It takes something big to eclipse baseball in the Dominican Republic -- something as big as Florida Gators center Al Horford.
The Gators and their Dominican big man are back in the Final Four, and a nation that measures time in balls and strikes has again turned to college basketball to see if Horford can lead the team to a second straight title.
"When you have a kid like Al that is going to be a top-five pick in the [NBA] draft, that's going to be a great motivation for young Dominicans," said his father, former NBA player Tito Horford.
There is no doubt that baseball is the dominant sport in the Dominican, a country of 9.2 million and a legendary producer of baseball talent where former major leaguers hold seats in the legislature.
But with Dominican success stories like Horford, Sacramento Kings guard Francisco Garcia and Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva and a professional league preparing for its third season back home, the nation's basketball fans are hoping for a boom.
"We have the potential and we have the athletes ... they just need the space to develop themselves," said Niurca Herrera, executive director of the Dominican Basketball League.
Horford, a native of Puerto Plata, a popular Dominican resort town, has averaged 13.5 points and 9.75 rebounds a game in this year's tournament.
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