Hands down, Milton Palacio is the most accomplished Belizean basketball
player ever. He had a notable college career, played seven years in the NBA
and has been playing for the last two season in Europe specifically Serbia and
Russia. Right now he’s with Chimki Moscow – a team featuring three
former NBA players, including Argentinean Carlos Delfino and Spaniard Jorge
Garbajosa. That team on which Milton plays a major role averaging double figures
in points and assist, recently played in the Euro-Cup Final.
So while Milton continues to be a professional success, he hasn’t
forgotten home. Reports reaching us today said that he had agreed to play in
the upcoming COPABA Championship in Mexico which will determine the Central
American champion. If you’re basketball fan, that sounds too good to be
true...so we searched around and got Milton’s cell number and today we
spoke to him in Moscow, Russia and he told us he’s eager to play for his
country – under the right circumstances.
Jules Vasquez,
What is your position on playing for a Belizean national team?
Milton Palacio, Will Play on National Team
“My position has always been the same. I said from day one that I
will always represent my country, I will always represent Belize. Whenever they
ask me I definitely will come. The biggest thing was that I didn’t want
to do it like we did in Cuba, put the team together two weeks in advance and
then go out there and play. I am very competitive, I like to play. I don’t
want to just go and show off, I want to play to win. So if everything is well
organized, it is not about the money to me, it is not about coming there and
getting money or anything like that, it is just having Belize across my chest
and representing the country.”
Jules Vasquez,
How important is it that a player gets to play for his national team because
a lot of people feel that well you’ve made money professionally, its not
important anymore to play for your national team?
Milton Palacio,
“It is very important because talking to Garber Holster, the biggsest
thing he said he is loves being around the national team guys and he is always
talking to Mark and Paul Gasol and they want to represent their country. Unless
they are hurt or anything like that, most of these guys they want to, like Delfino,
he enjoys playing for Argentina and winning European championships and winning
the gold medal. But like I said, I’ve always wanted to but it is just
that I am not going to do it in a not organized situation. I don’t want
to come a week, two weeks before, and start practicing and thinking you’re
going to take on teams that have been together for three or four years.”
Jules Vasquez,
Do you think if we have the right personnel we can recapture that sort of fame
and glory that we did in 1998?
Milton Palacio,
“I think so. I definitely think we can because I think the guys were
younger. I was younger and now that I am a lot older and a lot more experienced
and I would like to work with some of these upcoming youths that are coming
out of Belize and so to help them and to guide them and let them know how tough
it is professionally but you know, the odds against you coming from Belize and
a small and everybody will be saying you can’t make it but definitely
I’d like to work with some of those guys to help them out and the team
will be a lot bigger than me so if I could help in anyway, I will definitely
love to do it. But like I said, I will do it in an organized fashion. I don’t
want to do it and just say I represent Belize and then get beat. If we going
to get beat by 30 points a night I am not going to do it.”
And that structure that Palacio insists on is in place. Kevin Seroki
has been retained the national team coach for a year – with a quarterly
review. A 24 man roster of Belizeans and Belizean Americans will be selected
and they will practice weekly, year-round. That team- which, again, is expected
to include Milton will play the COPABA Championship in July 28.
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