Puerto Rico National Team '08

[J-Mart]

Puerto Rico
PG Carlos Arroyo (Orlando Magic)
PG Jose Juan Barea (Dallas Mavericks)
PG Filiberto Rivera (Carolina Gigantes)
SG Larry Ayuso (Santurce Cangrejeros)
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SF Carmelo Antrone Lee (Guaynabo Conquistadores)
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PF Angelo Reyes (Carolina Gigantes)
PF Ricky Sanchez (Humacao Grises)
C Daniel Santiago (Unicaja Malaga)
C Peter John Ramos (Caguas Criollos)
C Luis Villafañe (Carolina Gigantes)

Coach Manolo Cintron

Players fighting for a spot on the team...
SG Rick Apodaca (Santurce Cangrejeros)
SG Joel Jones Camacho (Ponce Leones)
SG Javier Mojica (Fajardo Cariduros)
SG Roberto Nieves (Humacao Grises)
SF Angel Daniel Vasallo (Virginia Tech)
SF Antonio Latimer (Guaynabo Conquistadores)
SF Alejandro Carmona (Carolina Gigantes)
PF Luis Rivas (Santurce Cangrejeros)


They will fly to Germany, July 1 and play a couple of exhibitions and then to Slovenia to continue their preparation for Greece.

Link

[cardenales]

The teams looks good. Im not confident with Luis Villafañe in the team but is the only question mark so far for this team.

Javier Mojica 6-3: Great shooter and defender but I feel they are better choices for him at the sg position.

Rick Apodaca 6-3: He should be in the team with no doubt, just that no one explain how he has made a good name for himself in Europe but is not playing well lately for the national team. Believe it or not he is to short for to play the three position and I think they are better choices than him for shooting guard.

Joel Jones 6-6 He should be the tallest sg available of the group. Great leaping ability, and has offense (not consistency) and defense. One of the problem that he is to skinny and international guards especially the europeans may over power him. Has played in China and Germany.

Roberto Nieves 6-5: Many positive things has been expected of this gentleman. He was a member of the under 21 national team and became one of the best player in that team. For some reason his career get stuck but this year he got a good season and was the runner up of the most improve award in the season. The man played for Valparaiso in NCAA I and has a good shooting ability plus is good putting the ball on the floor and penetrating. Great leap and played defense to. The kid have talent and could have a shot but the race for that spot is tough and the other one with the exception of Mojica have international experience for their advantage.


Antonio Latimer 6-8: Has the international experience playing in the last two world cups and very active playing a lot of minutes. He is strong and a hard work who can make his points, be agresive under the boards even his game has slow down a little big. He is a four and I dont see him playing three because his outside shot is inconsistent and his dribbling not is that good either to play that important position. For four the are already pic so I dont think he might have a chance to be in Athens.


Luis Rivas 6-7 Same as Latimer he is a power forward, strong and this kid is huge and rebounds well, his offense is not bad but it wont be that effective at this level. Cannot be a three so I think he is not making it to Athens.

Angel Vasallo 6-6 Excellent player, great player, played with PR under 18 and Under 21 team. Great scorer, can rebound, can played deffense and dribble pretty well, can attack the basket dribbling but is better shooting from three, so far is having a great career in VTECH where he is going to be a senior this year. Also very important has a great IQ for the game. This boy, he should be in the olympics.

Alejandro Carmona: Better known as Bimbo was once invited to practice with the NBA Pistons. Has a great defense, strong, very energize in the game and have improve his offense a lot. Knows how to play without the ball and very good going to the rebound. This kid should be in Athens to.

So for me, my choice is Alejandro Carmona as sf and Angel Vasallo as a shooting guard. This will help to have a solid team in Athens with a good chance to make it to Beijin.

[Waneko]

Did Santiago and Manolo Cintron kiss and make up?

I read somewhere that Santiago, while working out with the NT, is not yet certain to play with them in Greece.

[rikhardur]

PUR – Puerto Ricans receive commitments from important players

SAN JUAN (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men) - Puerto Rico are looking formidable heading into the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament with the key players in Manolo Cintron's team having all given a thumbs-up to playing for the national side.

Carlos Arroyo of the Orlando Magic, Larry Ayuso of Cangrejeros de Santurce and Jose Juan Barea of the Dallas Mavericks will make Real’s backcourt one of the most feared at the event.

