She's the most dominant female basketball player of her generation and Tracy Garnett will now have a chance to try out for the WNBA. It's only a tryout and there are no guarantees but it's the most promising shot Belize has had at international stardom in some time. Tracy Garnett will got a basketball camp for the women's NBA developmental league. Today to celebrate the fact the she's even gotten a chance at the big time, the National Sports Council held a press conference at the City Center. They opened the event with a conference call to her agent Ronnie Till who's been studying tapes of Tracy. He told us she has international level skills.
This morning, agent Ronnie Till told the press that Tracy has singular skills
Ronnie Till,
"Tracy reminds me a lot of a Tracy McGrady and Allen Iverson and that is what they look for over here, people that can actually put points on the board and score."
On December the eighth she leaves for California where she will participate in a two day try out for a developmental league for the women's basketball league.
Tracy Garnett,
"I am overwhelmed, I must say, but I'm very excited to go on this trip. Its all good to hear what will happen in the future if I make it but right now I have to be focused on my main purpose as to why I am going there. I hope that when I get there, I'm not scared of the other girls because they are much competitive than I am, to an extent, in terms of the level of basketball they are playing over there. But I will work as hard as I can, try to do my best, and hope everything goes well."
And for all those young women who have similar dreams, she had one piece of advice, she made her one come through.
Tracy Garnett,
"Sometimes things might seem impossible but they can come true. The way it happened for me was simple. I took the initiative: I went on the net, I sent my profile to these people, I got an answer and that is what happened."
Fred Garcia who had a chance to participate in a similar men's camp in 1996 says it's no cakewalk.
Fred Garcia,
"She's going into the lion's den. It's nothing like she has ever been around. One of the problems herein Belize is that our bar is here and the bar there is another two feet above what we are used to. But she has some good things going. She is quick, very tenacious. I think from the defensive standpoint she can really handle herself. Offensively she is good enough here, I don't know with the big girls how she'll do, I am hoping she will do well. The most eye catching thing is how big they are, first and foremost, but second at all is how quick they are because you're used to being the quickest and biggest here, when you get there the speed is about four times what you're used to here. What she will getting through at that level is almost like a male college game that you watch on ESPN right now, that's how quick it'll move. So it'll be a shock but she has the quickness due to track. So she'll be good, I think she'll do good on the defensive side for now."
Jules Vasquez,
Percentage wise what would you say her chances are?
Fred Garcia,
"Well to make the development league I would want to say about 60% right now. Like I said, just like the coach said, if she comes out and proves that she can stay with somebody on the defensive side, she has a good chance. Offensively I think she has a ways to go at that level."
And while Tracy was fielding a press conference downstairs, upstairs on the City Center hardwood the future Tracy's were showing their stuff at the semi-finals for the Belize District Girls Primary School championship. This morning it was the Muslim School versus La Democracia Government School. And what these girls lacked in skill they made up for in desire, intensity, love of the game and fan support. Organizer Marvin Ottley says it's an important first link in the chain of success:
Marvin Ottley,
"Jules now with Tracy going out there, and hopefully she'll be successful, we now have something for these kids to model off and if that should work out, then we could always tell the younger kids that that is a model that we want to push our athletes to. These tournaments are very very instrumental to the development of every player. Our motto here at the National Sports Council is that we want to play, participate, and excel."
Tracy leaves on December the 8th, for a two day tryout in San Jose, California. If she's picked to go to the next level, she will have one more day of tryouts. There are 7 teams in the WNBA developmental league.
