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ALTHOUGH SAN Antonio Spurs forward Devin Vassell recently declared his willingness to represent Jamaica’s national basketball team, President of the Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA) Paulton Gordon said there are still some hurdles to clear before they can assemble the full complement of international stars aspiring to represent the country.
Other players such as Scottie Barnes, Isaiah Stewart, Amen and Ausar Thompson, Norman Powell, and Josh Minott have either started their passport and citizenship processes or have committed themselves to representing the Caribbean nation.
However, FIBA rules state that players who obtained their passport after age 16 can still play but would be considered as “naturalised” players by FIBA rather than local players, and FIBA allows only one naturalised player to be on the roster of a national team per game.
Although the restriction remains a major obstacle, Gordon pointed out that it is not going to change anytime soon, and that the most important thing is that the players complete their documentation, so the association can present their appeals to FIBA.
“A lot of people have indicated they want to play for Jamaica. But a lot of them haven’t started the process in terms of their citizenship and passport. So until they get that, we can’t take it any further in terms of any form of appeal to FIBA,” he told The Gleaner.
Players such as the Thompson twins, Norman Powell and Josh Minott have either started or completed their documentation, and it is expected that Vassell will start his very shortly as well,
“We are looking at Devin Vassell of the San Antonio Spurs. He came out and said that (he wants to represent Jamaica) and other persons.
“But they are just starting their process, and with the FIBA rules there are a number of hurdles to clear.
“So we really want to focus on identifying the players who are healthy at this point in time. The next (international) window is November. It’s very unlikely that we will get some of these additonal players for that window.
“Also, a lot of the players in the NBA will be active in November, and that is why we want to have as wide a pool as possible playing internationally and in Jamaica domestically. So we want as big a pool as possible so we can be prepared for the various qualifying windows.
“But unless we have their documents, we can’t send anything to the governing body. So we can’t do any appeal unless we have their documentation, their citizenship and passports.
“There are a couple players we spoke to FIBA about and sent information on. But the process is, you get the documentation, put all the information together regarding eligibility, and that is when we appeal to FIBA,” he said.
However, JaBA and other national federations want more than just one of these prized players per tournament, and will continue to advocate for the rule change, although he expects it to take some time.
“There are some countries that are adamant that it has to go. I don’t see any adjustment to that rule immediately.
“But although the rule is there, when you appeal there are no issues. All of these players can play, whether or not, it’s only that you can only use one of these players per tournament.
“But we are not focused on that now because we know it’s a long-term goal, with the appeals and the change of rule from FIBA,” he said.
English (US) ·