July 23, 2009
Bronx, N.Y. -
Fordham University sophomore point guard Jio Fontan has had a busy summer and it not even August yet. He's back in the Bronx this week after competing in two different national tournaments on two different continents for the Puerto Rico Under 19 National Team.
Most recently, Fontan traveled to Auckland, New Zealand, where he participated in the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championships from July 2nd through the 12th, helping the team to a sixth place finish in the 16-team tournament.
The Puerto Rican team went 5-4 at the World Championships, falling to Argentina in the fifth-place game. Fontan was the squad's second leading scorer (behind former high school teammate Mike Rosario), averaging 13.3 ppg along with 3.1 rpg and 5.0 apg. He hit the game-winning basket with 2.6 seconds to play in a 67-65 win over Canada that propelled the Puerto Rican team into the fifth-place contest. In that game, Fontan netted 19 points and added six assists but it wasn't enough as Puerto Rico fell to Argentina, 90-72.
Fontan, who started all nine games for Puerto Rico, opened the World Championships with 12 points and three assists in an 80-72 win over Lithuania and then recorded 15 points and six assists in a 107-98 loss to Greece. After Puerto Rico defeated Angola, 86-49, they squeaked out a 90-89 win over France, with Fontan scoring nine points and recording four assists.
The Puerto Rican team then squared off with the United States, the eventual champions, falling, 81-61, despite 16 points and four assists from Fontan. The team rebounded for a 99-71 win over Egypt as Fontan dished out a game-high ten assists. Fontan then scored 20 points in a 91-78 loss to Croatia.
For the championship, Fontan shot 55.6% (10-18) from three-point range and added eight steals to his team-high 45 assists.
Prior to the trip to New Zealand, Fontan and the Puerto Rican team competed at the 2009 Douai World Tournament in Douai, France, where they went 3-2, including a win over the United States. Fontan averaged 13.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 4.2 apg. He opened the tournament with nine points and nine assists in a 105-90 win over the U.S. team and then scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds in an 85-84 loss to France. The Puerto Rican team then suffered another one-point setback, 77-76, to Canada, where Fontan netted 18 points before closing out the tournament with a 58-56 win over Lithuania and a 73-59 victory over Australia, a game in which Fontan scored 12 points and dished out five assists.
Fontan led the Rams in scoring last year, averaging 15.3 ppg, while also dishing out a team-best 132 assists. He also averaged 2.7 rpg and recorded a team-high 33 steals along with three blocks. Fontan scored 429 points on the year, the third most for a Fordham freshman in school history (Robin scored 495 and Dunston 431 as freshmen), while his 132 assists are the most ever for a Ram rookie. He ranked ninth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, fourth in assists (4.71/game) and 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.29).
On the year, Fontan led all Atlantic 10 freshmen in both scoring and assists and was twice named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week. He appeared in all 28 games at point guard, starting 27, scoring in double figures in 24 of the 28 games, including six 20-point games.
