Palacio arrives to kick off youth initiative
Although he has been described in the local media as an “NBA superstar” Milton Palacio would be the first to disagree with the hype. In three years of professional basketball, Palacio has displayed his solid and occasionally spectacular talents at Vancouver, Boston and now Phoenix. Prior to that he led the Belize National Team to victory in the 1998 CARICOM championships. Born in Los Angeles, of proudly Belizeans parents, Palacio today returned to Belize hoping that his hard work and success might inspire others.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
He may be on break from the frantic pace of the NBA, but Phoenix Suns guard Milton Palacio will not do much swinging in a hammock. As a special guest of the Youth for the Future initiative, Palacio’s schedule will be as hectic as a full court press.
Milton Palacio
“I’m glad I came back and I’m glad that everybody, Paul Flowers and what’s not did everything to get me back. It’s unfortunate that over the past years that I couldn’t come back because of my schedule and the things that I’ve had to do with playing basketball and what’s not, but I’m just glad to be back and just come out here. Especially for the occasion that I’m back for, for the youth convention, and just to be with the kids and spend some time. I have a lot of interviews, things that I’m looking forward to. Like I told Paul, I’m just coming out here to have a good time and whatever they want me to do I’ll do it, as long as it’s reasonable. I think I’m going to Seine Bight in Dangriga and things like that and a couple meetings, and go to the games hopefully I might suit up and play, but it will be fun. It’s just a lot of things that I have on the agenda.”
On Friday, Palacio will take part in the official launch of government’s project for the Youth.
Milton Palacio
“I think I’m going to just talk to kids about my growing up and what it took for me to get to the NBA, or just being successful in life. It’s not so much the NBA, a lot of kids need to hear that, especially from people that they look up to, so I think it’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it, a little nervous, but we’ll see how it’s going to go.”
According to national Co-ordinator Nuri Muhammad, the idea is not to start something new, rather to build on programs already in place.
Nuri Muhammad
“Rather, we’re looking at it as an initiative that has a number of areas of activity that has to be encouraged, facilitated, helped. For example, established programmes like the scouts, guides, the programmes in the Ys, these need to be support. We need to get those persons involved in those kinds of programmes to let us sit down together and revisit what we’ve said over and over are the ways in which we should work together that we seem to not be doing. Let us do it now and let us do it especially since at the highest level of government we seem to have a commitment now that we could not only articulate these things, but we could actually implement many of these areas of collaboration in youth work.”
As for Palacio, even though he’s achieved great personal success, he wants all his Belizean fans to know he’s as normal as they come.
Milton Palacio
“It was tough in the beginning with Boston and playing less minutes, then the trade to Phoenix and I think it was a good start for me, a little closer to home, just unfortunate now that’s Boston’s playing very well, they’re in the finals. But that’s the business and you have to take it that way, but the best thing is that I’m still in the NBA, still playing still having fun and just trying to get better. I take the summer time to workout hard and to develop my game and just to stay in the NBA, because I want to have a long career there. I take it as it comes.”
“If you see on the street, walking, don’t be afraid to come up to me or whatever because I love to sign autographs and hang out with people and things of that nature. I just want people to know that I’m a regular guy.”
Reporting for News 5, I am Janelle Chanona.
The official ceremony launching the Youth for the Future Initiative is set for 1:00 p.m. Friday at the Marion Jones Sports Complex.
