Photo Credit: Ben Berry/ Ben Shot it
This Article was originally published on July 25th, 2018
The Class of 2020 have some special guards that have made a lot of noise from the jump. One thing that separates these guards from others is their ability to flourish while playing above their level. It’s an arduous task that not many could attempt but for LuHi rising junior guard Andre Curbelo, he has handled the task of playing up with ease.
During the adidas gauntlet finale in NYC during first live period, Curbelo was called up from the NY Jayhawks 16U team to play up on the 17U team. The Jayhawks were currently 1-1 on Saturday and in a heated game vs Mass Rivals (2016 adidas gauntlet champions). Down five points with four minutes remaining Andre Curbelo fakes a defender from the right corner and drives to the rim for an easy finish. By the look of that move ,you would think that Andre is a senior, but he just finished his sophomore year at Long Island Lutheran.
Playing with older players is something he is used to and as he explained back in July 14th, the high school basketball season has prepared for him for it.
“I’ve been playing varsity since I arrived at this school and even though the players are bigger than stronger than me I have been able to adapt because I play very hard and the coaches believe in me”. Curbelo plays with unshakable confidence and high basketball IQ which makes him one of the best Point guards in the nation. Curbelo finished the Adidas Gantlet finale with a 25 point, 9 rebound and 5 assists performance in the championship game vs Brookwood Elite.
One major highlight for Curbelo this summer is playing for his native island Puerto Rico in the FIBA U17 World championships. During the tournament Curbelo averaged 14 points 6 rebounds and six assists per game, leading Puerto Rico to the Bronze Medal. Curbelo also made the FIBA all-star five which included top prospects Jalen Green and Vernon Carey. Playing for his native island is something he prides himself on and making it far in the tournament was a major accomplishment. “I love my island and I love playing for it I don’t think anyone expected us to get the bronze medal. It was tough knowing that we were the second smallest team in the tournament.
The 6-0 guard currently holds offers from tons of schools such as Florida, Wichita State, VCU, UMass and St. John’s just to name a few. As curbelo’s career progresses it’s a sure thing that the offers will grow. As Curbelo enters his junior season, his strength remains one of the main things he needs to improve on going forward. “ I think that one thing I need to improve on is my strength, a lot of the players I play against are more stronger and faster and I need to be prepared to compete against them every single night”.
Fast forward to now, Andre Curbelo had a big junior season. The 6-0 guard help led the Crusaders to a 25-2 overall record which included a 18-0 record in New York State and a State federation title. The Crusaders finished the season as the No. 9 ranked team in the nation. Curbelo’s accomplishments throughout the season earned him a spot on the World team at the Nike Hoop Summit where he represented Puerto Rico.
Hoop Dreams NYC 