Jonathan Rodríguez, Titanes' key man

BARRANQUILLA (Colombia) - Group A of this BCL Americas' second edition has the particularity of being the closest one before the third window. All three teams have a 2-2 record. But Titanes de Barranquilla seems to have an ace up its sleeve, Jonathan Rodríguez, chosen as part of the star lineup in both windows.

The Puerto Rican forward spoke to the BCL Americas exclusively and shared his feelings: "It's an honor to be in the star lineup from the BCLA's first two windows, in a tournament with so many great players. I feel that I'm in the best moment of my career, I'm much more mature and I know clearly what I want. I'm in a great situation with Titanes de Barranquilla, and my goal is to try to make history and qualify the first Colombian team ever to the playoffs of such an important league."

The 33-year-old forward, born in Puerto Rico, was one of the key players in the last championship won in Colombia, with averages of 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds, and he shared how he feels in Barranquilla, and how he sees the team: "Colombia makes me feel very well. It's like my second home, because my wife is Colombian and I know a lot of its culture and its people. They've always treated me incredibly and I feel very pleased. Also, the team is doing very well. We've been training hard and we know one another a lot better, each player has a defined role. We hope to achieve what we long; to qualify to the playoffs and make Colombia proud of our representation at the BCL Americas."

Rodríguez is the fifth scorer of the current continental tournament in total points (74), and eighth in average, with 18.5 in the four games Titanes played. But, how does he see Group A and its future? "Without a doubt, it's the closest group. We've split points in all the windows and the level of the teams has been very high. Everything will be defined in the last match. The first goal is to qualify, but we won't settle for that. I understand we set up an amazing team with many players that can compete against the best of the competition, and why not, dream big and think we can win it all. That's why we work daily and I trust that my teammates, the coaching staff and management will give their best to go as far as possible."

Titanes will have its last window between the 27th and 29th of March in Coclé, where Caballos will have home advantage. The Colombian team will face Real Estelí on the 28th and Flor Meléndez' team on the 29th.

FIBA