Former Tennessee-Martin basketball starter, Jair Peralta, recently spent time in Hiroshima, Japan. Peralta wasn’t vacationing - he was representing his home country of Panama in the Federal International Basketball Association World Championships. Panama was one of 24 teams selected to play in the FIBA World Cup, along with teams from such countries as China, Italy, and the United States.

Unfortunately for the 5-10 point guard, the Panamanian National team was eliminated from the competition after its third loss in the tournament.

Japan knocked Panama out of play with a 78-61 victory. The team’s first loss came against Angola, 83-70, followed by a 101- 57 defeat by Spain.

The Panama City-native played under current head coach Bret Campbell in the ‘00-’01 and ‘01-’02 seasons after transferring to Tennessee-Martin from Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, MO.

After graduating from Tennessee-Martin, Peralta played professional basketball in Latin and South America, which includes his current spot on the Panteras de Miranda (Miranda Panthers) in Venezuela.

In 2004, Peralta was also a member of Panama’s Olympic team, which fell just one game short of going to Athens.