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HOUSTON -- Samuel Dalembert stepped off the plane and barely recognized the land where he grew up. Two frantic days after a magnitude-7.0 earthquake rumbled across his native Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, the veteran NBA centre from Montreal returned to the Caribbean nation and could hardly absorb the chaos and horror. Victims missing limbs lying helplessly in the littered streets. Children covered in blood, screaming for their parents. Buildings pulverized and homes crushed into twisted piles of rubble. "You felt like this was the end," Dalembert recalls. "Its like the end of Earth." Dalembert, who moved to Canada as a teenager, lost a cousin and several close friends among the estimated 300,000 killed. Another 1.5 million residents were left homeless. Roads were impassable. Communication was impossible. "You looked at the country," Dalembert remembers, "you felt like it was Armageddon. It was devastating." Two years later, the NBAs only Haitian-born player prays for progress, while tempering his frustration that more hasnt been done to rebuild his crippled country. Recently signed by the Houston Rockets, the six-foot-11 Dalembert is on a mission to help, donating about US$650,000 and establishing a foundation for relief efforts and putting down $1 million out of his own pocket to break ground on a sports academy for Haitian children. "I know Im not going to be able to save the whole place," he said. "But I know that I can make a difference in some young ones life, and give them hope." The 30-year-old Dalembert made four trips back home this summer while the NBAs labour dispute lingered. He estimates that the country is "about 20 per cent" back to the way it used to be. President Michel Martelly acknowledged this week that the rebuilding process has been slow, and that he has made mistakes since he was elected last May. Dalembert has become acquainted with Martelly, a pop star in Haiti when Dalembert was a boy, and hes optimistic that the new president has put the reconstruction on the right track. "My buddy has become president of the country now, and hes tried to really make a change," Dalembert said with a proud grin. "Hes really tried to make things move in. Sometimes, youve got parties that try to hold things down and try to get their own people in. Its politicking and I try to stay away from that." Before the disaster, Dalembert took classes at Stanford on how to start a charitable foundation to aid his already impoverished country. It launched in 2007. But when he witnessed the scope of the catastrophe three years later, the foundation kicked into high gear, and he began mapping out plans for the first of several community centres that he wants to model after YMCAs in North America. A former first-round pick, Dalembert felt compelled once he reached the NBA to use his fame and wealth to give back to his fellow Haitians, a lesson his parents instilled in him. He has been an active participant in the NBAs Basketball Without Borders Program, a campaign aimed at improving education, health and fitness for young people around the world, and has worked in the aftermath of the earthquake with Medishare, a Miami-based non-profit agency trying to improve health care in Haiti. "Looking back, and you say, Wow, God kind of gave you this opportunity, coming away from there and being in the league," he said. "I take pride in that. I feel like Im very blessed, and Ill continue to do the best I can and help." The country was hardly well off before the earthquake, and Dalembert has vivid memories of his own hard-scrabble upbringing. Food was sparse and when someone cooked, the children shared their paltry portions without hesitation. Electricity was even scarcer, and controlled by the government, so when Dalembert cracked the books to study mathematics, history and Latin it was by candlelight most of the time. "When they did give back electricity, one time a week, or maybe one time every two weeks," he said, "Moms trying to iron as many clothes as she can for the days to come, because you dont know the next time they are going to give it back to you." When he first moved to Canada with family members, Dalembert found his passion in basketball and earned a scholarship to play at Seton Hall. He became a shot-blocking specialist in college, and the Philadelphia 76ers took him in the first round of the 2001 draft. Hes in his 10th NBA season now, a respected presence in the Rockets locker-room after less than a month with the team. His fierce national pride emerges when he talks about Haiti, even as he opens up about the most painful memories. Dalembert smiles when he thinks about the countrys future, the faith that he puts in Martelly and the resolve of Haitis people. "Its in our blood. Its in our blood to fight, and get things," he said. "We basically learn to operate under stressful situations, and we keep on moving, we keep walking on the same path and were hoping for a better future. If it doesnt happen, hey, life continues." But he also worries about the safety of family members who remain there, though much of his family has moved to Miami, and a younger brother is going to school in Philadelphia. Dalembert tried to convince his father, a retired former government official, to leave. Emmanuel Dalembert refused. "He said, Son, in all the life youre living, theres one time you can see your country can be rebuilt," Samuel Dalembert said. "Some people never live to see that. He said, I will never leave this country, and I will be there. Hes a patriotic guy." Samuel understands. "Its like when I go back home," he said. "You see your