Barea: ''I love to represent my country and I will do so every time I can''

DALLAS (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers) - International basketball has known the name Jose Juan Barea since the point guard debuted with the Puerto Rican National Team in 2006.

Barea did not feature for the Boricuas in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers, but that will possibly change for the summer window of the Qualifiers.

"I ALWAYS LOVE TO REPRESENT MY COUNTRY AND I WILL DO SO EVERY TIME I CAN UNTIL THE END OF MY CAREER. I AM 33 YEARS OLD, AND I WANT TO HELP PUERTO RICO IMPROVE AND HELP THE YOUNG GUYS DEVELOP THEIR GAME. I LOVE TO WEAR THE NATIONAL TEAM JERSEY, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME" BareaBarea

Puerto Rico sits in the second position of Group C with a 2-2 record, and will host Cuba and Mexico in San Juan to close-out the first phase of Americas Qualifiers.

Barea spoke with FIBA.basketball.

Puerto Rico has two wins and two losses in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers so far…
It's an interesting qualifiying campaign so far and there are still two more games to go, so we have to win them both. We don’t have a choice, winning is the only option. Despite losing twice against Team USA, the guys played well and didn’t lose by a huge margin, so it is positive for us. The group is gaining experience and has showed some great chemistry and winning in Mexico has been a great step towards the qualification for the next round. There is two more games left in the first round, both at home, and we got to win them.

What's the importance of the home court factor in your opinion?
It's a great thing; it's like playing with a sixth man. You know, when you play in front of your fans, your family and your fellow compatriots, you feel like you have an extra boost of energy, of passion that pushes you to give everything for your team on the court. Playing for your national team is about pride and wanting your people to be proud of who represents them at international level. I personally love to play at home and wear the national team jersey in front of my fellow compatriots. It's such a unique feeling. Seeing this huge 'blue and red' human wave on the stands is so great, it is so energizing.

Is playing this summer for the national team a goal for you?
I hope to join my teammates and play for the national team this summer. I always love to represent my country and I will do so every time I can until the end of my career. I am 33 years old, and I want to help Puerto Rico improve and help the young guys develop their game. I love to wear the national team jersey, it is very important to me.

Puerto Rico has proven in the last decade to be one of the most competitive teams in the Americas…
I think that basketball has been developing very well in the island, and we have been, both the national team and the federation, doing a great job to put Puerto Rico in the world's basketball map. We had great campaigns in different competitions, and there are more and more players who are knocking at the national team's door, which is great for the present and the future. A lot of guys play in the USA at college level and more and more cross the Atlantic to play in Europe, and that is a good sign too. We got to keep working hard and well, but we have the potential to keep being competitive for the years to come. That’s the main goal, the number one goal.

"WE GOT TO KEEP WORKING HARD AND WELL, BUT WE HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO KEEP BEING COMPETITIVE FOR THE YEARS TO COME. THAT’S THE MAIN GOAL, THE NUMBER ONE GOAL" BareaBarea

You are one of the veterans of the group of players, the flag bearer of the national team. How do you enjoy that role?
I enjoy being a veteran (laugh) and representing Puerto Rico in the NBA and at international level. I like to share with the youngsters some of my knowledge about the game and about how to be a professional player. I have the chance to be in the NBA and to have been playing at a professional level for a while now, so I think that it is important to help the younger players by giving them some tips and advices about being a basketball player and help them reach their best potential. I have a lot of experience and I do help the young players every time I can or every time someone asks me to do so. I like to do this with the young guys in Dallas too, but also with the younger players of the national team or the kids back home. That is part of the job of being a good veteran.

With the new format and the great potential of Puerto Rico, is the goal of qualifying for the FIBA World Cup 2019 possible for the national team?
Yes, the goal is to give our best to qualify for the next World Cup. I think we have the potential to go to the next round and to get one of the spots to go to China 2019. That is the mind-set since the beginning of the qualifiers, as we always play every qualifiying campaign not only with a lot of energy, but also with the goal to qualify for the international competitions. It doesn’t matter if it is the World Cup or the Olympics; we want to bring Puerto Rico to the world stage every time, if possible. It is important to play against the best teams in the world and to compete at this level to keep learning and gaining competitiveness.

"I ENJOYED PLAYING AGAINST THE BEST TEAMS IN THE WORLD; YOU CAN COMPETE AGAINST GUYS THAT YOU NEVER PLAYED AGAINST. IT'S A VERY INTERESTING EXPERIENCE BOTH AT HUMAN AND SPORTS LEVEL. I AM SURE THAT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT TOURNAMENT IN 2019 IN CHINA, WERE BASKETBALL IS GROWING A LOT AND THE LOVE FOR THE GAME IS INTENSE. WE WANT TO BE PART OF THIS COMPETITION" BareaBarea

You already played in a FIBA World Cup. What's your best memory of playing in that competition?
Playing in a world cup is very special. We didn't have a great campaign in 2014 in Spain but we learned a lot from this competition. I enjoyed playing against the best teams in the world; you can compete against guys that you never played against. It’s a very interesting experience both at human and sports level. I am sure that is going to be a great tournament in 2019 in China, were basketball is growing a lot and the love for the game is intense. We want to be part of this competition.

FIBA