Dominican Minaya favours hardcourt over father’s hard ball

ZARAGOZA (2016 FIBA U17 World Championship) - Justin Minaya has turned heads at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship with his excellent play for debutants Dominican Republic. But it wasn't long ago that his dream was to play another sport professionally. 

Minaya is currently dealing with a hip issue which limited him to just nine minutes against France on Sunday, after the New Jersey native averaged 10 points, 7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the Dominicans in the first two games. 

Despite their 1.94m guard's best efforts, the Dominicans have dropped all three games in Group D and will next take on Canada in the Round of 16. 

"I could play better and as a team we're doing good," Minaya said. "It's good that we are competing with these teams, but it's still a loss at the end of the day so it's still disappointing."

Baseball really means a lot to me. It was my favourite sport when I was younger. I just wanted to be in the Major Leagues. But in sixth or seventh grade I started getting into basketball because I started to grow a lot more and I started getting good. Now I am more driven to make it to the NBA. - Minaya

"We're starting to play together more and there's more intensity and defense," Minaya said. 

Still it will be a tall order for the Dominicans, who lost to the Canadians 95-49 in the Semi-Finals of the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. This is Minaya's second run with the Dominican youth, having played last summer at the 2015 Centrobasket U17 Championship, where he averaged 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Justin Minaya has shown some promise at basketball after staring in baseball.

His strong play is a bit strange considering he never really thought about playing basketball. Like most Dominicans, baseball was Minaya's first love. 

"Baseball really means a lot to me," he said. "It was my favourite sport when I was younger. I just wanted to be in the Major Leagues. But in sixth or seventh grade I started getting into basketball because I started to grow a lot more and I started getting good. Now I am more driven to make it to the NBA."

While Minaya's name is slowly becoming more prevalent in talent observers' notebooks, the last name has a major reputation in the baseball world. Justin's father Omar Minaya was a two-time general manager of the New York Mets and also became the major leagues' first Hispanic general manager with the Montreal Expos in 2002. He has since moved to the MLB side, taking up a role as special adviser to MLB Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark.

Omar Minaya made a name for himself in baseball. Now he's helping his son Justin in basketball.

Justin Minaya's favourite player was Mets shortstop Jose Reyes until eventually it became LeBron James. And that meant having to tell his baseball dad that he would be hitting the hardcourts instead of hitting the hard ball. 

"I was nervous when I told him," Justin recalled. "I didn't know how he was going to feel about it. But he was fine about it, saying whatever makes me feel happy. He's going to help me with whatever I need. And when I'm back home and shooting he’s helping me the most."

Minaya, who said he was a "good" centerfielder and pitcher in baseball, plans on playing baseball his senior season in high school this year and then likely calling it quits for good.

When asked if the past MLB dream is completely gone, Justin responded: "It's always a possibility if i get a chance. But right now I'm focused on the NBA."

And trying to make Minaya a name in basketball as well. 

FIBA