Sport
BY PAUL A REID Observer writer reidp@jamaicaobserver.com Wednesday, August 14, 2013THERE are hopes that Jamaican power forward Samardo Samuels should be fully fit and ready to go when the Jamaican team opens their FIBA Americas tournament against Canada in Caracas, Venezuela, on August 30, after he suffered a “mild strain in his left hamstring” in last week Thursday’s opening game of a two-game friendly series against Canada in Toronto.The Jamaican Basketball Association (JABA) confirmed the injury and, as a precaution, kept him out of the second game as the Jamaicans lost both games 81-72 and 77-72.According to reports, Samuels, who has signed a two-year contact with Italian club AC Milan, left the court with less than a minute to go and team physician Dr Melita Moore, who also serves as the team doctor for the National Basketball Association’s Sacramento Kings, the injury does not appear to be severe.“Samardo sustained a mild left hamstring strain that typically resolves in several weeks,” she was quoted to have said. “We fully anticipate him being able to play in the FIBA Americas Championship that begins on August 30.”Samuels has also played down the severity of the injury. “It is nothing big to be worried about, if Game Two was an important game, I think I could have played.”“The tournament in Venezuela is important, and I want to be 100 per cent by then,” he added. “This is just a mild injury, nothing too serious.”The Jamaican team has since returned to their training base in Montego Bay, where they are expected to be joined by several other top players, including Patrick Ewing Jnr and Jerome Jordan, before leaving for Venezuela.In addition to Canada, the Jamaican group will also include Argentina, Brazil, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, a release from JABA said.The teams that finish in the top four of the FIBA Americas tournament next month will qualify for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup tournament scheduled to commence in August 2014 in Madrid, Spain.SAMUELS … sustained a mild left hamstring strain that typically resolves in several weeks
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Samuels hopeful for FIBA Americas tourney
