Belize Basketball NT

[stuart]

http://www.fibaamerica.com/noticiasread4_us.asp?r=JAOVFOETIQ&t=MIUYOLWTIU

Belice with high expectations for COCABA Championship
BELICE - Belize started their practices with high expectations for the 2009 COCABA Championship to be played from August 10-14 in Cancun, Mexico.

The team, led by guard Milt Palacio, has a lot of desire to win the COCABA Championship which is a qualifier for the 2010 Centrobasket Tournament.

Palacio played for seven years in the NBA and had career averages of 4.8 points and 2.5 assists in 470 games. He also has experience in Serbia and Russia.

Their best performance was a Gold Medal in the 1998 CARICOM Tournament led by Palacio.

Other key players are Alex Carcamo who has experience in Korea, Israel and Argentina. Also Marlon Garnett along with Keenan Jourdon who played in Mexico and Puerto Rico.

"Panama and Mexico, they are the toughest teams in this tournament. So they’ll be tough but we gotta go out there and play hard. Being a pretty small team, we gotta go out there and really scrap and really be aggressive and just leave it all on the floor,” said Palacio.

Belize is in Group B along with Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama.

[JGX]

Latest news from Belize is that they were told they could only use one out of seven players whose nationalities were questioned. They have protested this and will play their games with all their players. The head of FIBA-Americas will arrive on Wednesday and rule on their protest.

I would like to hear the details here, as far as I know all their players were born in Belize or have Belizean parents, it's nothing unusual for Americas teams to field players that are eligible through their parents, with all the shady stuff going on in Africa and Asia it's odd that they're getting picked on.

[stuart]

Latest news from Belize is that they were told they could only use one out of seven players whose nationalities were questioned. They have protested this and will play their games with all their players. The head of FIBA-Americas will arrive on Wednesday and rule on their protest.

I would like to hear the details here, as far as I know all their players were born in Belize or have Belizean parents, it's nothing unusual for Americas teams to field players that are eligible through their parents, with all the shady stuff going on in Africa and Asia it's odd that they're getting picked on.

Is there any printed details of this? I would love to write about this for the frontpage.

Stuart

[stuart]

Kenny Stokes

http://www.orugoldeneagles.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=204772372&DB_OEM_ID=17000

Stokes Set to Begin Play for Belize at COCABA Championships
Kyron Stokes in playing for Belize in the COCABA Basketball Championships.

TULSA—Oral Roberts University’s Kyron Stokes and the Belize National Team open play on Monday against Nicaragua at the 2009 COCABA Basketball Championships in Cancun, Mexico. The tournament runs through August 14.

Stokes, a rising sophomore at ORU, is eligible for the Belizean team because his parents were born in Belize. Stokes is joined on the team by his uncle and six-year NBA veteran Milt Palacio, among others.

This regional-qualifying tournament is the first of four possible steps that national teams have to place in qualifying for the 2012 Olympics in London. The eight teams participating in this tournament are hosts México, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala, Belize, and Nicaragua.

The teams that place first, second or third place in COCABA will move onto the 2010 Centrobasket Tournament which is a qualifier for the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship. Depending on their successes in the latter tournaments, they could qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

Already, five teams have qualified for the 2010 Centrobasket Tournament - Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Jamaica, British Virgin Islands and Cuba.

As freshman at ORU, Stokes appeared in 30 of 31 games with nine starts. He averaged 7.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. The 6-5 swingman scored a career-high 18 points against Louisiana-Lafayette, and had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in a loss at No. 1 North Carolina.

[JGX]

Is there any printed details of this? I would love to write about this for the frontpage.

No printed details, I listened to an online radio station from Belize and that is what they reported on their news.

FIBA-Americas have to post something eventually, also both http://www.channel5belize.com and http://7newsbelize.com post transcripts of their nightly news, so there should be more details coming.

[stuart]

No printed details, I listened to an online radio station from Belize and that is what they reported on their news.

FIBA-Americas have to post something eventually, also both http://www.channel5belize.com and http://7newsbelize.com post transcripts of their nightly news, so there should be more details coming.

Yah, I scanned those sites... let me know if you come up with anything.