youth, youve got that sense of pride in you, and you be like, Wow, this is my country. "I always tell some of those kids, Listen, there are countries out there who were not independent until this day," he said, "and the only thing you can say is, This country is yours, and youve got to make the best of it." ------ Samuel Dalembert Foundation: http://www.dalembertfoundation.org cheap nfl jerseys china . -- Baltimore Orioles third baseman Manny Machado will start the season on the 15-day disabled, manager Buck Showalter announced on Sunday. cheap jerseys . Kansas City (15-10-6) entered with the best goals-against average in MLS (0.97) and prevented the Crew from attacking through the midfield as Jimmy Nielsen made his only save on Federico Higuains 30-yard free kick in the 77th minute. http://www.cheapnfljerseysfromchina.cc/ . -- Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer in the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday. cheap nfl jerseys . LOUIS -- When the first five San Diego Padres reached safely, it looked as if itd be a long night for rookie Lance Lynn. Wholesale jerseys .28 for a combined time of 1:14.70, also an Olympic record. Lee won the gold medal, defending her title from the Vancouver Games.DENVER -- Sometimes, its hard for the Colorado Avalanche to remember that Nathan MacKinnon is just 18 years old and only a rookie. Because he keeps coming through in big moments. The speedy MacKinnon scored 3:27 into overtime after P.A. Parenteau tied the game late in regulation, helping the Avalanche rally for a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night and a 3-2 lead in the first-round series. "The kids special," Parenteau said. "I know its cliche to say, but its pretty impressive to see. ... This is the kid we want on our side." MacKinnon is having quite the series, with two goals and eight assists. Surprised at the poise of his No. 1 pick? "We knew when we drafted him what kind of player we were drafting," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said as the series switches back to Minnesota for Game 6 on Monday. "He had a solid game." A memorable one, too. After all, its not every day a rookie scores an OT winner in the playoffs. MacKinnon corralled the puck and poked it past Darcy Kuempers glove with two defenders near him. Soon after, MacKinnon was mobbed by teammates. He deflected the credit, though, saying it should go to Paul Stastny or Gabriel Landeskog for their roles on the play. "Paulie forced the puck down in their end, Landy got it on the half-wall and I was screaming for it," MacKinnon said. "Definitely a good play by him." MacKinnons time in the spotlight was made possible by Parenteau, who scored with 1:14 left after Roy pulled goaltender Semyon Varlamov with 2:22 remaining. The strategy worked out again, just like in Game 1. There may have been some controversy on Parenteaus tying goal, though, with Stastny possibly being offsides on the play. At least, that was the Wilds take. "They missed the call and we paid for it," Minnesota defenceman Ryan Suter said. "No excuses. We have to play better in overtime. Weve got to get more pressure on the kid (MacKinnon) when he comes to the net." Wild coach Mike Yeo is hoping the breaks equal out. "I would say were due for, I dont want to say luck, but for stuff to go our way a little bit," Yeo said. "Im not going to dwelll on what happened in the game.dddddddddddd" When his team trails, Roy has been rather liberal in pulling Varlamov all season long, preferring to send out an extra skater with plenty of time left on the clock. It worked in the series opener, as Stastny scored with 13.4 seconds remaining in regulation and then added the OT winner. "We believe in ourselves more when were down a goal," Landeskog said. "Its exciting to be a part of. Its not something we want to make a habit of doing." Nick Holden and Cody McLeod also added goals for the Avalanche. Kyle Brodziak, Zach Parise and Matt Moulson scored for the Wild. Two of Minnesotas goals came after a Colorado defenceman shattered their stick and had to play without one. Parise tied the game at 2 early in the third when he glided down the left side and beat Varlamov with a shot over his glove. Nearly two minutes later, Brodziak gave the Wild the lead after defenceman Jan Hejda broke his stick and struggled to cover anyone. McLeod had a short-handed goal at 8:04 of the second period, when he redirected a pass from Ryan OReilly past Kuemper. The lead was short-lived as the Wild answered 1:13 later when Moulson tipped in a shot by Jared Spurgeon from the blue line. On the play, Maxime Talbot gave his stick to defenceman Andre Benoit after his broke and then Jamie McGinn passed his to Talbot, leaving McGinn without a stick. The Avalanche may soon have leading scorer Matt Duchene back in the lineup as he skated with the team Saturday morning. Duchene has been sidelined since hurting his left knee when he ran into a teammate against San Jose on March 29. Expect Duchene back for Game 6? "Were going to take a serious look at it," Roy said. NOTES: The Wild were without suspended LW Matt Cooke for a second game after his knee-on-knee hit knocked Avs D Tyson Barrie out for at least a month. ... The Avs are 1 for 18 on the power play. ... According to the Avs, MacKinnon (18 years, 237 days) is the second-youngest player in Stanley Cup playoff history to score an OT goal. Don Gallinger was 17 years, 339 days when he scored an OT winner for Boston in 1943. wholesale jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china Cheap NFL Jerseys cheap authentic jerseys cheap nfl jerseys china ' ' '
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