WNBA Sloot making history

[DaddyChoc]

atleast 10 points and 10 assist in 6 consecutive games

 

[nwhoopfan]

I think she's staking her claim as the best pure PG in the WNBA currently.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Which national team is she playing on? Hungary?

 

[CBus13]

Which national team is she playing on? Hungary?

Yep. What a shame.

 

[willtalk]

Yep. What a shame.

What! The USA team won't have enough of a stacked team already? Let some other countries have some talented players to play on their national teams as well.

 

[CBus13]

What! The USA team won't have enough of a stacked team already? Let some other countries have some talented players to play on their national teams as well.

It's a shame for her. She is super talented and probably grew up hoping to play for the US National team and now she's arguably the top Point Guard in the top Women's basketball league in the world and made the choice to get Hungarian citizenship so she could have a chance at competing in the Olympics.

 

[cbraarj]

You should only be allowed to play for the Country where you were born! If you are born here and cant make the U.S.A. team it is just to bad! To gain citizenship just to play in the Olympics for a team that wont medal is a joke! Dont call yourself An American!!!

 

[triaddukefan]

You should only be allowed to play for the Country where you were born! If you are born here and cant make the U.S.A. team it is just to bad! To gain citizenship just to play in the Olympics for a team that wont medal is a joke! Dont call yourself An American!!!

What do you call Tiffany Hayes?

 

[UConnCat]

It's a shame for her. She is super talented and probably grew up hoping to play for the US National team and now she's arguably the top Point Guard in the top Women's basketball league in the world and made the choice to get Hungarian citizenship so she could have a chance at competing in the Olympics.

A few facts about the Hungarian Women's National Team:

• Competed in the Olympics once in 1980. The US and several other countries boycotted the 1980 games which were held in Moscow. Only 6 women's teams participated in the 1980 games and Hungary finished 4th.
• Hungary (with Sloot) finished 12th in the 2017 Eurobasket competition which was an improvement over finishing 17th in 2015.
• Hungary last participated in the FIBA World Championships in 1998.

 

[CBus13]

A few facts about the Hungarian Women's National Team:

• Competed in the Olympics once in 1980. The US and several other countries boycotted the 1980 games which were held in Moscow. Only 6 women's teams participated in the 1980 games and Hungary finished 4th.
• Hungary (with Sloot) finished 12th in the 2017 Eurobasket competition which was an improvement over finishing 17th in 2015.
• Hungary last participated in the FIBA World Championships in 1998.

Oh wow. I had no idea that was their history. Thanks!

I think she also has the connection to Hungary because she plays her off season? ball in the Hungarian league.

 

[Waquoit]

You should only be allowed to play for the Country where you were born! If you are born here and cant make the U.S.A. team it is just to bad! To gain citizenship just to play in the Olympics for a team that wont medal is a joke! Dont call yourself An American!!!

This post is an insult to the Olympics. The Olympics are meant to celebrate the athlete not the athlete's country of residence. Who cares about the bookkeeping?

 

[VAUConnFan]

You should only be allowed to play for the Country where you were born! If you are born here and cant make the U.S.A. team it is just to bad! To gain citizenship just to play in the Olympics for a team that wont medal is a joke! Dont call yourself An American!!!

I could not disagree more, but have to respect your opinion. In your argument though:
1. You do not allow for naturalized citizens
2. You do not allow for people with dual citizenship.
3. Places like Puerto Rican with their own Olympic federation in which the citizens are actually American citizens but chose to play for Puerto Rico.

The Olympics are a matter of competition; For most athletes, the experience of a lifetime.

 

[UConnCat]

Oh wow. I had no idea that was their history. Thanks!

I think she also has the connection to Hungary because she plays her off season? ball in the Hungarian league.

I don't know if Sloot ever played professionally in Hungary. I know she played in Turkey the past couple of seasons.

I'd love to know her thought process behind this decision. I can't believe the odds of Hungary making the Olympics were greater than the odds of her making the USA Olympic team. Maybe she figured neither would happen so she might as well make some extra $$ playing for Hungary.

I wonder if she sat down and talked with anyone from USA Basketball.

 

[Orangutan]

America's finest Hungarian point guard!

 

[Orangutan]

You should only be allowed to play for the Country where you were born! If you are born here and cant make the U.S.A. team it is just to bad! To gain citizenship just to play in the Olympics for a team that wont medal is a joke! Dont call yourself An American!!!

From a practical point of view, getting a European passport also enhances your earnings potential. I think most (all?) European leagues have a cap to the amount of non-Europeans that each team is allowed. Now Sloot is more valuable to those teams as a top-tier player that counts as a European.

 

[eebmg]

You should only be allowed to play for the Country where you were born! If you are born here and cant make the U.S.A. team it is just to bad! To gain citizenship just to play in the Olympics for a team that wont medal is a joke! Dont call yourself An American!!!

The professional career options and money are so limited in the US for even our best players (scrapping for crumbs) , how can we begrudge anyone looking for as many opportunities as possible. More power to them.

 

[cbraarj]

This post is an insult to the Olympics. The Olympics are meant to celebrate the athlete not the athlete's country of residence. Who cares about the bookkeeping?

You are wrong it is not a players right to play in the Olympics! It is about the front of the jersey,USA!

 

[cbraarj]

What do you call Tiffany Hayes?

Didnt know about Tiffany but the same applies to all americans!

 

[cbraarj]

The professional career options and money are so limited in the US for even our best players (scrapping for crumbs) , how can we begrudge anyone looking for as many opportunities as possible. More power to them.

I agree just not the Olympics.

 

[McFly]

Unfortunate that she has taken herself out of consideration for the US team, but I can't blame her for wanting to take part in the Olympics. I don't think we're going to have a shortage of excellent point guards any time soon.
A country can enter more than one athlete in individual events. It would be nice if that also applied to team sports. I'm sure we could qualify two, maybe even three teams in more events than basketball.

 

[CBus13]

I don't know if Sloot ever played professionally in Hungary. I know she played in Turkey the past couple of seasons.

I'd love to know her thought process behind this decision. I can't believe the odds of Hungary making the Olympics were greater than the odds of her making the USA Olympic team. Maybe she figured neither would happen so she might as well make some extra $$ playing for Hungary.

I wonder if she sat down and talked with anyone from USA Basketball.

You're absolutely right. I was mistaken. She has played in Turkey. So now the Hungary decision is more peculiar. Thanks again for the insight!

 

[nwhoopfan]

Sloot will be 31 by the time of the '20 Olympics. There was another thread here not too long ago talking about Bird and Whalen still being the PG for the US team in '20. You can see that her window of opportunity for participating in the Olympics was in danger of closing if she continued to wait for a shot w/ the US team. Not likely she would've been handed the reigns for the first time in '24 at 35. Anyway Becky Hammon opened this door years ago playing for Russia.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I agree just not the Olympics.

Well, based on the info supplied above, she won't be playing in the Olympics. Hungary isn't good enough, apparently, with or without her.

I don't agree with your main point, but whatever her reasons it doesn't look like it was the Olympics or World Championships that attracted her.