Global games

[OldPony]

What are the Global Games? Are they televised? Do people try out for these teams? Or is it more like a national pick up game?

[LA_Mustang]

Its Donnie Nelson's baby. He started it a few years back to get the top 17-20 year old players from around the world to Dallas for a week of games. Here's the DMN article.

By DAMON L. SAYLES / The Dallas Morning News

Michael Sorrell remembers the inaugural Global Games in 2000. It was a fresh, new idea with outstanding potential for basketball growth.

It also was about as popular to fans as day-old oatmeal.

"If you walked by [SMU's] Moody Coliseum, we tried to grab you to come in," Sorrell said. "We didn't even charge for tickets that first year."

Sorrell, the Global Games executive director, and his staff had a little more than a month that year to turn an international basketball experiment into a world-class event. And while attendance wasn't great in 2000, the seed was planted.

The Global Games, featuring the world's best 21-and-under basketball players, will celebrate its fifth anniversary this week at Moody Coliseum. The event has been like Sorrell's adopted child.

And he's enjoying watching his baby grow up.

"I am a basketball junkie, and to be a part of an event of what basketball has become – a global sport – and to see it take root in Dallas, it's incredible," Sorrell said.

The Global Games kick off today and run through July 3. Nine teams and more than 140 of the top international junior players have been selected to compete.

The concept, Sorrell said, was one of Mavericks president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson's plans to help introduce young international talent to the country. Sorrell said Nelson came to the original Dallas 2012 Olympics committee with the vision.

"We rolled up our sleeves and went to work from there," Sorrell said. "Donnie's the dean of international basketball and the godfather of the Global Games. Nobody did more to nurture it than he did."

Nelson holds the title of honorary chairman for the event. He, like other Global Games spectators in previous years, has watched some of the most talented players blossom – some to the ultimate level of professional basketball.

In four years, the Global Games has seen Yao Ming, Carlos Boozer and former Lincoln standout Chris Bosh go from prep school caterpillars to NBA butterflies. Yao, a 2001 Global Games alum, was the NBA's No. 1 draft pick in 2002.

Bosh was the No. 4 pick in last year's draft. Boozer was added this month to play for the 2004 U.S. Olympic team. Darko Milicic, the No. 2 pick behind LeBron James last year, was a 17-year-old for Yugoslavia in the 2002 Global Games. He now has a championship ring with the Pistons.

The event has emerged into an Olympic-type atmosphere. NCAA coaches like the concept of having their young players compete for top international honors while polishing their games.

"It gives them a chance to wear a jersey with USA on it. To every young man, that's a great honor, and it's exciting," said Oregon assistant coach Scott Duncan, who along with head coach Ernie Kent has watched three Oregon players in the Global Games and will see four more this year.

"Basketball's become such a global sport, and there's even more pride when you wear that USA jersey against someone from another country. It's like a younger Olympics," Duncan said.

Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt also likes the event. With four Georgia Tech signees from the 2004 group, Hewitt will have coached the most Global Games alums, 11, and he has noticed the improvement in his players.

Of the 14 roster players on a Georgia Tech team that reached the Final Four last season, five have played in the Global Games, including standout guard Jarrett Jack and talented forward Isma'il Muhammad.

"I know it really helped Isma'il Muhammad his first year," Hewitt said. "It builds confidence and shows them how the game's intensity increases from high school to college. Look at where Chris Bosh is now. Look at the player Jarrett Jack is becoming."

This year's Global Games will include teams from China, Serbia, Montenegro, Canada and Puerto Rico. Collin County Community College coach Jim Sigona will be the head coach for Team USA, which includes Lincoln's Byron Eaton and 2004 graduates Jeremis Smith (Fort Worth Dunbar) and Brent Hackett (Fort Worth Southwest).

Seagoville guard Donald Sloan is an alternate. His former teammate, Texas signee LaMarcus Aldridge, was on the original roster but will not play because of an injury.

The Global Games Prep team, featuring several of the state's best incoming high school seniors, will compete in exhibitions against the Chinese Junior National team and a Global Games participant to be determined.

In addition, the Chinese National team, featuring the 7-5 Yao, will play an exhibition schedule that coincides with the Global Games schedule. The team, which is in the area training for the Olympics, will play three exhibition games, including two against the Mavericks' summer league team.

"This is going to be the best event we've had," Sorrell had. "Presale tickets are up three to fivefold from the past. It usually takes any startup business three to five years to take shape, and we are the quintessential startup business."

