Puerto Rico use heart, revenge, U17 World Cup experience to reach Quarters

HERAKLION (Greece) - Puerto Rico picked the perfect time to get their first win at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019 and their 77-57 victory over Argentina came thanks to the country's usual passion, a bit of revenge as well as experience from one of the best generations in its history.

Puerto Rico shrugged off three straight losses in the Group Phase and exacted some revenge on their FIBA zone partners after Argentina had knocked them off in the Third Place Game for the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2018.

"For sure, for some of them it was a revenge game," said Puerto Rico star Julian Strawther, who was not on the U18 team but heard plenty about the 87-79 loss last summer in Canada. "They talked about how they were up big in the first half and then let the lead go and lost in a medal game. That's big. That's a medal that you could have had which is gone. To be able to come back and give to them what they gave to us last year."

There are five players on the current Puerto Rico side which lost that game. One of them is Victor Rosa, who also played at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2018, where the country had a magical run to third place - the best-ever showing in that competition.

 
Andre Curbelo was named to the All-Star Five of the U17 World Cup and there were three other teammates from that team in Greece. And that experience played a major role in Puerto Rico's beating Argentina.

"It definitely helped a lot because we won the bronze and we were the smallest team in that tournament and in the locker room I was like: Yo, I don't want to lose. I want to win. I want to go to the final four again. I want to win a medal again. So it helped us to work even harder," said Curbelo, who has been hampered by a neck injury suffered in the team's final preparation game.

“PUERTO RICAN BASKETBALL IS GREAT. THE WAY WE PLAY WITH PRIDE, WE PLAY WITH HEART. WE GIVE OUR ALL ALL THE TIME. WE TAKE IT REALLY PERSONAL AND WE PLAY WITH EVERYTHING.”- Curbelo

Strawther said that group of U17 World Cup medallists showed their leadership.

"Those guys are winners, they've been here before. They've played at a World Cup, something I haven't had the luxury of doing. They are used to this stage. They have brought a lot of their leadership. And even if they are the younger players on the team, they are still showing their leadership and what it takes to win," Strawther said.

Curbelo said the victory was a major accomplishment for the country, especially after the three losses in the group.

"It means everything. A lot of people didn't believe in this team. We were 0-3 in the Group Phase, but we didn't care about that. We were focused on this game because we knew that this was the game that mattered," he said. "This was the game that will get us to the final eight. We were focussed and we prepared hard for this. We worked extremely hard to get this and it means everything to us and our country."

And playing for the flag is a huge deal for Puerto Ricans.

“IT MEANS EVERYTHING. A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T BELIEVE IN THIS TEAM. WE WERE 0-3 IN THE GROUP PHASE, BUT WE DIDN'T CARE ABOUT THAT ... THIS WAS THE GAME THAT WILL GET US TO THE FINAL EIGHT. WE WERE FOCUSSED AND WE PREPARED HARD FOR THIS. WE WORKED EXTREMELY HARD TO GET THIS AND IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO US AND OUR COUNTRY.”- Curbelo

"Puerto Rican basketball is great. The way we play with pride, we lay with heart. We give our all all the time. We take it really personal and we play with everything," Curbelo said.

Puerto Rico next face Mali in the Quarter-Finals and if they can knock off the African U18 champions then they would have notched their best-ever showing in the competition, bettering their sixth-placed showings in 2003 and 2009.

"We just have to come out with the same intensity as we did today," Strawther said. "We can't shy down to anybody. It’s just a matter of realizing this is for a trip to the final four. If we can do that, then we’re in great shape."

FIBA