Barea stars at U-21 Tournament of the Americas
August 2, 2004
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Junior point guard Jose Juan Barea led Puerto Rico to the gold medal game at the U-21 Tournament of the Americas last week in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The 6'0, 173-pound Mayaguez native averaged 24.8 points and 7.2 assists (both tournament highs) to go along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game at the tournament, including a triple double (27 points, 12 assists, 12 rebounds) in a 101-96 opening-round win over Brazil.

Following that game, Puerto Rico got past Venezuela, 93-80, before falling to the United States, 92-79. A 73-67 victory over Argentina vaulted Puerto Rico into the finals, where it once again was defeated by the U.S., 97-86.

In the recap of the championship game on the FIBA Americas Web site, Barea is referred to as "one of the best prospects at the point guard position in the world."

Barea finished second in America East last season in points (20.7) and assists (5.8) per game en route to earning first team all-conference honors.