FIBA Basketball
PUR - Be warned: Rivera, Puerto Rico pack a mean punch
BAMBERG (FIBA World Championship) - Puerto Rico are not the biggest kid on the block in international basketball but they never run away from a fight. Team USA will attest to that after Carlos Arroyo & Co shocked the Americans on the opening day of the Athens Olympics in 2004.The Caribbean country has a chance to do the same thing again this year when they take on the United States in Japan at the FIBA World Championship
BAMBERG (FIBA World Championship) - Puerto Rico are not the biggest kid on the block in international basketball but they never run away from a fight.
Team USA will attest to that after Carlos Arroyo & Co shocked the Americans on the opening day of the Athens Olympics in 2004.
The Caribbean country has a chance to do the same thing again this year when they take on the United States in Japan at the FIBA World Championship.
The Puerto Ricans needed a wild card to make it to the Far East tournament after failing to qualify outright at the FIBA Americas Championship.
Puerto Rico, who placed seventh at the FIBA World Championship four years ago in Indianapolis, have been drawn in Group D with the United States, Italy, Slovenia, China and Senegal.
Former University of Texas-El Paso playmaker Filiberto Rivera is expected to secure a guard position in coach Julian Toro's team.
The point guard is currently leading German club Artland Dragons into their first round play-off series against Bremerhaven.
He is the third leading scorer (12.1) on the exciting young team and led them in assists (3.7) through the regular season.
Last weekend, the Dragons finished fourth in the German Cup Top Four tournament in Bamberg, Germany, where PA Sport's David Hein caught up with him to discuss the Puerto Rican national team and its chances this summer in Japan.
FIBA: Filiberto, you've been playing with the Puerto Rican national team for three years now. Have you booked your ticket to Japan already?
Rivera: I can't answer that question right now. We still have to practice and I have to see if I make the team. When I come back after the season, we'll practice and we'll see.
FIBA: And how do you see your chances of making the squad?
Rivera: I think my chances are pretty good. But I still have to work out because we have so many good players in Puerto Rico trying to make that team. So it's going to be pretty tough.
FIBA: Assuming you make the team, you're going to Japan after struggling in the Americas qualifiers and come in as a wild card. What's the team's goal?
Rivera: The goal is always to win the tournament. We have to play hard and stay together. There are so many good teams with two Europeans and the United States, and they're always good. So we just have to play all out to win the tournament.
FIBA: You have a pretty strong group of guys featuring Carlos Arroyo from the Orlando Magic, Larry Ayuso most recently from Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania and Daniel Santiago from Unicaja Malaga in Spain. But your first game in Japan will be against the United States. What are your thoughts on that game?
Rivera: That's going to be a crazy game. They're always going to bring the best team they can. But we beat them in the 2004 Olympics. So it's going to be a fun day for us.
FIBA: What do you think about Team USA and their new-found commitment to continuity in its national team?
Rivera: They already know that the Europeans are getting better. The team they've got right now I think is pretty good. They have a new coach and new players who have never been in the team before. But anything can happen. It's a long tournament.
FIBA: And what about Team USA's decision to bring role players as well - not just All-Stars?
Rivera: That's exactly right. That's why they brought in a new coach. They're looking for guys who want to play games more than anybody else. It's gonna be a tough match.
FIBA: Obviously FIBA recognised that Puerto Rico is a strong basketball country by selecting your nation with a wild card. Where do you see Puerto Rican basketball in the world?
Rivera: We got such a good team in the past. That we didn't qualify, that's our fault. We got lucky that we got the wild card because we had so many good performances in the past. That's good for us. But I think we'll be strong in Japan.
By PA Sport, Exclusively for FIBA
Team USA will attest to that after Carlos Arroyo & Co shocked the Americans on the opening day of the Athens Olympics in 2004.
The Caribbean country has a chance to do the same thing again this year when they take on the United States in Japan at the FIBA World Championship.
The Puerto Ricans needed a wild card to make it to the Far East tournament after failing to qualify outright at the FIBA Americas Championship.
Puerto Rico, who placed seventh at the FIBA World Championship four years ago in Indianapolis, have been drawn in Group D with the United States, Italy, Slovenia, China and Senegal.
Former University of Texas-El Paso playmaker Filiberto Rivera is expected to secure a guard position in coach Julian Toro's team.
The point guard is currently leading German club Artland Dragons into their first round play-off series against Bremerhaven.
He is the third leading scorer (12.1) on the exciting young team and led them in assists (3.7) through the regular season.
Last weekend, the Dragons finished fourth in the German Cup Top Four tournament in Bamberg, Germany, where PA Sport's David Hein caught up with him to discuss the Puerto Rican national team and its chances this summer in Japan.
FIBA: Filiberto, you've been playing with the Puerto Rican national team for three years now. Have you booked your ticket to Japan already?
Rivera: I can't answer that question right now. We still have to practice and I have to see if I make the team. When I come back after the season, we'll practice and we'll see.
FIBA: And how do you see your chances of making the squad?
Rivera: I think my chances are pretty good. But I still have to work out because we have so many good players in Puerto Rico trying to make that team. So it's going to be pretty tough.
FIBA: Assuming you make the team, you're going to Japan after struggling in the Americas qualifiers and come in as a wild card. What's the team's goal?
Rivera: The goal is always to win the tournament. We have to play hard and stay together. There are so many good teams with two Europeans and the United States, and they're always good. So we just have to play all out to win the tournament.
FIBA: You have a pretty strong group of guys featuring Carlos Arroyo from the Orlando Magic, Larry Ayuso most recently from Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania and Daniel Santiago from Unicaja Malaga in Spain. But your first game in Japan will be against the United States. What are your thoughts on that game?
Rivera: That's going to be a crazy game. They're always going to bring the best team they can. But we beat them in the 2004 Olympics. So it's going to be a fun day for us.
FIBA: What do you think about Team USA and their new-found commitment to continuity in its national team?
Rivera: They already know that the Europeans are getting better. The team they've got right now I think is pretty good. They have a new coach and new players who have never been in the team before. But anything can happen. It's a long tournament.
FIBA: And what about Team USA's decision to bring role players as well - not just All-Stars?
Rivera: That's exactly right. That's why they brought in a new coach. They're looking for guys who want to play games more than anybody else. It's gonna be a tough match.
FIBA: Obviously FIBA recognised that Puerto Rico is a strong basketball country by selecting your nation with a wild card. Where do you see Puerto Rican basketball in the world?
Rivera: We got such a good team in the past. That we didn't qualify, that's our fault. We got lucky that we got the wild card because we had so many good performances in the past. That's good for us. But I think we'll be strong in Japan.
By PA Sport, Exclusively for FIBA