Puerto Rico Wants Services Of Padilla, Travieso

Announcements of the pools and schedule for the basketball competition at the Atlanta Olympics used to bring a flurry of excitement to the college basketball community because the tournament would be filled with the best collegiate players.

Now, with the inclusion of NBA players, the outlook turns to the professional ranks.

But in Puerto Rico, one of college basketball’s best backcourts has become a big Olympic topic. Edgar Padilla and Carmelo Travieso, the junior guards who play almost every minute for top-ranked and unbeaten Massachusetts, were born on the same day about six miles apart in Puerto Rico. It’s hard to imagine a better backcourt available to a country which has a frontline that includes former Pac-10 player of the year Jose Ortiz and former Boston Celtic Ramon Rivas.

Travieso said last week that the powers that control Puerto Rican basketball have been in contact with him and his teammate and a meeting will be scheduled soon.