Talent in the Virgin Islands

[duncan2k5]

I think the Virgin Islands is really being overlooked in terms of NBA talent. i see ppl being drafted from Croatia, while a lot of talent is right here not too far away. Tim Duncan and Raja Bell aren't flukes. Tim Duncan was drilled like crazy by couple ppl down here (namely someone named Iceman...what a coincidence).

We currently have an ABA every summer (or as we call it, the Man League) where most of the islands best players play in a sort of regular season, with playoffs and whatnot. we already proven that we have NBA talent, yet scouts choose to ingore us most of the time.

some examples of ppl i think can make it in the NBA that are currently playing down here are:

Jahbari Brown who played for Oklahoma. he was supposed to be a 1st round draft pick, but he got mixed up with drugs couple months before the draft. i'm not saying he should be picked up...but he is just an example of ppl we have that can make it.

and there is this guy we call "mountain" i forgot his real name, but he is easily one of the most popular players down here. i SWEAR he is buily exactly like lebron, and is similarly gifted athletically. he is 6'8 and can FLY. thats nothing new, but he does have good basketball skills (can dribble, shoot, etc.), and he is a good shotblocker.

last week i was watchin the top 10 countown on the news (yes...we have a top ten, lol), and like 5 of them were his. the two best were one where he came outof nowhere to pound a shot into the seats on a fast break. then next where he had the ball on the break, and took of with EASE from the freethrow line and dunked it.

i KNOW in my heart if NBA scouts see ppl like him...they would not hesitate to give them a chance. It just frustrates me to see ppl from all over the world being drafted, some dont even get to play, while right under their noses there are ppl in the VI who are VERY good ball players.

sorry for the reant. i had to get it off my chest

[lilmads]

Caribbean has lotsa talent, I gotta agree with that... I have some frenz who play some great ball in St. Maarten but because of where we are from (such a small island) its hard to get noticed.

[boutons_]

I would have thought that Patrick Ewing would have pulled in some talent from Jamaica, but with only a few 100K more people than San Antonio, Jamaica is a tiny talent pool, where the big sports are track and football (and Cool Runnings! :) )

[El_Mago]

Look into sending some video tapes to smaller Division schools in the US.

Also, send some tapes to some smaller named agents and if it's possible, attempt to go to as many camps as possible (many scouts there) or even travel to tryouts.

If you believe in peoples games that much or if you yourself believe in your game that much....the risk is worth it....even if you have to save up and sacrafice a couple of dollars in travelling.

[ShoogarBear]

I know the Virgin Islands have some excellent local talent.

[boutons_]

Shoogs, we're talking about basketball talent.

[ShoogarBear]

:oops

[Spurologist]

Shoogs, we're talking about basketball talent.

:lmao

[duncan2k5]

me personally. im just an average ball player. someone that you would play a pick up game with. but there is something about watching someone from your island play that gives you pride. especially if they become stars. and i want to see more ppl recognized on no only my island...but the caribbean. yes i agree they should send tapes to scouits...but im sayin the same way NBA scouts to go all these foreign countries...9not a knock on the spurs of course:D) scouts can go to the VI. we have proven talent. many of those countries do not. basketball is our number 1 sport...not the same with those other countries

[boutons_]

"they should send tapes to scouits."

Are there highschool and college inter-mural leagues?

I would think good coaching and well-developed school/amateur league play that would allow for player development would come before sending tapes.

[mathbzh]

The talent concentration in the carribean island is amazing.
Many of the french players come from carribean island (Guadeloupe and Martinique)
Petro, Pietrus, Gelabale are from Guadeloupe Turiaf is from Martinique.

[wildbill2u]

The problem is many sided.

1. The population of the islands is so small that the liklihood of a lot of NBA talent being located there is equally small. The demographics are against a large pool of NBA talent.

2.As a result, the USVI isn't drawing many scouts except on vacations. Probably the first time that the USVI athletes got much exposure to NBA coaches or scouts was when the Spurs held their mini-camp there last summer.

3. USVI has few high-schools and only one small university. I don't even know if they have a team--but you almost have to have quality college level playing experience to make it into the NBA. The jump from high school or playgrounds is so difficult that the number who could do it is miniscule.

3. The high schools aren't highly rated and have a high drop out rate. I'm sure some of the better athletes don't finish or qualify for mainland schools academically. It's not that the USVI athlete can't compete academically, but he has a lot going against him. If he doesn't finish school or finishes with a poor academic record, then his chances of going on to a college on the mainland are greatly diminished--just as they are with some of the athletes on the US mainland.

[MrChug]

^^^Yeah, I hate the reality but the fact is that that's only 2 stars out of thousands of aspiring basketball players from the V.I. Hell, you've got us beat..Mexico's only got Eduardo Najera :lmao

[GrandeDavid]

I hear you, bro. I feel the same way about Brazil although the circumstances are different. Brazil has many, many athletes who could make it big time in the NBA, however, most of those guys play soccer.

[duncan2k5]

well the thing is...we have players good enough to go to college from high school...but like i said that too is a couting problem. its almost as if you have to go to the US for high school (like raja bell did) and not many ppl can or want to do that. and yes we do have an amateur league (ABA). the league is mostly comprised of local players who went away for college and came back for the summer, or players who just finished and came back home.

my main arguement is that the NBA proven talent we already produced (David Vanterpool played for wizards, Timmy, Raja, and Jahbari Brown was months away from being drafted 1st round, but got in trouble) in such a short span of time whould warrant NBA scouts coming down here instead of travelling to places where ppl dont even speak english. i mean...come on. and all that talent is only from the Virgin Islands...not to talk about the other caribbean islands that produced NBA talent.

[duncan2k5]

there are some families where their children are actually BRED (like the one i talked about in my first post) to play basketball. everyone in some families play ball. and many of you may disagree with me...but it's my opinion that young ppl here are more serious about basketball than young ppl in the US. when i was in the US, i would go to the street courts and all ppl cared about was flashiness and AND 1 moves. down here ppl dont really go crazy over that stuff. if you go in a pick up game doing all that...most likely you wont be playing again. so its not like we are just a bunch of kinds dancing around with a basketball. like i said it is our #1 sport...not soccer like most places. and most of us have SERIOUS competitive streak. Raja is a perfect example...and you would have seen it in Jahbari had he not meessed up. You can see it in timmy too...but he is waaaaaay more reserved that many ppl:D thats why you would see me on here now and then ranting about different things...we are a passionate bunch meeeeeen. can't really help it sometimes

[polandprzem]

Yea in Poland there is also many talented guys but they have no chance to develop...
:((