Tremont Waters, another star point guard in the making for Puerto Rico

MIAMI (United States) - Tremont Waters made his international debut for Puerto Rico in Window 4 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Qualifiers, and that debut couldn't have gone any better.

Point guard Jose Alvarado, who had a stellar debut of his own for Puerto Rico in Window 3 of the First Round of Qualifiers, wasn't available for this window of games, so enter Waters, a point guard himself who may be short in size, but not in heart and skill set.

The 24-year-old was the catalyst in the team's 75-72 come-from-behind upset victory over traditional continental power Brazil. Puerto Rico trailed 59-52 heading into the fourth quarter and kept hanging around within striking distance until they made their move over those final 10 minutes.

Waters finished the game with 29 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals on 12-of-22 shooting from the field, 9-of-13 shooting from two-point and 3-of-9 shooting from three-point for an overall efficiency rating of 29.

13 of his 29 points came in the fourth quarter, including some clutch shots down the stretch; one that tied the game at 70 with 1:20 to go and then a step back three-pointer to make it 73-70 with 57 seconds left, putting Puerto Rico on top for good.

His 29 points were also the second-most for Puerto Rico in the history of the competition, only behind David Huertas who scored 36 points against Uruguay back in November 2018.

 

"Obviously it was my first time playing here for the national team, but I just want to say thank you to my coaches and my teammates for just giving me the utmost confidence to go out there and play and play freely, just play my game, and build off of them," said Waters after the game. "Overall, it was a great experience. The fans were amazing, and I'm blessed to be able to play here."

"It's a humbling experience to be able to play somewhere like this and get so much love," Waters continued. "I always wanted to play for Puerto Rico, but things were happening with the NBA that I had to tryout, and I feel like now was the time. But overall, what I thought [about playing for Puerto Rico], it doesn't compare to how it actually feels being here. It's definitely fun and I'm just going to continue to do what I can."

Waters was so impressed with the home atmosphere and national team experience that he even declared it to be the best moment and best crowd he's played in front of.

"This is definitely number one and I'm not just saying that," he said. "To be able to go out there, obviously it being my first game, and to hear about how crazy in a good way, the fans are, it doesn't compare to anything. It was a humbling experience and I'm very appreciative."

Waters and Puerto Rico will look to keep the good times rolling in their next game, which will be on the road in Uruguay on August 29. This will be a key game, as both teams are currently 4-3 in Group F.

FIBA