E-mail dsayles@dallasnews.com

[LA_Mustang]

This year's Global Games will include teams from China, Serbia, Montenegro, Canada and Puerto Rico. Collin County Community College coach Jim Sigona will be the head coach for Team USA, which includes Lincoln's Byron Eaton and 2004 graduates Jeremis Smith (Fort Worth Dunbar) and Brent Hackett (Fort Worth Southwest).

Seagoville guard Donald Sloan is an alternate. His former teammate, Texas signee LaMarcus Aldridge, was on the original roster but will not play because of an injury.

The Global Games Prep team, featuring several of the state's best incoming high school seniors, will compete in exhibitions against the Chinese Junior National team and a Global Games participant to be determined.

In addition, the Chinese National team, featuring the 7-5 Yao, will play an exhibition schedule that coincides with the Global Games schedule. The team, which is in the area training for the Olympics, will play three exhibition games, including two against the Mavericks' summer league team.

"This is going to be the best event we've had," Sorrell had. "Presale tickets are up three to fivefold from the past. It usually takes any startup business three to five years to take shape, and we are the quintessential startup business."

[OldPony]

Thanks for the articles. How are the US players chosen? Since it seems to be weighted toward Texas players and I don't see any real top 20 (national) or so HS players mentioned, it appears to be a fledgling event for the US anyway which doesn't draw much interest outside of Dallas. Are the other nation's players chosen differentrly or is Reay say asked to play for NZ because he is in Dallas? IE Do the other nations send teams or do they fill teams from nationals already here in the US? Am I getting this wrong?
I saw no mention of TV though I read the article quickly.

[Hoop Fan]

OP, I think the Chris Reay deal is completely different. He went to NZ to tryout for their Olympic team because his dad was born there. The Global Games attracts what I think would be called Junior National teams. These would be the pre-elite teams in their countries, not their national or Olympic teams. Its a pretty credible event though, as you can tell by the players such as Darko Milicec who have played in it. Last year was a World Championships year. The US sent its team of all stars to compete at the Global Games before they went to Europe weeks later to play for the World Championship. That team included Chris Duhon, Paul Davis, Dee Brown and Deron Williams. I dont think the US committee would have sent its team to the Globals if the competition wasnt legit. There was also a second US team last year basically a high school all-star team, mainly from Texas but not all. In essence, there were two different US uniformed teams last year.

No tv, I am sure. Speaking of, I dont even think the World Championships get any coverage that I know of in the States.

[Prof X]

Thanks for the articles. How are the US players chosen? Since it seems to be weighted toward Texas players and I don't see any real top 20 (national) or so HS players mentioned, it appears to be a fledgling event for the US anyway which doesn't draw much interest outside of Dallas. Are the other nation's players chosen differentrly or is Reay say asked to play for NZ because he is in Dallas? IE Do the other nations send teams or do they fill teams from nationals already here in the US? Am I getting this wrong?
I saw no mention of TV though I read the article quickly.

For the first Global Games, the players were selected in a simple fashion. Donnie Nelson got several college coaches he was friends with to send their incoming recruits to participate. So the first US Global team consisted of the incoming recruiting classes for UT (Boddicker, Klotz, Mouton, Ivey, Thomas), Missouri (Ricky Paulding, Arthur Johnson, Travon Bryant,) and Oregon (Luke Ridnour, Luke Jackson,) and a few others. It was actually a pretty strong group, and they faired very well. Since then, they have widened the invitations to other schools, but they still heavily favor kids going to Texas schools, or coming from Texas high schools. SMU has had several players in the games, and recruits going to Texas Tech, Rice, and TCU have also made appearances. There has been no shortage of top-20 recruits playing in the global games. Besides the ones already mentioned, Bracey Wright, Daniel Horton, Deron Williams, Lamarcus Aldridge and Jermis Smith have all played in the games, and Smith is playing again this year.
The games are run by the Mavericks, and it started as a scouting tool for them, bringing in the best draft age players from around the world to play in one venue here in Dallas. Most countries sent their actual Junior (Under-21) national teams and there have been alot of familiar names that appeared here a year or two before declaring for the NBA draft. Choosing the US team hasnt been that big a priority for the Mavs, because they can scout the American players through their college games,, but the actual US national team did play in the Global Games the year before last.

Chris Reay has been invited to try out for New Zealands senior National team. The actual team that will compete in the Olympics. Its unlikely that he will make it, but it will be a good experience for him. Donatas Rackauskas was invited to try out for Lithuania's national team last year, then played in the Global Games after he was cut from the big squad.

Most people probably missed it, but the starting point guard for the American team that played an exhibition game with the Chinese national team yesterday evening was former Mustang Jemiel Rich.

There is no TV for this event. Maybe sometime down the road. The crowds this year are better than some in the past, but still nothing that would suggest wide spread interest.