Hibbert & PE Jr to play for Jamaica?

[bmartin]

This was mentioned as a possibility in an article last year, but this Jamaica Observer article about the Centrobasket championship in July implies that it will happen.
www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Centrobasket-to-showcase-Ja-s-talent_7617870

"This year Team Jamaica Basketball will take steps to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in London and though the games will clash with the excitement of the World Cup, the team is focused solely on the results...," he noted.

Williams noted that "much is made of the good fortunes of Jamaica basketball to have the services of the likes of Samardo Samuels, Jerome Jordan, both born and raised in Jamaica, and in this year's NBA draft and soon-to-be additions such as starting centre of the Indiana Pacers Roy Hibbert, and former second-round pick of Sacramento Kings and son of a living legend, Patrick Ewing Jr.

[lichoya68]

hows about patrick senior yeah to roy and patrick go hoyas

[MCIGuy]

Someone at HR spoke to Roy when the Pacers played their fina game in DC against the Wiz He told HR he and Pat were both suiting up for Jamaica for certain.

[prhoya]

ThIs is not good news.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

Why not? I could see the argument against roy, but at least it's a good thing for Pat jr who wasn't ever going to make the US squad.

[kchoya]

May 23, 2010 18:57:28 GMT -5 prhoya said:

ThIs is not good news.

Why is this not good news?

[rosslynhoya]

I know we talk about this every Olympics, but Roy has already repped the USA on a national team in a FIBA-sanctioned event, the Pan-Am games in '07. Doesn't that greatly increase the difficulty of him declaring that he's now a Jamaican national? Does anyone know which of his grandparents was Jamaican, if any?

The ancestral clause just seems like a stretch (as usual) and i would think that Roy's brand should avoid any kind of negative PR.

[kchoya]

May 24, 2010 10:43:48 GMT -5 rosslynhoya said:

I know we talk about this every Olympics, but Roy has already repped the USA on a national team in a FIBA-sanctioned event, the Pan-Am games in '07. Doesn't that greatly increase the difficulty of him declaring that he's now a Jamaican national? Does anyone know which of his grandparents was Jamaican, if any?

The ancestral clause just seems like a stretch (as usual) and i would think that Roy's brand should avoid any kind of negative PR.

You think there's going to be a groundswell of anti-Hibbert backlash for playing on the Jamaican team? Is Nike going to drop him? Is he going to lose his national endorsement deals? Will he be resigned to doing commercials for Eastern Motors?

[rosslynhoya]

Dec 10, 2373 11:20:00 GMT -5 kchoya said:

You think there's going to be a groundswell of anti-Hibbert backlash for playing on the Jamaican team? Is Nike going to drop him? Is he going to lose his national endorsement deals? Will he be resigned to doing commercials for Eastern Motors?

Lighten up kc, I wasn't replying to your reply to PR about this being a bad thing.

1) By FIBA's own rules, Roy should not be able to make an instant switch of convenience to Jamaica's team without the intervention of the Secretary-General on a "for the good of the sport" basis. He does not appear to have a natural claim to dual-nationality.

2) Even if that waiver were to be granted, is taking advantage of it in Roy's best interest? Every 2-4 years, there's a cottage industry of reporters doing stories on International Sports Mercenaries who suddenly remember that they're actually German-ish and bail on America, because frankly they were never going to make the USA team anyway. Does Roy want to be the easiest example for a lazy reporter to google/scoop up come 2012?

[SFHoya99]

Roy is bailing on America? I love the dude, but I was unaware of his invite to the USA Basketball camp. I've read those articles and I've never thought less of those people. I've never heard anyone boo them at an event, either. Or any of my friends make a comment.

The only time there's backlash is when they are talented enough to play for the US. Like that soccer player.

Would a mention in a random article really offset being able to play in international ball?

[prhoya]

For HSB, KC et al., let me explain: it's not a good thing for PR vs. Jamaica in Centrobasket. Great for Roy and Pat, but I'll be rooting against them.

[MCIGuy]

Team USA last summer invited JaVale McGee to the tryouts because he had like 7 or 8 uncontested dunks in a Las Vegas summer league game Hibbert had a better summer and got no such invite. So ::bleep:: USA Basketball. When USA Basketball, for both the men's and women's teams, choose a select few players to participate rather than opening up tryouts for larger numbers of players, when they start playing favorites, I don't blame American players who look for playing opportunities with other national squads.

Roy has two parents who were not born in this country. Its perfectly legal for him to play for Jamaica. And its not as if Jamaica is a threat to beat the USA anyway.

