Cuba USA
a four day " athletic diplomacy " basketball camp starts today in Communist Cuba. Here is the article from the AP:
Stars such as former MVP Steve Nash and Hall of Fame inductee Dikembe Mutumbo will open a four-day training camp Thursday to wage athletic diplomacy and boost the profile of Cuba's arguably fourth most-popular sport, after baseball, boxing and soccer.
Cuba's men's team finished third in the 1972 Olympics and its women's teams dominate International Basketball Federation (FIBA) play in Latin America, but basketball has been one of the Cuban sports hardest-hit by players' departures for other countries. It's widely perceived to be at a historic low point on a national level.
That doesn't deter thousands of young Cubans from taking to street courts and abandoned lots to race between improvised hoops mounted on posts or even trees. The NBA and FIBA plan to renovate three courts as part of the four-day event.
The training camp will be aimed at top-level Cuban players as well as children and teenagers. It will feature Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder and Orlando Magic coach James Borrego, among others.
''It's magnificent that the NBA and FIBA are working on training youth and the development of this sport in our country in a way that will benefit the future of this sport at a national and international level,'' Cuban Basketball Federation Chairman Ruperto Herrera said in a statement announcing the event.
As part of his move to engage Cuba, President Barack Obama this year did away with a requirement for athletes to request U.S. government permission before heading to Cuba for a sports event. Participants in competitions and exhibitions now have blanket permission to travel to Cuba, along with 11 other categories of travelers such as academics and people participating in religious activities.
Hold on.....El Cafe Cubano calls a TECHNICAL FOUL:
but basketball has been one of the Cuban sports hardest-hit by players' departures for other countries. It's widely perceived to be at a historic low point on a national level.
Well the players DEPARTED from Cuba because of the lack of FREEDOM and to leave the lavish salaries they were making in Cuba.
TIME OUT........We will take the ball on the side.....
Now before the media starts printing stuff the next couple days of predictable stuff, I will beat them to the dunk:
-Dictator Castro was actually one the top basketball players in Cuba during the 1950's, and was known for his dunks on the island. Referees suddenly disappeared after the dictator felt that their were questionable calls. All the NBA teams were interested in him at the time and were fascinated with his baseball, tennis, badminton, golf, and volleyball skills
-Basketball was only played at the casinos in front of all the mobsters and Hollywood celebrities during the 1950's
-In 1959 a NBA expansion team was considered for Cuba:
The Cuba Casino Mobsters.....
- Cuban “myths” That Obama Has Shown To Be Reality
by José Manzanedasource La pupila insomneA cuba-news translation Since last December []2014], when President Barack Obama made public the decision to begin a dialogue with Cuba, and declared that the blockade of the island has been a failure, several...
- Historic View Of Cubans
The word "historic" is being thrown around a thousand times in regards to the opening of the embassies and the Pope's visit to Cuba. Most people are clueless in regards to Cuba, Cuban exiles, and the reality of the dictatorship in Cuba. It seems...
- Cuba News: The Cuba Issue Is Resolved
Over the last several weeks in the media, I've seen non-stop articles on how Cuba will AUTOMATICALLY change and be RESOLVED because of: *Basketball Diplomacy *Dictator Castro went to a Jesuit School and since the Pope...
-
The Dictator calls Bush a "Fool" The dictator rambles: He is very much a fool," the Cuban president said of Bush. "He doesn't know who the Cuban baseball players are, or that they are Olympic and world champions. If he knew, he would know something...
-
Exile Team Denied In World Baseball Classic The idea of a Cuban exile team came to a halt: "the commissioner's office of Major League Baseball, in agreement with the Baseball International Federation and the MLB Players' Association, said that...
Cuba USA
TECHNICAL: NBA holding camp in Cuba today
a four day " athletic diplomacy " basketball camp starts today in Communist Cuba. Here is the article from the AP:
HAVANA —
The NBA is the first U.S. professional league to visit sports-crazy Cuba since the declaration of detente between the Cold War enemies late last year.
Cuba's men's team finished third in the 1972 Olympics and its women's teams dominate International Basketball Federation (FIBA) play in Latin America, but basketball has been one of the Cuban sports hardest-hit by players' departures for other countries. It's widely perceived to be at a historic low point on a national level.
That doesn't deter thousands of young Cubans from taking to street courts and abandoned lots to race between improvised hoops mounted on posts or even trees. The NBA and FIBA plan to renovate three courts as part of the four-day event.
The training camp will be aimed at top-level Cuban players as well as children and teenagers. It will feature Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder and Orlando Magic coach James Borrego, among others.
''It's magnificent that the NBA and FIBA are working on training youth and the development of this sport in our country in a way that will benefit the future of this sport at a national and international level,'' Cuban Basketball Federation Chairman Ruperto Herrera said in a statement announcing the event.
As part of his move to engage Cuba, President Barack Obama this year did away with a requirement for athletes to request U.S. government permission before heading to Cuba for a sports event. Participants in competitions and exhibitions now have blanket permission to travel to Cuba, along with 11 other categories of travelers such as academics and people participating in religious activities.
Hold on.....El Cafe Cubano calls a TECHNICAL FOUL:
but basketball has been one of the Cuban sports hardest-hit by players' departures for other countries. It's widely perceived to be at a historic low point on a national level.
Well the players DEPARTED from Cuba because of the lack of FREEDOM and to leave the lavish salaries they were making in Cuba.
TIME OUT........We will take the ball on the side.....
Now before the media starts printing stuff the next couple days of predictable stuff, I will beat them to the dunk:
-Dictator Castro was actually one the top basketball players in Cuba during the 1950's, and was known for his dunks on the island. Referees suddenly disappeared after the dictator felt that their were questionable calls. All the NBA teams were interested in him at the time and were fascinated with his baseball, tennis, badminton, golf, and volleyball skills
-Basketball was only played at the casinos in front of all the mobsters and Hollywood celebrities during the 1950's
-In 1959 a NBA expansion team was considered for Cuba:
The Cuba Casino Mobsters.....
- Cuban “myths” That Obama Has Shown To Be Reality
by José Manzanedasource La pupila insomneA cuba-news translation Since last December []2014], when President Barack Obama made public the decision to begin a dialogue with Cuba, and declared that the blockade of the island has been a failure, several...
- Historic View Of Cubans
The word "historic" is being thrown around a thousand times in regards to the opening of the embassies and the Pope's visit to Cuba. Most people are clueless in regards to Cuba, Cuban exiles, and the reality of the dictatorship in Cuba. It seems...
- Cuba News: The Cuba Issue Is Resolved
Over the last several weeks in the media, I've seen non-stop articles on how Cuba will AUTOMATICALLY change and be RESOLVED because of: *Basketball Diplomacy *Dictator Castro went to a Jesuit School and since the Pope...
-
The Dictator calls Bush a "Fool" The dictator rambles: He is very much a fool," the Cuban president said of Bush. "He doesn't know who the Cuban baseball players are, or that they are Olympic and world champions. If he knew, he would know something...
-
Exile Team Denied In World Baseball Classic The idea of a Cuban exile team came to a halt: "the commissioner's office of Major League Baseball, in agreement with the Baseball International Federation and the MLB Players' Association, said that...