PUR – Jose shows the way for Puerto Rico

MARIBOR (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men) - Puerto Rico’s training camp in Europe is going from strength to strength, despite the late arrival of the country’s best-known player Carlos Arroyo.

In his absence, Jose Barea has taken the lead.

The Dallas Mavericks guard has been red hot this summer and on Tuesday, he had a team-high 13 points to lead Puerto Rico to an 82-74 victory over New Zealand in Slovenia.

“We beat New Zealand by eight points, it shows that guys in the team are very focused,” Barea said to FIBA.com.

Puerto Rico beat Germany but lost to Greece in the Supercup final at Bamberg’s JAKO arena at the weekend.

All three of those sides are among 12 teams that will be at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Greece where the remaining three places for the Beijing Games are up for grabs.

The islanders are drawn in Group D along with Croatia and Cameroon, with a clear goal in their minds.

“We want to go to Beijing. If it happens, it will be amazing. It will be a dream come true,” Barea said, adding, “the only thing I’ve heard is that Croatia is a better team than Cameroon.

“Against them [Croatia], it will be the game of the tournament for us.”

Puerto Rico are still to announce their final squad for Athens, but among Manolo Cintron’s men, one is having an impact that may surprise many.

He is Joel Jones, and he’s a proving to be quite a threat from three-point range.

Jones had 24 points in the win over Germany and he came off the bench to pour in 12 against the Kiwis.

He joined the team as 13th player, but is having such good appearances that Barea believes Jones can make it.

“He [Joel Jones] has been playing well lately,” Barea said. “He came as the 13th player, and I personally believe that he can make it. He is doing well. The final team will be announced in a couple of days.”

Puerto Rico expect to play Slovenia in a few days before traveling to Athens, where Barea and Co will attempt to seal their passage to Beijing.

Barea said: “It has been a great experience, better than I expected.

“Overall, the team is doing well.”

Arroyo isn’t the only player missing.

Carmelo Lee had to return home to be with wife after she gave birth to premature twins.

NBA playmaker Arroyo, for many Puerto Rico’s key player, is due to arrive this week. Angelo Reyes, a power forward, has also missed workouts because his wife has been due to give birth.

“Carlos will join the team,” Barea said. “He will be the last to come, but he will, for sure. We don‘t know about Angelo, yet.”

After two seasons playing in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, Barea was offered a contract extension.

“It has been a fantastic experience,” he said.

“I just signed for another three years with the team. I believe this is a result of my hard work.

“I can now play more relaxed internationally.”

That’s very good news for Puerto Rico.

Julio Chitunda

FIBA