And crucially, Unicaja Malaga center Daniel Santiago is with the team. One of the heroes of the 2004 team that reached the quarter-finals of the Athens Olympics, Santiago was uncertain about his participation during the club season but he is in the team.

Puerto Rico will embark on a short European tour before travelling to Athens.

On July 4, they take on Germany in a tournament that will also see them face Greece and potential quarter-final opponents Slovenia.

The Puerto Ricans will then travel to Slovenia on July 8 and face New Zealand, Iran and again, the Slovenians.

Once in Greece, Puerto Rico, the bronze-medal winners at last year’s FIBA Americas Championship, will compete in Group D with Cameroon and Croatia.

Puerto Rico have named 10 members of the squad and will announce the remaining two before they leave for Germany on July 1.

Puerto Rico squad so far:

Carlos Arroyo (Orlando Magic), Jose Juan Barea (Dallas Mavericks), Filiberto Rivera (Gigantes de Carolina), Larry Ayuso (Cangrejeros de Santurce), Carmelo Lee (Conquistadores de Guaynabo), Angelo Reyes (Gigantes de Carolina), Ricky Sánchez (Grises de Humacao), Daniel Santiago (Unicaja Málaga), Peter John Ramos (Criollos de Caguas) y Luis Villafañe (Gigantes de Carolina).

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/26228/arti.html

[J-Mart]

practice

[alermac]

Is really Carmelo Lee that much better than the other guys fighting for a spot? He played in Argentina a couple seasons ago, and he didn't actually impress. Maybe Latimer should be a better pick.

[rikhardur]

Carmelo Lee played in Portugal as well last season, but just one game (he was injured for 3 months). I don't know why he was released though, since there were good referrals.

[J-Mart]

Is really Carmelo Lee that much better than the other guys fighting for a spot? He played in Argentina a couple seasons ago, and he didn't actually impress. Maybe Latimer should be a better pick.

yes he is

Vasallo is unproven
Latimer is a headcase and more of a PF
Buster is too small


Melo Lee can at least shoot the ball and is long, so he can block a couple of shots, but no more. Puerto Rico is really weak at both forward spots

[J-Mart]

Puerto Rico Roster
PG Carlos Arroyo (Orlando Magic)
PG Jose Juan Barea (Dallas Mavericks)
PG Filiberto Rivera (Carolina Gigantes)
SG Larry Ayuso (Santurce Cangrejeros)
SG Javier Mojica (Fajardo Cariduros)
SF Carmelo Antrone Lee (Guaynabo Conquistadores)
SF Alejandro "Bimbo" Carmona (Carolina Gigantes)
PF Alex Falcon (Santurce Cangrejeros)
PF Ricky Sanchez (Humacao Grises)
C Daniel Santiago (Unicaja Malaga)
C Peter John Ramos (Caguas Criollos)
C Luis Villafañe (Carolina Gigantes)

HC Manolo Cintron
AC Leonel Arill
AC Omar Gonzalez
AC Carlos Calcaño
GM Jerome Mincy

Joel Jones Camacho will travel with the team as an injury reserve.

[J-Mart]

at Germany
July 4 Puerto Rico 85 .vs. 83 Germany
July 5 Puerto Rico 86 .vs. 93 Greece

at Slovenia
July 8 .vs. New Zealand
July 9 .vs. Iran
July 10 .vs. Slovenia

Group D at Greece
July 15 .vs. Camerun
July 16 .vs Croatia

if Puerto Rico advances to the Olympics, the team then will travel to Asia to play a couple of exhibitions before the Olympics, then to CentroBasket

[J-Mart]

PF Angelo Reyes, Puerto Rico's best rebounder, just quitted the NT, via Filiberto Rivera. A day before the team travels to Europe!! Great timing Angelo!!!

[cardenales]

Angelo Reyes wants to get back with the team. It seems that he will be back, we need him.

[LFGC79]

PUR 85
GER 83

Stats:
http://www.keyscout.de/index.php?opt...666&Itemid=181

[J-Mart]

there are a lot of proud puertorricans in Germany today

they bought tickets for the game thinking the team would be at their best. they really felt betrayed when they knew that the entire starting lineup wouldnt play. nobody expected a W

lets wait for Arroyo and watch teamwork go to hell

[J-Mart]

We lost to Greece today by 7 points, but we also saw Daniel Santiago and Larry Ayuso join the team. Neither of them played against Greece. Arroyo is expected wednesday.