‘Jo-Jo’ gets back on track in quest to make NBA

Spencer Patterson

Friday, June 16, 2000 | 9:58 a.m.

Like most aspiring basketball players on the planet, Las Vegas native Joseph Garcia grew up dreaming of reaching the NBA someday.

That dream nearly became a reality last year, when Garcia -- known as Jo-Jo Roundy during his Bishop Gorman days -- played his way to the brink of earning a spot on the Portland Trailblazers' roster with a strong showing on the team's LA Summer League squad.

A back injury cost Garcia that chance. But one year later the former Gael is back on track as a member of the NBA Ambassadors -- a team of former college stars playing in Asia.

And last week, he realized part of his lifelong goal -- cashing his first check from the NBA.

"Ever since I was a kid playing at Gorman, I always looked to play in the NBA," Garcia said before leaving for his squad's headquarters in Hong Kong. "That dream is what I work for every day. And I feel like I'm part of the NBA family now."

A 6-foot-10, 250-pound low-post force, Garcia earned a reputation as one of the state's top prep players before graduating from Gorman in 1993. His senior season, he averaged 17 points and 16 rebounds, receiving all-conference honors.

Garcia moved on to Central Arizona Junior College, then to the University of Texas-El Paso, where he finished third in the Western Athletic Conference in rebounding as a senior. His 9.9 rebounds per game ranked among the nation's top 15 during the 1996-97 season.

After graduation, Garcia was invited to the Los Angeles Lakers' free agent camp, and remained with the team for part of the summer league season. But the money and security of overseas basketball beckoned, and Garcia headed to Cyprus -- an island off the coast of Greece -- for the first of three seasons there.

"It's so much fun there," said Garcia, who led his Cyprus club to the 1998 league championship in his first year. "Every player that gets a chance to go overseas should go.

"Sometimes, people take being an American for granted. Over there, people really reach out to Americans."

Garcia returned to the United States to try out for the Miami Heat prior to the 1998-99 season. But the NBA's lockout sent him packing for Europe once again.

"I'm sure if I had gone the CBA route, I could have been offered a few 10-day (NBA) contracts," Garcia said. "But I felt going overseas to play full seasons would be better for my career."

After helping his P.A.O. Panathinaikos club to another league title in his second season, Garcia got his chance to play for the Blazers last summer. After injuring his back, he returned to Las Vegas, offering volunteer assistance to eventual state champion Bishop Gorman and rehabbing for a return to the game.

A third season in Cyprus followed, and then Garcia was offered an opportunity to play for the NBA Ambassadors -- a precursor to the league's proposed developmental league. Garcia and 10 teammates will play for NBA Hall of Famer Nate Archibald in a 20-game season against clubs from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan.

"We're going over there to be ambassadors and representatives for the NBA," Garcia said. "It's a great honor. Although I haven't played in the NBA, they're asking me to go to the biggest markets in the world and represent them."

And when this chapter of his life is over, Garcia hopes the next will take him where he has always wanted to be.

"Portland has asked me to play in the summer league again this season, and my agent is talking to some other teams," Garcia said. "I know I'm going to play in the NBA."