Puerto Rico clinched an important win over Italy in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In the 80-69 win, the New Orleans Pelicans point guard Jose Alvarado shined the brightest. The 26-year-old put in an impressive 29-point performance to ensure his team’s progress to the next round. Following the win, Puerto Rico HC Nelson Colon heaped praise on the NBA star for carrying the team on his back.
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The Pelicans star went 10-for-15 from the field and 7-for-10 from the three-point arc to hand his team a crucial win. After the game, he sat next to Coach Nelson to talk to the reporters.
Praising Alvarado for his performance, he said that he admires the 26-year-old for not showing any sort of ego to his teammates, despite being the only one with NBA experience. Colon said,
“He is the only guy to play in the NBA here with us and he put the ego at the side. He said ‘Yo I’m here for you. I’m here for the team. I’ll be ready for everything. When you say my name, I’ll be ready.”
"He is the only guy to play in the NBA here with us and he put the ego at the side. He said "Yo I'm here for you. I'm here for the team… When you say my name, I'll be ready"
— Puerto Rico HC Nelson Colón on his conversation with Jose Alvarado about coming off the bench pic.twitter.com/g6a9YJzKJu
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) July 5, 2024
Alvarado was born in Brooklyn, New York, however, he has been representing his Puerto Rican heritage in international tournaments, since 2022. So, when he was called on national duty once again, he stepped up to the occasion.
Coach Nelson said that Alvarado’s dedication to the team sent a clear message to his teammates that he is willing to put Puerto Rico over everything. He believes that it did the trick for the whole squad because everyone else also rallied behind him for a dominant win against Italy.
The coach said that shedding away the ego to come together for a shared goal made the team stronger. It’s great for the team that all the players are on the same page because now they will have bigger challenges on their way. The Puerto Rican team is now set to face team Mexico in the semi-finals on July 6.
