2011-10-06 22:35:12

Today, October 6 2011, "U" Mobitelco Executive President Mircea Cristescu, together with center Rob Thomson, held a press conference during which the player announced his decision to retire as an active basketball player.

Mircea Cristescu: "I regret that we weren't able to persuade Rob to stay for at least the EuroChallenge games, it would have been a nice opportunity to end his career, but, at the same time, I understand the opportunity that he has now to make a new life and we wish him good luck in his new activities as program manager. Mijovic will probably stay. He won't play against Timisoara, but Rob will. Rob is doing what he wants, it's a noble cause, very few people think like Rob. Our club and our team would like to tell him that he will always be part of our history and of our spirit, we all know he was an extraordinary teammate who supported everyone, no matter if they were Romanians, Serbs or Americans. A team is like a person, all we can say is that Rob got our backs, because he did all he could in the defense. This is life, we cannot decide when a player decides to retire. We wish Rob good luck and we hope that our fans will join us during the game against Timisoara, because this is a unique moment, to be there for Rob!".

Rob Thomson: "I decided that now, in this moment of my life, playing basketball at a high level is not the most satisfying thing for me. I have this extraordinary opportunity to implement a child development program in Rwanda.Children basketball development is a great problem in Rwanda, I've been trying for more than an year to implement such a program, and last week I received the necessary funding. At the same time, my wife applied for a job a year ago, and now she needs to start. My wife and I have decided to go back to the US next year anyway, so this program comes as a good opportunity for us, in this moment of our lives. We want to do some good in this world, other than playing basketball. My experience in Cluj was amazing, I got along great with Mircea, Marcel and everybody from the team. I heard rumors that I've got into a fight with Marcel, but nothing like that has happened. On the contrary, they tried to convince me to stay until winter, but this is impossible. I am very sad that I have to leave the fans, my teammates, Mircea and Marcel, but at the same time I am very excited to go to the next phase of my life. In Rwanda, I will manage the local basketball coaches and I will supervise the implementation of the children's program. Young people there train mostly without coaches until they are 18 years old, and it's hard to form a player after that age. It will be an after-school type program, children will do their homework and will learn basketball. Practically, my career as a basketball player ends now. I've heard various rumors that after coming back from Rwanda I'll play for other Romanian teams, such as Medias, but I've decided to end my career and this is how it will be. I will miss Cluj, the fans, but I'm happy to start a new phase. Cluj is an incredible place to play basketball, the fans are amazing, the atmosphere is sensational. Since I'll be playing my the last game against Timisoara, at home, I'll have a proper good-bye and I will enjoy every minute spent on the court."

Source: u-mobitelco.ro