In Their Own Words
12/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
There is a distinct international flair to George Washington basketball and in fact, to all of GW's athletic teams. A total of 63 student-athletes represent 35 countries outside the United States, covering nearly all corners of the world as shown here. Five of those 63 student-athletes are important figures on the men's and women's basketball teams, and all five have experience representing their country in international competition. GWsports.com recently caught up with them to find out, in their own words, what it means to suit up for your country.
Patricio Garino (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
National Team Experience: Helped Argentina qualify for the 2016 Olympics while competing with the National Team in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship, where Argentina finished runner-up ... competed in the 2011 U-19 World Championships, where he averaged 9.4 and 4.2 rebounds in nine games during the tournament for a team that reached the bronze medal game. Garino's international experience was highlighted by a 21-point effort for Argentina in an 81-76 victory over Croatia.
In His Words: "Pride is the first thing that comes to my mind. It's something I thought about since I was 15 years old, putting on that [national team] jersey. I got to do that with the youth national team when I was 15, and it wasn't quite the same experience. I was super proud, super excited about doing it, but I always wanted to be on the national team and represent the country. Knowing there are so many people behind you, supporting you, and that you represent them through a competition is unbelievable. It's hard to describe. Listening to your national anthem in a different arena, knowing you have the support of millions of people behind you actually gives you the chills."
Jonquel Jones (Freeport, Bahamas)
International Experience: Led the Bahamian National team to fifth place at the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Senior Championship in July 2014, averaging 17.2 points and a tournament-best 14.0 rebounds in five games, highlighted by a 23-point, 27-rebound effort in a 70-69 overtime victory over heavily favored Dominican Republic.
In Her Words: "It's a surreal feeling to be able to just step on this court and know that I'm representing my country. I see the Bahamian flag every game when we're playing here at GW and I just know how many people at home are watching. It's a great feeling to be able to put on a jersey and know how far you've come, what kind of an inspiration you are to the people at home, and you just want to put your best foot forward no matter what."
Kevin Larsen (Copenhagen, Denmark)
International Experience: A member of Denmark's Under-18 National Team, Larsen participated in the 2010 and 2011 U18 European Championship Division B tournaments, averaging 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in seven games at the event in 2011.
In His Words: "It's the biggest dream for me and means the most to me. It's the best thing that ever happened to me, playing for Denmark. It's always a dream playing for the national team, and when it became a reality it was such a great feeling because you're representing your whole country. Hearing the national anthem, you get emotional."
Camila Tapias (Bogota, Columbia)
International Experience: Leading scorer for the Colombian U-18 National Team in 2012 ... Second in the world in scoring (15.0 ppg) and 3-pointers made (3.0 per game) at the 2012 FIBA Americas Championship ... Led Colombia to the 2011 South American U-17 Championship with 20 points and six 3-pointers in the title game ... Also competed in the 2009 South American U-15 Championship ... Her mother, Yenni Pinilla Garcia, was a star on the Colombian National Team and is currently its coach, and her father, Jose Tapias Patron, was one of the best players in Colombian basketball history and currently coaches Piratas Bogota, one of the top professional teams in Colombia.
In Her Words: "Playing at GW and representing my country makes me feel really proud and grateful for this opportunity here in the United States, and I hope I'm making my country proud. It really makes me think that as a country we can have the chance to play in different countries and make basketball bigger and better, and hopefully it motivates girls in my country to follow me and believe nothing is impossible if they work hard for their dreams like I did - playing in the U.S. was one of my dreams and I really worked hard, and that's what I tell them every time I go back to Colombia that if they believe that what they want is possible there's no limit. I just feel really emotional every time I'm here on the court because I know how my family and everyone feels about me and just knowing that people from Colombia, which is not a country known for basketball, is able to do these things here and more if they want to."
Yuta Watanabe (Kagawa, Japan)
International Experience: Joined the Japanese National Team at age 16 and first competed for the National Team as an 18-year-old, helping Japan to third place at the 2013 East Asian Basketball Association Championship for Men and ninth in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.
In His Words: "The first time I wore the Japan National Team jersey, I was 16, and the youngest player ever for Japan. It made me feel so good when I looked around, to see all these famous Japanese basketball players. It gives me great pride in myself to play for Japan. It's an emotional and prideful feeling to listen to the national anthem, and to know you are representing something bigger than just yourself is a great feeling."
