FIBA Basketball
SWE - Swedes target Noah
Joakim Noah is a wanted man on the international stage. The 6ft 11in star, voted the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament after leading the Florida Gators to their first title, hails from France
STOCKHOLM (EuroBasket 2007) - Joakim Noah is a wanted man on the international stage.
The 6ft 11in star, voted the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament after leading the Florida Gators to their first title, hails from France and his recent emergence has seen him linked with their national team.
Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs' French point guard, has already spoken of his desire to play with Noah this summer at the FIBA World Championship or in the near future.
But Noah, the son of French tennis legend Yannick Noah, has connections to Sweden and Cameroon, too.
His mother, Cecilia Rohde, was Miss Sweden 1978 while his grandfather, Zacharie Noah, was a professional football player from Cameroon.
Sweden say they have known about Noah for a while but claim they have had trouble getting in touch with him. He attended Lawrenceville Prep in New Jersey before enrolling at Florida, where he has spent the past two years.
"We have followed Noah for four years and tried to get in contact with him through his friends, but without success," said Per Kallman of the Swedish Basketball Federation.
Oh how Sweden, who will attempt to qualify for EuroBasket 2007 in Spain later this year, would dearly love to have Noah in their line-up when they take on the likes of Bulgaria, Poland and Ukraine.
They have Christian Maraker, the outstanding three-point shooter who played for them at EuroBasket 2003. Maraker just finished his collegiate career at Pacific, an NCAA Tournament team.
A Maraker-Noah one-two punch would be quite interesting.
Sweden would also like Noah because of the interest he might generate in the sport simply due to his parentage.
The country remembers his mother, and because of tennis' popularity in the Sweden, it knows his father as well.
Most important for Sweden coach Kostas Flevarakis, however, is that Noah would bring much-needed quality to the team.
"We are hopeful of being able to get Noah, and I consider it an open race," Kallman said. "But the indications we have been given tells us that he does not feel like a Swede. But we have not talked to him face-to-face, yet."
France are an interesting position. They already have a very good team with players like Parker, Boris Diaw, the Pietrus brothers Florent and Mickael, and Mickael Gelabale.
Noah was excellent in college this season but, the truth is, he might have difficulty making their team for the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
Still, there is an argument for awarding a place to a player who clearly has a big future ahead of him, especially if other countries are interested.
Cameroon are African minnows but imagine what they could do with Noah, especially if he teamed up with UCLA's freshman sensation Mbah a Moute.
"We are planning on trying to meet him next week and talk to him," Kallman said. "We want all the hype to settle before we talk to him."
EuroBasket qualifying begins in August for Sweden.
"We will take care of this issue before the qualifications begin, which is six months away, so there is plenty of time," Kallman said.
By Jimmy Fredholm, PA Sport
The 6ft 11in star, voted the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament after leading the Florida Gators to their first title, hails from France and his recent emergence has seen him linked with their national team.
Tony Parker, the San Antonio Spurs' French point guard, has already spoken of his desire to play with Noah this summer at the FIBA World Championship or in the near future.
But Noah, the son of French tennis legend Yannick Noah, has connections to Sweden and Cameroon, too.
His mother, Cecilia Rohde, was Miss Sweden 1978 while his grandfather, Zacharie Noah, was a professional football player from Cameroon.
Sweden say they have known about Noah for a while but claim they have had trouble getting in touch with him. He attended Lawrenceville Prep in New Jersey before enrolling at Florida, where he has spent the past two years.
"We have followed Noah for four years and tried to get in contact with him through his friends, but without success," said Per Kallman of the Swedish Basketball Federation.
Oh how Sweden, who will attempt to qualify for EuroBasket 2007 in Spain later this year, would dearly love to have Noah in their line-up when they take on the likes of Bulgaria, Poland and Ukraine.
They have Christian Maraker, the outstanding three-point shooter who played for them at EuroBasket 2003. Maraker just finished his collegiate career at Pacific, an NCAA Tournament team.
A Maraker-Noah one-two punch would be quite interesting.
Sweden would also like Noah because of the interest he might generate in the sport simply due to his parentage.
The country remembers his mother, and because of tennis' popularity in the Sweden, it knows his father as well.
Most important for Sweden coach Kostas Flevarakis, however, is that Noah would bring much-needed quality to the team.
"We are hopeful of being able to get Noah, and I consider it an open race," Kallman said. "But the indications we have been given tells us that he does not feel like a Swede. But we have not talked to him face-to-face, yet."
France are an interesting position. They already have a very good team with players like Parker, Boris Diaw, the Pietrus brothers Florent and Mickael, and Mickael Gelabale.
Noah was excellent in college this season but, the truth is, he might have difficulty making their team for the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
Still, there is an argument for awarding a place to a player who clearly has a big future ahead of him, especially if other countries are interested.
Cameroon are African minnows but imagine what they could do with Noah, especially if he teamed up with UCLA's freshman sensation Mbah a Moute.
"We are planning on trying to meet him next week and talk to him," Kallman said. "We want all the hype to settle before we talk to him."
EuroBasket qualifying begins in August for Sweden.
"We will take care of this issue before the qualifications begin, which is six months away, so there is plenty of time," Kallman said.
By Jimmy Fredholm, PA Sport