SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) – If Puerto Rico intend on ending their two-decade long drought of appearances at the Olympics, they won't find a better opportunity than the upcoming FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan.
The Boricuas will play in front of their home crowd at Coliseum Jose Miguel Agrelot, a venue called "El Choli" by the fans, from July 2-7 for a ticket to Paris 2024. Standing in their way will be Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Côte d'Ivoire and Bahrain.
The Roster
Head coach Nelson Colon has announced a 12-man team that features nine members of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup side.
Guards Jose Alvarado and Tremont Waters head a list that includes several important contributors like Gian Clavell, Isaiah Pineiro and Stephen Thompson. Four-year NBA veteran Davon Reed will also be available to provide a spark on the wing.
Puerto Rico had hoped to have in their team the explosive guard Markus Howard of Spanish side Baskonia, but he isn't available this time. Howard had recently become eligible to play for Puerto Rico.
His brother, Jordan Howard, is on the team and could be very important. Jordan Howard played an average of 21.8 minutes per game last year at the World Cup and was tied for second on the team at 11.4 points per game.
The Question
Can Puerto Rico match the raw talent of some of their competitors?
The Caribbean country hasn't reached the Semi-Finals at a FIBA AmeriCup since 2013 (the lost in the Final to Mexico). It hasn't made it to the Quarter-Finals at a FIBA World Cup since 2002, back in the glory days of Carlos Arroyo, Larry Ayuso and Daniel Santiago.
The biggest moment of the Boricuas in the last 20 years was at the 2004 Olympics, when they stunned the USA on opening day in Athens and went on to reach the Quarter-Finals. Since then their great wins have come in Americas Qualifiers for the 2019 and 2023 World Cups but not at FIBA's flagship event itself.
The Hope
Alvarado is potentially Puerto Rico’s best player. He has only featured in a couple of Americas Qualifiers for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Expect him to be the head of the snake in San Juan, helping Puerto Rico push the ball up the floor on offense, and defend full court, jumping the passing lanes.
The Boricuas do have plenty of firepower with Waters and Jordan Howard, even if they and Alvarado form a bit of an undersized trio at the guard positions. And Clavell is a scoring machine, so offense will undoubtedly come from him. The squad has decent length on the wing with Stephen Thompson Jr, Aleem Ford and Reed in position to contribute points.
Thompson showed in the opening game of last year's FIBA Basketball World Cup when he poured in 20 points to lead the team past South Sudan, 101-96, that he's capable of having big games.
The Fear
Puerto Rico will feature a cadre of interesting options on the perimeter, but their lack of size in the frontcourt looms as a weakness.
Center George Conditt IV is the squad’s tallest player at 2.12m (6ft 11in), but no one else is above 2.03m (6ft 8in), the height of Ismael Romero. Against many opponents, Romero's size isn't an issue because of his hustle, athleticism and rebounding instincts, but the Puerto Ricans could struggle late in the tournament against a big Lithuania team that has 2.11m (6ft 11in) Domantas Sabonis and 2.13m (7ft 0in) Donatas Motiejunas.
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