Stuart

[alermac]

Alex Carcamo played last season in Argentina's second division, and really excelled. He was voted as MVP of the league, but sadly he choked a little bit in the playoffs and his team didn't earn a promotion. He's really quick for a PF, and showed good shooting, dribbling and post-up skills.

[stuart]

Belize could forfeit

http://www.interbasket.net/news/3313/2009/08/10/belize-wins-in-cocaba-despite-questions-of-eligibility/

The day before the Belizean basketball team were to participate in their first CoCaBa tournament match, FIBA officials have questioned the eligibilities of several of their players.

Prior to the match, FIBA informed the squad from Central America that they could use only one out of the seven players whose nationalities were being questioned.

Belize protested FIBA’s decision, and they were allowed to play their first game against Nicaragua with all their players... more...

[JGX]

http://www.channel5belize.com/

Paul Thompson, President, B.B.F.
“Fifteen minutes before game time we are told that of the seven players that are in question, two of those players will be able to play; Milton Palacio and Alex Carcamo based on the fact that they had played in 1998 and that they are going against their rule. But based on the fact, they are going to allow them and they are also going to allow Marlon Garnett based on the naturalization act. So he will play as a naturalized player. So that is where we stand right now. Of the seven players they only want three of them playing.”

Godfrey Smith, Attorney
“Having reviewed the documentation, there is no evidence that they are quarrelling with our interpretation of the law. What there is, is that they have automatically assumed that all the players are Belizeans by naturalization, which means that they didn’t look at the certificates of registration that were sent to them because it’s clear that they are Belizeans by descent. So no, there is no quarrel. They’re not saying well under the laws they can't play. They were assuming that the boys were naturalized and they are saying under FIBA regulations only one can play. It’s simple responses, they’re not naturalized Belizeans, they are Belizeans by descent. The local arm of FIBA has tried to avoid grappling with the issue. They have been saying that look it’s up to Geneva Switzerland to make the decision, they are waiting and we ought to have gotten a response by this morning and we didn’t.”

William Neal
“Have you received anything stamped by FIBA saying exactly the guys don’t qualify?”

Paul Thompson
“Well at this point at the gym we have not received a letter; no we haven’t.”

William Neal
“What are the four players that are still in question at this point?”

Paul Thompson
“At this point the four players are Herbert Allen, Dakin Braddick, Kenan Jordan, and Tyrone Stokes. We will go ahead and play under protest and we will play with all our players because if they are going to allow one of the guys to play that was in question, then that erases the rule automatically. They have to allow all. If they would have said they allowed one player, then we would have understood but now they are saying three of that can play. I don’t understand why they are doing this.”

As was mentioned in the interviews, Team Belize is playing under protest until FIBA makes a ruling regarding the status of Herbert Allen, Dakin Braddick, Kenan Jordan, and Tyrone Stokes.

[Mojado]

http://www.interbasket.net/news/3313/2009/08/10/belize-wins-in-cocaba-despite-questions-of-eligibility/

Poor handling of such a situation, shame on FIBA Americas for this...I'm afraid that my fellow countrymen were scared of the Belizean team...cowards.

Another prime example how different FIBA rules on teams.Countries like the Philippines and Lebanon have diaspora too, same goes BTW for Mexico who are having Earl Watson, Lorenzo Mata, Rommel Beck, Adam Parada, Ray Castillo and Anthony Pedroza on the roster...all of them born and raised in the U.S. like the players mentioned on Belize's team.

[Bzefan]

http://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=14738

FIBA Cries Foul
posted (August 10, 2009)
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We’ll have some game highlights later on. But first, to the game behind the game –one Belize almost lost today – and in fact, could still lose – a game in which Belize almost got played by FIBA Headquarters in Switzerland.

As we mentioned in our Friday night newscast – on Thursday, the FIBA Secretary General in Switzerland Patrick Bauman sent the Belize Basketball Federation a letter indicating that seven of the players were ineligible to play. Those seven are the Belizean Americans, all of them not born in Belize – but born to Belizean parents.


FIBA wrongly determined that they are naturalized citizens, even when the constitution of Belize makes it clear that anyone born to a Belizean parent anywhere in the world is a Belizean by descent. Now, FIBA rules are that only one naturalized citizen can be on any national team – and by their misreading(!) of the Belize constitution, we had seven. Wrong! But they make the rules and so....Belize’s team left for Cancun on Sunday under a cloud of uncertainty.