[NCHoya]

I am lost on this thread. Roy and PE Jr have an opportunity to play basketball for country both have strong ties to and this is somehow a bad thing? For PE Jr, what if he plays really well and gets another summer camp invite? For Roy, the more basketball he gets to play, the better for him. Going up against good international competition will only help him develop his game. I do not see any downside, neither one had a chance to play for the USA team so I guess I cannot see where the possible negativity is coming from here.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

Basically we all got confused. Prhoya only think's it's a bad thing because he lives in Porto Rico so roy and pat will make jamaica a better team and may beat his Porto Rico team.

[rosslynhoya]

Oh, don't get me started on why there's a Puerto Rico "national" team... are they real Americans or aren't they? Sure, they don't get to vote for POTUS (they'd be another DC) but on the other hand they don't have to pay U.S. taxes. Other than that, they have all the benefits of American citizenship AND their own Olympic team. I call BS.

[HoyaSinceBirth]

Meh I mean Scotland, Wales, and northern ireland all get their own soccer teams for the World Cup. I'm pretty sure they're all part of the same country. The more the merrier.

[Jack]

May 25, 2010 8:33:16 GMT -5 HoyaSinceBirth said:

Meh I mean Scotland, Wales, and northern ireland all get their own soccer teams for the World Cup. I'm pretty sure they're all part of the same country.

How's that working out for everyone?

Scotland last qualified for World Cup Finals in 1998, last qualified for the European Championship in 1996, and has never advanced past group stage in either tournament.

Wales has qualified for the World Cup Finals once in their history, in 1958, and the European Championship also once, in 1976.

Northern Ireland somehow qualified for three WC Finals, including 1982 and 1986, making them the smallest nation to go to multiple finals, yet they have never qualified for Europe and their small size stood in the way of one of the great footballers (and football personalities) of all time, George Best, ever playing on a worldwide stage. They did pull off a few minor miracles recently, beating England in WC qualifying for 2006 and finishing ahead of Poland in their qualifying group for 2010. Prior to 1990 their soccer history was actually far superior to that of the Republic, where soccer was often derided as a foreign sport.

Meanwhile England hasn't won a cup in the game they supposedly invented since 1966 and have never won anything outside of their country. During the late 90's the popular solution to England's woes on the left wing was "annex Wales," thus allowing Ryan Giggs to join the squad.

Now all that said I think each nation of the UK having their own separate national football team is basically a good thing, it preserves their unique cultural identities and the rivalries between the nations, one-sided though they may be, have essentially scuttled plans for a Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team, even for the 2012 London games, where it now appears an England-only squad will be the home representative.

As for Northern Ireland and the Republic, of course that is a whole other kettle of fish, but it is notable that Ireland's rugby team, which represents an island and not a political entity, does not fly any nation's flag, and created its own anthem has been arguably the most successful rugby squad in the northern hemisphere over the past few years. A united Irish soccer regime might actually produce a result for the first time since 2002, but there are a few hurdles to clear there.

This wholly off-topic digression has been brought to you by boredom and World Cup fever.

[zurihoya]

Jack, I enjoyed reading your post, thanks for the stats on UK football/soccer. Can't wait for the World Cup!

[rustyshackleford]

May 25, 2010 9:54:08 GMT -5 Jack said:

May 25, 2010 8:33:16 GMT -5 HoyaSinceBirth said:

As for Northern Ireland and the Republic, of course that is a whole other kettle of fish, but it is notable that Ireland's rugby team, which represents an island and not a political entity, does not fly any nation's flag, and created its own anthem has been arguably the most successful rugby squad in the northern hemisphere over the past few years. A united Irish soccer regime might actually produce a result for the first time since 2002, but there are a few hurdles to clear there.

This wholly off-topic digression has been brought to you by boredom and World Cup fever.

Good post, but this is the equivalent of being the best team in CUSA last year (and you can argue that the French have been better than the Irish).

[Jack]

May 25, 2010 11:48:27 GMT -5 rustyshackleford said:

May 25, 2010 9:54:08 GMT -5 Jack said:

May 25, 2010 8:33:16 GMT -5 HoyaSinceBirth said:

As for Northern Ireland and the Republic, of course that is a whole other kettle of fish, but it is notable that Ireland's rugby team, which represents an island and not a political entity, does not fly any nation's flag, and created its own anthem has been arguably the most successful rugby squad in the northern hemisphere over the past few years. A united Irish soccer regime might actually produce a result for the first time since 2002, but there are a few hurdles to clear there.

This wholly off-topic digression has been brought to you by boredom and World Cup fever.

Good post, but this is the equivalent of being the best team in CUSA last year (and you can argue that the French have been better than the Irish).

France was clearly the better side this year, I will give you that, but Ireland did manage to beat South Africa and draw Australia (admittedly in Dublin) the last time they played, so some credit is due to Northern Hemisphere rugby. Maybe winning 6 Nations is more like winning the ACC to SANZAR's Big East.