Blazers add British Player to roster

[Rastapopoulos]

...no, not Joel Freeland, Dante Cunningham!

(Okay, so the heading is intentionally misleading. Technically the player is already on the roster. But apparently he's now British!)

 

[oldmangrouch]

Great. Another player who won't be able to play in road games against the Suns!

What the heck...it might be good experience for him.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Great. Another player who won't be able to play in road games against the Suns!

But don't you know that Mad Dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun?

 

[Nikolokolus]

Wasn't Dante an army/airforce brat or something? I'm guessing he must have been born in Merry Ole England where ever his dad was stationed. interesting.

 

[BrianFromWA]

Man, the Brits are going all-out trying to field a semi-competitive team for the 2012 Olympics. So we could have 3 Olympians on our roster (4 if Freeland comes over!).

Suck that, Utah!

 

[handiman]

What's it say for Dante's tryout that the article is dated 2 years ago and we're just now hearing about it?

 

[VanillaGorilla]

What's it say for Dante's tryout that the article is dated 2 years ago and we're just now hearing about it?

Yeah that is what I was wondering.

 

[BrianFromWA]

dunno, but it says on this blog that he doesn't have his passport yet.

Maybe his grandparents were British, but his parents are both American citizens and both career Air Force who ended up at the highest enlisted rank you can get. Wonder how they feel about their boy taking an oath and/or playing for another country? He was born in MD and lived in Ramstein, Germany (like me!) when he was little, not England. Then again, his mom's name is Searcy Blankenship, which to my untrained ears sounds vaguely British.

 

[hasoos]

All sorts of players from over here go play on the British team every year. Remember, you can have dual citizenship.

 

[Blazer_Hippie]

This is downright unamerican. Between this treasonous wanna-be Brit and Brandon's disrespect of the anthem, I'm starting to think the Trail Blazers are just a front for Al Queda.

 

[jlprk]

The article says, it will be a great worldwide forum for Dante, trying out for the UK Olympics basketball team, which itself will try out to become one of the Olympic teams. I thought, he's already in the NBA, a bigger forum. Then I saw the comment dates.

Rasta, you created the irrelevant thread, so now it's your responsibility to tell us what happened. Did he make the final team? I doubt it, since I've never seen this on his resume. Did the team make it to the Olympics? (UK? Am I kidding myself?)

 

[jlprk]

Correction: The April 2008 article is before the 2008 Olympics, yet says he's trying out for what will become the 2012 Olympics. Now I'm even more confused.

 

[axs88]

Correction: The April 2008 article is before the 2008 Olympics, yet says he's trying out for what will become the 2012 Olympics. Now I'm even more confused.

Britain is automatically qualified for the Olympics since London's hosting it. Of course they didn't qualify for 2008. Ever since London won the right to host the 2012 games (I think back in 2006?), they have been trying hard to assemble a good team.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I don't think that's correct. THey had to win qualifying tournaments last year to get into EuroBasket DIvision A.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/basketball/7592398.stm Despite their host nation status, Britain's basketball players are not guaranteed a place at London 2012
In order to reach the Games, governing body Fiba say they must qualify for the 2009 or 2011 European Ch'ships
Qualification for the 2009 Euros rests on September's six-game, four-team EuroBasket group
If GB win their group or finish as one of the three best second-placed teams, they qualify
Failing that, the next six teams play off for one remaining qualification place in early 2009
If Britain are relegated from EuroBasket Division A, they can no longer reach London 2012

 

[axs88]

I don't think that's correct. THey had to win qualifying tournaments last year to get into EuroBasket DIvision A.

Oh, OK, thanks for clearing that up.