SANTA DOMINGO (FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2017) - Derekjeter Mejia may have been named after a superstar baseball player but the shooting guard says basketball is gaining more and more popularity in the Dominican Republic, which enter the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2017 shooting for a Semi-Finals spot at least.

Mejia hails from Moca in the baseball-mad Dominican peninsula. And his first name automatically attracts attention with Derek Jeter being one of the best baseball players for one of the most successful baseball teams in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees.

"My mother used to accompany my father to watch the baseball games on TV and in 2001 that name was mentioned a lot in my hometown, so my mother named me Derekjeter," said Mejia of his connection to the five-time World Series champion and future Hall of Famer Jeter.

Mejia himself played baseball as well, saying: "I played baseball until I was 12 years old and I usually played pitcher and first base."

But basketball has taken over Mejia's heart and the 6ft 0in (1.82m) guard has excelled, making the Dominican Republic cadet team for a second straight summer. And he will be one of the leaders in Formosa, where the Dominicans will face off against United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico in Group B.

Mejia and his teammates are shooting for a top-two spot in the group because that would lock up a spot at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018. Even a fifth-placed finish would secure a berth in the U17 global spectacle if Argentina finish in the top four since the U16 Americas hosts are also hosting the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018. And that would mean a return to the global stage at the U17 level following the Dominicans’ debut last summer at Zaragoza 2016.

"Returning to a World Cup would bring us a lot of satisfaction and joy because we would be raising the basketball level and maybe be able to continue climbing positions in the world ranking," Mejia said.

In addition to the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2016, the Dominican Republic played at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup in 2015 for the first time since 1983 and participated in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2014 for the first time since 1978.

When asked what did it mean to watch his country playing at the highest level, Mejia said: "For me it was a pride because I could see and I am living what is a new era in Dominican basketball."

The Dominicans finished second at the FIBA CentroBasket U15 Championship 2016, losing to Puerto Rico in the final. The Dominicans had a very balanced attack with five players averaging between 9.8 and 12.8 points; three players grabbing between 6.2 and 8.6 rebounds; four players dishing out between 2.6 and 3.8 assists; and four players swiping between 2.2 and 3.4 steals.

"For me it was a pride (watching Dominica Republic play at recent FIBA global events) because I could see and I am living what is a new era in Dominican basketball." Derekjeter MejiaDerekjeter Mejia

When asked what Dominican Republic must do to be successful in Formosa, Mejia said: "We must play as a team and play intensely every game, every minute, every second because we have a lot of talent and determination."

Derek Jeter won his fair share of titles in baseball with the Yankees, and now Derekjeter Mejia is hoping to give Dominican fans back home another basketball reason to celebrate.

FIBA