André Curbelo

André Jael Curbelo Rodríguez (born October 13, 2001) is a Puerto Rican college basketball player for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles of the Sun Belt Conference. He previously played for the Illinois Fighting Illini and St. John's Red Storm. Curbelo represents the Puerto Rican national team in international tournaments. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) and 175 pounds (79 kg), he plays the point guard position.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Curbelo and the second or maternal family name is Rodríguez.
André Curbelo
Curbelo with Illinois in 2022
Southern Miss Golden Eagles
PositionPoint guard
LeagueSun Belt Conference
Personal information
Born (2001-10-13) October 13, 2001
San Juan, Puerto Rico
NationalityPuerto Rican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolLong Island Lutheran
(Brookville, New York)
College
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Puerto Rico
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
Bronze medal – third place2018 Argentina
FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship
Bronze medal – third place2017 Argentina
Centrobasket Under-15 Championship
Gold medal – first place2016 Puerto Rico

High school career

Curbelo grew up in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico and started playing basketball at age four.[1] He moved to the New York area when he was 13 years old.[2] Curbelo decided to attend Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School in Brookville, New York after being suggested by a family friend. He spoke little English and struggled academically as a freshman, before gradually adjusting and improving his grades.[3] In his junior season, Curbelo averaged 15.5 points, eight rebounds, nine assists and four steals per game and was named Newsday All-Long Island Player of the Year. He led Long Island Lutheran to the Class AA title at the New York State Federation Tournament of Champions in 2019, his school's first-ever Class AA Federation championship after their seven previous Federation championships in classes A, B and C.[2] In April 2019, Curbelo played for the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon.[4]

Recruiting

Curbelo was considered a four-star recruit, according to major recruiting services. On November 1, 2019, he committed to playing college basketball for Illinois over offers from Oregon, Florida, Kansas and Louisville, among others. Curbelo was recruited to Illinois by assistant coach Orlando Antigua.[5]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
André Curbelo
PG		 Vega Baja, Puerto Rico Long Island Lutheran (NY) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 1, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 87
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 38  247Sports: 58  ESPN: 44
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  • "2020 Illinois Fighting Illini Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 11, 2020.

College career

As a freshman, Curbelo averaged 9.1 points, 4.2 assists and four rebounds per game. He was named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.[6] He missed the sophomore season opener against Jackson State due to a concussion. On November 25, 2021, Curbelo played limited minutes against Kansas State and missed several games due to continued head trauma.[7] On March 28, 2022, Curbelo announced that he had decided to leave Illinois and enter his name into the transfer portal.[8] On April 15, 2022, Curbelo announced that he had committed to St. John's.[9]

National team career

In 2016, Curbelo won a gold medal with Puerto Rico at the Centrobasket Under-15 Championship in Patillas, Puerto Rico after averaging 16.5 points, seven rebounds and 6.5 assists per game.[10] At the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Formosa, Argentina, he averaged a tournament-leading 21.8 points, seven rebounds, 3.2 assists and 3.5 steals per game and won a bronze medal.[11] Curbelo competed at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina, where he averaged 13.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and a tournament-high 5.9 assists per game and led his team to another bronze medal.[12] He averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 assists per game at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Heraklion, Greece as Puerto Rico finished in sixth place.[1]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Illinois 31021.5.498.161.7284.04.2.9.19.1
2021–22 Illinois 19419.3.329.176.7453.13.2.7.17.5
2022–23 St. John's 261627.3.424.294.7052.84.32.0.29.6
Career 762023.0.427.212.7273.44.01.2.18.9

Personal life

Curbelo's father, Joel, played professional basketball for 18 years and represented Puerto Rico at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[13] His mother, Joann Rodríguez, played for the Puerto Rico women's national handball team. Curbelo's aunt played basketball for the Puerto Rico women's national team.[14]

References
  1. Daniels, Evan (July 8, 2019). "Recruiting on back burner for Andre Curbelo". 247Sports. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  2. Wagner, Joey (December 7, 2019). "How Illinois basketball signee Andre Curbelo developed a knack for passing". Herald & Review. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  3. Rubin, Roger (December 7, 2019). "Andre Curbelo leads a loaded LI Lutheran boys basketball team in quest for Federation repeat". Newsday. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  4. Bobb, Maurice (April 11, 2019). "Nike Hoop Summit 2019: Viewing Info, Rosters and Players to Watch". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  5. Stevens, Matthew (November 1, 2019). "Four-Star 2020 PG Andre Curbelo Commits to Illinois". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  6. Wagner, Joey (October 14, 2021). "'I think it's natural for him': Andre Curbelo ready to step into starring role for Illini". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  7. Wagner, Joey (December 10, 2021). "Notebook: Curbelo 'getting better' but likely out against Arizona; Hutcherson reaggravates injury and is out". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  8. "Selbe, Nick".
  9. "Illinois star Andre Curbelo returning home as St. John's transfer". New York Post. nypost.com. April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  10. "Andre Jael Curbelo Rodriguez". FIBA. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  11. "Andre Jael Curbelo Rodriguez". FIBA. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  12. Daniels, Evan (July 2, 2018). "FIBA u17: Andre Curbelo shines, says two are prioritizing him". 247Sports. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  13. Muñiz Pérez, Yamaira (February 10, 2020). "André Curbelo le roba el show al hijo de LeBron James". El Vocero (in Spanish). Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  14. "PR's Curbelo excels against first European foe". FIBA. July 1, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
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