Host nation wins international hoops title in men's 50-plus bracket, U.S. dominates upper age divisions

In August, host nation Puerto Rico defeated the Dominican Republic, 73-62, in the 50-plus men's bracket of the 2007 International Maxibasketball Federation (FIMBA) World Championships to earn the country's only gold medal. For the tournament's chief administrator, Jimmy Thordsen, the only way the event could have ended in a better fashion would have been for him to be out on the court at the end of the game.

A sore lower back prevented Thordsen, who scored more than 2,000 points at Division II St. Joseph's College (Ind.) in the 1970s, from playing. But the injury didn't stop the former star from enjoying the final game of the nine-day event. "We were very happy with this tournament," said Thordsen. "We had 126 teams from 28 countries taking part. We got a lot of help from the local government to put it together. Puerto Rico had 17 teams entered, and in that last game we won our first gold medal. "We also won two silvers and four bronze, so our local basketball federation was very happy with the performance. A lot of good was accomplished."

That final championship game drew a crowd of almost 2,300 fans and was televised locally on the Tele Oro network. Fans watching saw another dominant performance from former national team star Ruben Rodriguez, who dropped in 24 against the Dominicans. The 6-foot-6 forward, who was a regular on the Puerto Rican national teams and remains one of just a handful of players to score over 10,000 points in the Puerto Rican professional league, put up 18.2 points per game for the tournament. In the semifinals, he rallied his squad from a 51-44 deficit heading into the fourth quarter to a thrilling 67-64 win over Russia, scoring 19 points along the way.

The United States, meanwhile, had entries in three different age categories and easily swept them all. "I'm not ashamed to say our teams were much better than the competition in the senior age brackets," said Dick Forsythe, 73, of Team Sambuca. "The scores really showed that."

Perhaps the toughest thing at the tournament for Forsythe's 65-plus team was f inding the gyms. It was lucky for Sambuca, which won their fourth U.S. title in the past five years to qualify for this year's world championship, that Jose Murati showed up.

Murati heard about the strong squad and met the team at the registration table when they arrived. He quickly became the team's local tour guide, helping them navigate the difficult streets of San Juan to find the tournament's various venues. "He was essential," said Forsyth, who played college ball at Georgia Tech, of Murati. "He really wanted to play on our team, but I told him we already had 10 on the roster. We might have to give him a spot on our team at next year's U.S. championships though."

Once Sambuca did find the gym, they were all business, winning their four outings by an average of 38.5 points, which included victories over Brazil and Chile in pool play, an 84-55 victory in the semifinals against Latvia, and a comfortable 76-59 win over Argentina in the gold medal game.

Leading the way for the team was guard Bill Berringer, a former quarterback at Colorado State who posted 23.3 points per game at the tournament, and forward Tom Ferch, who scored a team-high 22 in the championship. A team comprising former Sambuca players easily captured the gold in the 70-plus bracket as well. Jerry Fasteen scored 19 points and Ron Crawford added 17 in the United States' 84-49 blowout victory over Chile for the gold.

Americans took home the gold in the 60-plus bracket as well. In the younger age groups, Russia dominated in 40-plus to take the championship, while Brazil won the 45-plus bracket. Moldavia earned its only gold in 55-plus.

On the women's side, Russia earned the title in both the 40-plus and 45-plus brackets, but was cut short in 50-plus as Lithuanian Zita Kuzmins poured in a team-high 15 points to lead her team past the Russians, 62-46.