Taurean Green and Quinton Hosley are both now Georgian citizens, apparently
June 3rd, 2010
On this website is a list of player nationalities. It’s a pretty useful tool, partly for reason of trivia, but also because it lists some of the more bizarre citizenships that high-level basketball players have accrued in recent years.
Two new additions can now be made to that list. Former Florida guard Taurean Green and former Fresno State forward Quinton Hosley, according to Greek website gazzetta.gr, now have Georgian passports. Inevitable crude translation follows:
The American guard the Union acquired a passport from Georgia, so most will be able to negotiate better terms in the next transcription. The third best scorer in the Greek league with 15.2 points average points will no longer be deemed as a Community and the only relationship that will from now on with IMG, is the pursuit of money due.
Along with Greene became the Georgian citizenship and Quintas Choslei former player including Real Madrid. The decision on who gets the nomination the only natouralize entitled each country uses will be made this summer. The American who struggled so far in the national agriculture is Samont Williams Malaga.
The news comes from a Greek website because Green has been playing there. This season, for AEK Athens, he has averaged 15.1 points and 3.6 assists per game, particularly impressive totals when you consider that he was essentially doing this for free (AEK, like so many Greek teams, have fallen way behind on his payments.) Hosley, meanwhile, has been in Turkey, averaging 18.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.6 steals per game. Both are beginning what should be good and lengthy careers in European basketball; therefore, the addition of these passports, which will allow them to bypass certain laws on non-EU import quotas that most leagues have, will help no end.
Other famous nationalised Georgian basketball players include Shammond Williams, Tyrone Ellis and Melvin Sanders, all of whom have had NBA contracts at some point. And then there are the actual Georgians; Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Viktor Sanikidze, Zaza Pachulia and Giorgi Sheramdini.
Teams are only allowed to field two nationalised players in this fashion, and were only allowed one at the recent EuroBasket tournament. However, the duo’s addition should significantly help the Georgian national team, which sorely lacks guard and perimeter play.
Of course, that’s only true if they choose to play for it.