The matter was still not resolved at a technical meeting last night in Cancun at which Belize’s position was explained by attorney Godfrey Smith who was asked to accompany the team. After that meeting, he told Keith swift what he tried to explain to the Mexican organizers.


Godfrey Smith, Attorney Belize Basketball Federation
“The organizers here are saying that the final decision will still rest with headquarters in Geneva. As you know, the issue is it appears that therye’ questioning a number of players in the basis that they are naturalized Belizeans and under FIBA internal regulations, each national team is only allowed one naturalized player. As you know, the players are not naturalized players, they are players who have their nationality by descent by virtue of having their parents being Belizeans.”
“It seems to me that the person in charge that the person who is responsible to make the decisions on eligibility of players has not been paying attention to the issue because the certificates of nationality of all the players have been sent to the proper authorities and if they spent a moment to look at it they would see that it doesn’t say nationality by naturalization, it says clearly nationality by descent.”
"The constitution of Belize says it doesn’t matter if you’re born outside of Belize prior to Independence or after Independence provided that your parents are Belizeans. So they are Belizeans udne3t the law. And that dopes not conflict with FIBA regulation. FIBA Regulations allow for it. The issue is over the question of naturalization. As I said it’s clear beyond any doubt whatsoever that the gentlemen are not Belizeans by naturalization.”

But Smith’s breath was wasted with the tournament organizers because, again, the decisions are made in Switzerland. And so all of this morning in Cancun the team’s management waited for word for Switzerland and none came. Assuming no news is good news they went ahead to the Poliforum Benito Juarez to get ready for the game which had a 1:00 pm tip-off time. The team was already on the court well into its pre-game warm-up when lead tournament organizer Enrique Basulta showed up with a list saying which players could and couldn’t play. He arbitrarily included Milton Palacio and Alex Carcamo – who had been earlier been ruled ineligible by FIBA.

The Team’s management led by President of the Basketball Federation Paul Thompson objected vehemently, arguing that the team determines its roster, not the tournament organizers - and it’s either that all will play or none will play. Now all this was unfolding just minutes before the game....

With pressure mounting and the 1:00 pm tip off time having passed, the organizers agreed to let the game play under protest, and the organizers warned Belize that even if it plays and wins, all of the results can end up not counting – and even if it wins, it can be stripped of the championship if it turns out that the payers are indeed ineligible.

Of course, they aren’t; all are Belizeans either by birth or descent and are all eligible – in fact two of the players whose nationality is being challenged, Milton Palacio and Alex Carcamo have played for Belize before in multiple FIBA-sanctioned tournaments.
That point that has been made formally to FIBA in a four page official letter from the Government’s Legal Advisor, Gian Ghandi.


But so far to no avail – and the battle over eligibility is still unsettled as Belize prepares for its second game Guatemala which will tip off at two pm tomorrow from Cancun. Incredibly, checks this afternoon showed that Belize’s name and the schedule for all the games has been removed from the tournament website which is hosted by FIBA. That indicates to us that none of the results will count even if the games are played.

Again, very disturbing – but we confirmed late this evening that the Prime Minister will personally call the FIBA Secretary General to outline the position. He will also ask the Ambassador To the European Union Joy Grant to try to bring the matter to a suitable resolution. We’ll keep you posted.

[JGX]

Watching the morning show again, Belize assistant coach says they're playing the entire tournament.

[ankle breaker]

Alex Carcamo played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as an import in 2005-2006 Fiesta Conference for Coca-Cola Tigers. He was ok but he didn't last long because he was replaced.

[studhendricks]

Belize scares the mexicans organizers and fiba

What is there to rule on FIBA? Shame on you! Are you saying that the Belizean players don't know who their parents are? These guys were all borned to Belizean parents for crying out loud. Finally Belize has decided to put it's best foot forward to face off against the so-call powerhouse of Central America and look what happens. Poor mexicans...they are afraid that Belize whip them....and whip them badly...like we did to Guatemala today. Quein es el papa gallo ahora...cobardes!

[Lewis]

Quein

I think you mean: "quien"