Beavers Ali Gibson to Play for Puerto Rican National Team

Gibson has started all 99 games in her three years for the Beavers, averaging 9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals.

Oregon State senior Ali Gibson left Corvallis on Wednesday and is heading to Puerto Rico to begin training with the Puerto Rican National Team. Photo Courtesy: OSU Athletics

(CORVALLIS, Ore. ) - Oregon State senior Ali Gibson left Corvallis on Wednesday and is heading to Puerto Rico to begin training with the Puerto Rican National Team, which is scheduled to play exhibitions in the United States from July 10-20 before heading to Mexico for the Centrobasket Championship for Women at the end of the month.

This will be Gibson’s second go-around with Puerto Rico, as she participated in last August’s “Super Four” Tournament in São Paulo, Brazil, playing the likes of the host Brazilians, Argentina and Canada. A native of Northern California, she is eligible to play for Puerto Rico because her mother, Janet, was born on the island while Gibson's grandfather was working there.

Gibson is the latest of five Oregon State student-athletes to suit up for a national squad this summer, joining Canadian performers Ruth Hamblin and Jamie Weisner, Gabriella Hanson with Sweden (U20) and Marie Gülich with Germany (U20).

Gibson has started all 99 games in her three years for the Beavers, averaging 9.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals. She is fourth all-time in Oregon State history in 3-point makes (139) and will begin the 2014-15 season just 15 points shy of becoming the Beavers’ 17th 1,000-point scorer.

The 2014 Centrobasket Championship for Women is scheduled from July 22-26 in Monterrey, Mexico and features teams from Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador and Mexico in addition to Puerto Rico. The final three teams in the eight-team field will be the top three finishers at next week’s Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship for Women in the British Virgin Islands.

At the Centrobasket Championship, the teams will be divided into two groups that will play a round robin within the group. The top two teams from each will qualify for a semifinal in which the Group A’s winner will play the second place finisher from Group B and vice versa. The winners of the semifinals will advance to the finals.

The Centrobasket Championships will qualify four teams for the 2015 FIBA Americas Championships.

Source: OSU Athletics