Karl-Anthony Towns’ statements regarding his availability to integrate the national team for the World Cup in Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia once again make basketball fans “dream” about what could be the ideal team to face such commitment.
The exercise is exciting, but difficult to resolve. The good thing is that before you had to include players who perhaps did not have the status of national team. Now we have plenty of talent.
A task that coach Néstor -Ché- García and his team of assistants will have to solve.
The TRIPLE TEAM column offers them a “little help” in that sense.
Six players who would remain among the “heroes of Mar del Plata”: point guards Gelvis Solano and Andrés Feliz, shooters Víctor Liz and Jean Montero, as well as big men Eloy Vargas and Ángel Delgado.
Another six new ones that would integrate would be: the NBA Karl-Anthony Towns, Al Horford and Chris Duarte, the G-League Lester Quiñones, a favorite of Ché, Luis David Montero and LJ Figueroa. Solano and Feliz have flourished under the reins of Ché and secure position one.
Liz, the captain, and Montero, the great revelation, would be interesting substitutes in position two, with equal work assigned to Vargas and Delgado, the twin towers that have sustained the rebounding battles in the qualifying windows.
With one of the two point guards, then a possible five would be completed by Quiñones (2), Duarte (3), Horford (4) and Towns (5).
If Montero is in game shape and LJ Figueroa becomes available, they are a guarantee of quality as fast forwards.
It hurts not to have Antonio Peña and Rigoberto Mendoza, who would be great sacrifices, just like Gerardo Suero, all of whom were an important part of the victory against Argentina.
Justin Minaya, David Jones and Joel Soriano should also be highly regarded as long as their schedules or commitments allow them to join the team.
A lot of talent and only 12 spaces to form a team.
And no one knows if this time the dream comes true and makes us advance to the Olympic Games, the last remaining barrier for Dominican basketball.
So be it.
