Woods out of woods but team isn’t

Despite playing once for the US national team at the 1997 World University Games, naturalized player and 7-2 NBA veteran Loren Woods would’ve been eligible to suit up for Lebanon at the 27th FIBA-Asia Championships here on Aug. 1-11 but the problem is the national team has been disqualified.

FIBA barred Lebanon from participating in any competition sanctioned by the world governing body last July 11 while the Jones Cup was in progress in Taipei. The Jones Cup isn’t FIBA-sanctioned so Lebanon could play in the tournament with or without FIBA clearance. But the Lebanese team didn’t care to play any longer after learning of the suspension and in fact, defaulted its final game against Iran last Sunday. Whether Lebanon should’ve gone on to play or not is a matter of principle subject to debate. Organizers of the Jones Cup, by the way, withdrew their invitation for the Philippines to compete because of a political issue unrelated to sport.

FIBA suspended Lebanon “for serious infringement of the FIBA General Statutes and all principles under which the Olympic sports movement is founded” after concluding that the Lebanese federation “is not properly armed to face political interferences and solve sporting disputes within its own structures.” FIBA said “it has been informed of allegations of wrong-doings and political pressure leading a number of federation officials to resign.”

There was speculation that the ban is for four years but Lebanese national team manager Georges Kelzi said it may be lifted at any time if the federation complies with the requirements set by FIBA to prove independence from government interference and the ability to administer functions with transparency and integrity.

“Until proper structures and statutes are put into place to ensure the basic activities, such as holding of a national championship, of the national federation can be carried out smoothly, with proper regulations and without political interference, the Lebanese Basketball Federation shall not be re-admitted with full rights as a member of FIBA or be allowed to participate in international basketball competitions,” said FIBA in a press release from Mies, Switzerland.

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Doubts on Woods’ eligibility were rendered academic by the suspension. Under the FIBA rule that a player may suit up for just one national team ever, Woods’ eligibility to play for Lebanon would’ve been subject to question.

Former Asian Basketball Confederation secretary-general and local organizing committee deputy chief executive officer Moying Martelino said that Woods would not be eligible to play for Lebanon if the 1997 tournament he played in for the US was under FIBA authority.

“The FIBA rule is clear that a player may play for only one country with a national team in a FIBA tournament,” said Martelino. “In Woods’ case, he played for the US at the Universiade in 1997. The Universiade is an international competition that is recognized by the International Olympic Committee but not sanctioned by the different international sports federations like FIBA. If the Universiade is FIBA-sanctioned, then Woods will be allowed to play for only the US national team throughout his career. But since it isn’t FIBA-sanctioned, Woods would’ve been eligible to play for Lebanon at the FIBA-Asia Championships.”

Martelino said if a player acquires a second citizenship and has suited up for a previous national team in a FIBA-sanctioned tournament, he will be allowed to play for his new or second country only at the club level in a FIBA competition. Martelino added that FIBA views the Universiade as a school-based tournament and while players are chosen to make up a national team, they represent their colleges or universities.

In 1997, Woods played on the US team that won the Universiade gold medal. He represented Wake Forest University. His teammates included former PBA import Ansu Sesay of Mississippi, Earl Boykins of Eastern Michigan, Corey Brewer of Oklahoma, Greg Buckner of Clemson, Bryce Drew of Valparaiso, Jerry Hester of Illinois, Scott Padgett of Kentucky, Brian Skinner of Baylor, Curtis Staples of Virginia and Kenny Thomas of New Mexico. Staples was in Manila in 2001 to try out for the PBA but couldn’t land a team despite being shopped around by agent Danny Espiritu.

In Woods’ basketball resume, there is mention that he was on the US U-18 team in 1996 but a check on FIBA records showed that he never played in the FIBA Americas U-18 Championships in either 1994 or 1998 and no tournament was held in 1996.

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Woods, 35, is a 260-pound center who played for Minnesota, Miami, Toronto and Houston in a six-year NBA journey. He was the Timberwolves’ second round pick in the 2001 NBA draft. Woods began his NCAA career at Wake Forest and wound up at Arizona. He’s in the record books as one of only six players ever to register at least 14 blocked shots in a US collegiate game. Woods swatted away 14 shots in an Arizona game against Oregon in 2000. Two others in the elite list of six are NBA veterans David Robinson and Shawn Bradley.

Woods follows in the footsteps of past Lebanese naturalized players Joe Vogel, former PBA import Jackson Vroman, Sam Hoskin, Garnett Thompson and Reyshawn Terry. Lebanon has also enlisted dual citizens like 6-10 NBA veteran North Dakota-born Matt Freije of Vanderbilt and 6-9 Dallas-born Brian Beshara of Louisiana State to beef up the national squad.

Woods is a globe-trotting player who had stops in Turkey, Spain, Lithuania and Iran before settling as a naturalized citizen in Lebanon. He acquired a Lebanese passport two years ago. In 2010, Woods led Mahram of Iran to the FIBA-Asia Club title in Doha and the next year, he moved to Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut of Lebanon which captured the same crown in Manila. Woods played as an import in both championships. This past season, he averaged 14.4 points, 11.7 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots in 35 games for Al Riyadi in the Lebanese league. Woods shot at a lofty .619 from the field and .632 from the line.

Lebanon would’ve competed in Manila with Ghassan Sarkis, 55, as head coach. He piloted Lebanon to three straight FIBA-Asia Clubs titles and coached the national team in 2003 then took it over again two years ago. Aside from Woods, Sarkis’ other reliables would’ve been 6-7, 34-year-old star Fadi El Khatib, 6-4 Elie Estephane of Alabama Southern Community College and 6-6 Jean Abdel Nour. El Khatib, who had tryouts with the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers, remains Lebanon’s main man, averaging 26.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the local league this year. He hit .534 from the field, .370 from three-point range and .785 from the stripe.