NBA veteran inquires about naturalization

A 7-3 former Los Angeles Clippers center who broke David Robinson’s collegiate record in blocked shots is in the list of foreign players inquiring from the SBP about naturalization to gain eligibility for the Philippine national team.

SBP executive director Noli Eala said the other day Keith Closs has expressed interest in playing as a naturalized citizen after reading of plans to recruit “imports” in the Internet.

Enlisting a single naturalized player for the national team is allowed by FIBA and is now a widely-accepted global practice. Among the players who were naturalized to suit up for national teams were Hakeem Olajuwon (US), Ricky Grace (Australia), J. R. Holden (Russia), J. R. Henderson and Dan Weiss (Japan), Rasheim Wright (Jordan) and Joe Vogel (Lebanon).

Closs, 32, signed an $8.5 million contract to play for the Clippers in 1997 and averaged 3.9 points in 130 games over three years. This past season, he led the NBDL in blocked shots with a 2.8 clip in 49 games for the Tulsa 66ers. 

In 1995-96, Closs was the NCAA Division I’s top shot blocker with a 6.4 average, eclipsing Robinson’s record of 5.9. In only two years at Central Connecticut State, Closs set a new NCAA mark in career blocked shots with a 5.9 norm, shattering Robinson’s record of 5.2.

Los Angeles Lakers legend Jerry West described Closs as “an instinctive shot blocker (who) also runs the floor well and has great hands and great feet.”

Closs was recently in China on a playing tour with the Santa Barbara Breakers of the West Coast Pro Basketball League. The oldest of six children, Closs is a former Harlem Globetrotter.

Eala named two other foreign cagers who contacted the SBP about the possibility of naturalization. They were 6-9 Gentry Lewis of Delta State and 7-foot Deng D’Awol of Wayland Baptist.

Lewis, 27, has played as an import in Poland, Turkey, Montenegro, Italy, Norway, Slovenia, Syria and Saudi Arabia. This year, he averaged 23 points and 15 rebounds for Al Nahda in the Saudi Arabian league.

D’Awol, 31, saw action for Al Wakrah in Qatar, averaging 14 points and 12 rebounds this past season. He was born in Sudan and now lives in New York.

Eala said the SBP is open to recruiting a foreigner as a naturalized player but left it up to newly appointed national coaching consultant Rajko Toroman of Serbia to decide on the matter.

“If we get a naturalized player, he should be around 26 or 27 so he could be at his peak for the 2012 London Olympics,” said Eala. “He would be an experienced player who can grow with the team, someone who can work with coach Toroman. We want a team player, not necessarily a great individual player – maybe a European who is familiar with the FIBA game.”

If a foreign player applies for naturalization, he will undergo the necessary process to acquire Filipino citizenship. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin personally signed the naturalization papers of Holden, an American, to make him eligible for the national team in the European Championships and the recent Olympics.

Toroman is forming the Philippine team that will wear the national colors in the SEABA Championships next May. Toroman’s squad is distinct from the PBA all-star selection being formed by Yeng Guiao for the FIBA-Asia Championships in Yangzhou, China, in August.

Toroman has invited 38 collegiate and high school players to try out for the national team starting next Monday. A three-day camp will be held to trim the candidates list to 18. Chot Reyes, Norman Black, Eric Altamirano and Allan Gregorio were among the local coaches invited to help out Toroman.

Ateneo’s Chris Tiu and La Salle’s Rico Maierhofer are expected to head the cast for the tryouts. Others joining the camp include 6-11 Greg Slaughter from Cebu, Ateneo’s Rabeh Al Hussaini, Jonathan Pareno, San Beda’s Sam Ekwe, 5-11 Joey Deas of Rockhurst University in Kansas City and 6-7 Terrell Theophile of St. Gregory’s University in Oklahoma. 

Eala said he contacted ex-PBA import Bobby Parks about the availability of his 16-year-old, 6-4 Fil-Am son Ray, now playing in Memphis. He said another prospect is 6-6 Fil-Italian forward Nico Monacini.