PUR - Duo tipped to shine

CAGUAS (Caribe Basket) - NBA duo Carlos Arroyo and Jose Juan Barea have been tipped to lead hosts Puerto Rico to glory at the Caribe Basket Championship, which starts on Monday.

Nine teams are bidding for one of three places for next year's Centrobasket tournament as the road to the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey begins.

Arroyo, who plies his trade for Orlando Magic, and Dallas Mavericks' Barea were absent when coach Manolo Cintron led the team to the silver medal at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro last month.

The team showed promise but fell at the final hurdle, losing to Brazil in the final.

However, head coach Cintron believes the Arroyo-Barea combination will be "explosive" and will lead the Puerto Rico team to gold.

"They are great players and make the others on court improve," said Cintron of his star guards.

The head coach believes his team`s pace will be their most potent weapon.

"This is only one of a few combinations we can use during the tournament," added Cintron. "Alternatives are uncountable.

"We have speed and counter attacks will be lethal."

Hosts Puerto Rico have been drawn in Group B alongside Barbados, Cuba, the US Virgin Islands and Trinidad & Tobago, while Group A features Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Guyana and the Dominican Republic.

The top two teams of each group advance to Saturday's semi-finals, while the third-place play-off and the final will take place on Sunday.

The best three teams of this tournament will qualify to Centrobasket, a tournament that has no venue yet and will be a qualifier to the 2009 FIBA Americas Championship.

FIBA