but the people are very energetic when it comes to basketball , '' says White . He does n't speak Spanish , but that does n't seem to be a problem on the court . Teammate Brandon Brown , another immigrant athlete , says he has learned a few words . `` I do n't think you want to hear what I 've learned in Spanish , '' Brown says with a smile . The 25-year-old from New Orleans , who attended the University of California at San Bernardino , says he has fallen in love with Mexican food , especially carne asada , or Mexican-style grilled steak . Communication among team members is made possible by head coach Andres Contreras , a Mexico City native and former player in Mexican leagues , who is bilingual . Other teammates are bilingual as well . `` It 's a good challenge because I have to talk in Spanish and in English at the same time sometimes , '' says Contreras . The Cananea Miners are one of 12 teams in what is known as CIBACOPA ( the Spanish acronym for Basketball Circuit of the Pacific Coast ) . Dozens of foreigners play on the league , with teams in most of the northwestern Mexican states , including Nayarit , Sinaloa , Baja California and Sonora , home of Cananea . Under Mexican law , each basketball team is allowed no more than three foreigners on the roster . The law also allows one additional foreigner born to Mexican parents per team . Roberto Laporte owns the Hermosillo Rays , another team in the northern Mexican league . He says communication has never been a problem for his team . `` Other team members usually speak both languages . If they do n't , they 're used to playing with American players and I always look for coaches that speak both Spanish and English , '' says Laporte , who also speaks fluent English . His coach is Dan Tacheny . The 30-year-old worked for five years in the NBA as a scout for the Orlando Magic and the Minnesota Timberwolves . Tacheny says that some Americans play in Mexican leagues to stay on top of their game while looking for other opportunities . `` Obviously money is a factor . It 's a job to have in professional basketball , first of all . But second of all , being in Mexico is close to home for Americans , '' says Tacheny , who has a home in Las Vegas where his wife lives . Five-thousand dollars a month , the average salary for a foreign athlete at this level , may seem terrible in the United States , but that kind of money can go a long way in Mexico , where minimum wage is less than $ 5 per day . To survive , a team needs to spend about $ 350,000 per season . It does n't sound like much , but it becomes a challenge when fans in Cananea pay just over $ 6 per ticket . Sponsors bridge the gap . The season in northern Mexico is four months long . Some players use the rest of the year to play in Eastern European and South American leagues . In a country that sends countless migrant workers to the United States every year , some find it ironic that they 're being entertained by migrant American athletes . `` Migrant workers from here go look for a better future in the U.S . In this case , these guys are coming here to keep on doing what they love for a living , '' says Orlando Cañedo , a Miners fan . As the game draws to a close , Davin White scores another three-pointer , clinching the victory for the Miners in an action-packed reminder that a good ball game knows no borders .
Basketball draws excitement south of the border . The NBA is a global sport and has been for many years, but it's still not as popular in Canada as other sports such as football or hockey are here. Season lasts 4 months ; some players also belong to European teams .