Walter Hodge Jr. wants to change his sports citizenship to represent Puerto Rico in 3×3 basketball

Star point guard Walter Hodge Jr., of the Capitanes de Arecibo in the BSN, aims to change his sports citizenship to represent Puerto Rico in 3×3 basketball.

Following the debut of veteran shooting guard Guillermo Díaz in this modality on Friday at the Americup tournament in Miami, Florida, the director of the national program, Oscar Hourruitiner, told El Nuevo Día that there is a group of high-name basket players in the National Superior Basketball (BSN) interested in representing the island in the 3×3 next year towards the possible qualification for the 2022 Paris Olympics.

Hourruitiner only released the name of Hodge, current BSN Most Valuable Player, indicating that the point guard publicly expressed his desire to play with the National Team.

“There are top BSN players who have already expressed their interest, that they want to join in 2023. That will be evaluated at the time. As Olympic qualification approaches, you’re going to see more players looking for that opportunity through 3v3. All the countries are going to squeeze in their personnel, trying to seek Olympic qualification,” he said.

“Walter Hodge is one who has already publicly expressed his desire to play and intends to change his citizenship. The process has not started but he aims to do so,” he added.

Traditional men’s basketball has not played in an Olympics since Athens 2004. At Tokyo 2020, the women’s National Team debuted.

Hodge, 36, represents the US Virgin Islands internationally in the 5×5 format. She needs the endorsement of the territory federation, plus the permission of FIBA, to make the change.

He has 10 seasons in the BSN, eight with the Capitanes, a team with which he has won three championships and two Most Valuable Player awards in the finals. At the international level, he accumulates titles in the professional leagues of the Middle East.

The 3×3 National Team has a full agenda for 2023 with the Central American and Caribbean Games in El Salvador, between June and July, the FIBA ​​3×3 World Cup and the Pan American Games in Santiago de Chile in November.

Puerto Rico occupies the 19th position in the FIBA ​​world ranking, number three in the Americas.

His bank of players includes Tjader Fernández, Jorge Matos, Cliff Durán, Ángel Matías, Josué Erazo, Gilberto Clavell and Luis “Pelacoco” Hernández. This year, Diaz (37) joined, who played alongside Hodge as a star for the Capitanes until 2018.