Murray State University Athletics
MSU's Aska To Play For Virgin Islands In Caribbean Championship
7/15/2011 12:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Virgin Islands Team Page
Murray State men's basketball student-athlete Ivan Aska began workouts this week in preparation to play for the Virgin Islands National Team in the Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship (July 25-30) in Nassau, Bahamas.
Aska, from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., will be a senior this fall with the Racers.
Even though he was raised in the United States, Aska has a connection with the Virgin Islands. His mother Shirley is a native of the nation and his father, Ivan Sr., is from Trinidad.
“The last time I was in the Virgin Islands, I was seven years old,” Aska said. “We still have a lot of family there.”
Aska, a former Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2009, has always drawn inspiration from his parents.
“Mom's always told me whatever I do, keep working hard,” Aska said. “My mom has always been there and she motivates me. My dad has taught me about life and I look up to both of them. They were athletes and they've taught me to be humble and keep working hard.”
Aska will play his senior season for new head coach Steve Prohm.
“Ivan is a big key to our success next season,” Prohm said. “The opportunity to experience international-level basketball will be a big confidence builder for him. I'm very excited to see him get the chance to play for the Virgin Islands.”
Aska is the Racers' leading rebounder from last season at 5.2 per game, to go with 7.6 points per game. He ended the season with a flurry scoring at a 15.5 clip in MSU's final two games. He begins his senior season with 933 points, 67 from becoming the 37th member of the MSU 1000-Point Club. He also has 517 career rebounds.
“It's an honor to play for the Virgin Islands,” Aska said. “I thought I could play at some point. It's the next step for me in basketball and this could help my future in the game and I look forward to playing.”
The event marks the first time in 10 years that the Bahamas has hosted the championships.
The tournament divides the 10-team field into two pools. Pool-A includes: Jamaica, Virgin Islands, Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana and Turks & Caicos. Pool-B includes: British Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Bermuda, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and the Cayman Islands.
Aska's Virgin Island's team plays four games in pool play that decide seeding for the tournament starting July 28. Those games are against Turks & Caicos (July 23), Antigua (July 24), Guyana (July 26) and Jamaica (July 27).
The top three teams from this event advance to the Centro Basket Championship. From there, the top four teams secure spots in the FIBA Americas Zone Championships, where the top three squads advance to the Olympics or World Basketball Championship.
Milton Barnes is the head coach for the Virgin Islands team. Barnes is a former head coach with Eastern Michigan, assistant coach at Minnesota and has also coached with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Aska is part of an interesting Murray State connection with the Virgin Islands' program. Former MSU player Cuthbert Victor is in camp with the team and former Racers' head coach Tevester Anderson also coached the Virgin Islands in past years.
The final roster for the Virgin Islands will be set at some point before the tournament begins.
