NEW ORLEANS – With the goal of qualifying for the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain within grasp, former New Orleans basketball standouts Bo McCalebb and Hector Romero will soon begin competing with their respective national teams in preparation for this year's FIBA continental championships.
Information on both former UNO basketball players as they begin their final month of preparation for their forthcoming major competitions are below.
McCALEBB
As has customarily been the case since completing his eligibility and heading overseas in 2008, McCalebb has spent his summer at Lakefront Arena working out with the current Privateers men's basketball team.
In about a week, McCalebb will head to Europe to join Macedonia as it begins final preparations for the 2013 FIBA European Championships, also known as EuroBasket. The tournament will be held Sept. 4-22 in Slovenia.
It was the 2011 edition of EuroBasket in which the New Orleans-born McCalebb made his mark internationally in leading the country of three million citizens to a fourth place finish. The lone non-NBA player on the 2011 All-EuroBasket team, McCalebb led Macedonia on a magical 'Cinderella run' which included victories over Greece and a stunning 67-65 quarterfinal win over host Lithuania.
The Macedonia national team will visit Slovenia this coming Sunday without their star guard. McCalebb will potentially make his debut in a rematch against Lithuania on Aug. 17 in Skopje, Macedonia.
The highlight of the pre-EuroBasket tour takes place on Aug. 20 and 21 when Macedonia pays a visit to 2011 EuroBasket champion Spain for a pair of games. Macedonia is also slated to play Greece (Aug. 22), Germany (Aug. 24), Bosnia & Herzegovina (Aug. 25).
McCalebb and Macedonia are vying for one of the top six spots in this year's EuroBasket to gain a ticket to the World Cup. Preliminary play begins Sept. 4 with Montenegro and will also feature games against Bosnia & Herzegovina, Lithuania, Serbia and Latvia.
Prior to becoming one of the top players in Europe, McCalebb thrived despite playing under three different coaches over a five-year span. The former O. Perry Walker product scored 2,679 points to rank as the top scorer in school and Sun Belt Conference history, ranking No. 21 overall in NCAA Division I history upon the completion of his career.
ROMERO
Romero is the first of the Privateer duo to compete this summer in international friendlies as the Venezuela national team is currently training in Florida. The 6-8 forward will lead the Venezuelan side as they play Nigeria twice over the coming weekend.
The schedule will then take Romero and Venezuela to Madrid, Spain in August where they will face Angola, Ivory Coast, the Spanish League All-Stars and a squad from the University of Portland. Nigeria, Angola and Ivory Coast are all preparing for the 2013 FIBA Africa Championships known as AfroBasket.
The international friendlies will serve as the final tests for Romero and the Venezuelan national team, which will compete in the FIBA Americas Championships. The gathering of the top basketball teams in North and South America will be contested Aug. 30 through Sept. 11 in Caracas, Venezuela.
The top four teams from the FIBA Americas tournament will advance to the World Cup the following year. The United States has passed on the event after securing a berth in the World Cup by virtue of winning the Olympic gold medal in 2012.
Top contenders in the field at this year's edition of the FIBA Americas include third-ranked Argentina, ninth-ranked Brazil and No. 19 Puerto Rico. Venezuela is currently ranked No. 24 in the world and due to injury, could be without the services of former New Orleans Pelicans guard Grevis Vasquez, who was recently traded to the Sacramento Kings.
Romero has been a member of the Venezuelan national team squad for over a decade, playing on the team that competed in the 2002 FIBA World Championships. Venezuela finished fifth at the 2011 edition of the FIBA Americas tournament.
In two seasons with UNO, Romero failed to score in double-figures only once - his last game. He averaged 20.2 points per game in 2001-02 on way to a Sun Belt Conference championship and was at 18.3 points prior to a season-ending injury his senior season. A double-double threat each time on the floor, Romero averaged 10.8 boards his junior year to lead the Sun Belt before ranking third with 9.1 his senior campaign.
FOR MORE UPDATES…
Updates on both McCalebb and Romero in the lead-up to their FIBA continental championship appearances will be posted on the UNO athletic department's official Twitter account (@UNOPrivateers). Additional updates will be posted to UNOPrivateers.com upon the start of their respective FIBA continental championships.
