After 162 days, José Juan Barea will finally feel that “good feeling” of playing basketball again.
Star guard Mayaguez will make his debut tomorrow, Wednesday, in the Liga Endesa (or ACB) in Spain, when his new team Movistar Estudiantes will face Casademont Zaragoza starting at 15:30 (Puerto Rico time).
Barea has not played since August 23, playing five minutes and 11 seconds in the victory of his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, against the Los Angeles Clippers in the NBA playoff round.
“It’s very different for me. But since I got here, they’ve treated me spectacularly. I have practiced a lot and I do very well. The practices are very good. I don’t practice that much anymore. But nothing like the game “, said Barea from Madrid at Spokesman.
“It will be my first game in a good period, in a new league and with a different system … so let’s see. It’s been a long time (without playing). I feel really weird. On Wednesday I will be a little strange, but with a good “feeling”. I am very happy for this opportunity and for the new experience “, he added.
Barea has not yet spoken to Spanish coach Javier Zamora about whether he will start from the beginning in this first meeting.
But what is certain is that he will have many more minutes than he had with the Mavericks in the 2019-2020 season under the reins of Rick Carlisle.
“I have no idea if I’m going to start. I imagine. I didn’t discuss this with the leader. I know I will play a lot. Currently, what I focus on is training, doing many repetitions and staying healthy “, said Barea.
Canastero of Puerto Rico was due to make his debut last Saturday, but the league has postponed the meeting – the fifth since Estudiantes last played on December 29 – against Acunsa GBC, “for health problems stemming from the Covid-19 outbreak” that affected the team. in Madrid.
Barea continued to take advantage of the moment to continue preparing for his debut.
“I knew about this problem (the Covid outbreak that was in the team) before coming here. I knew that the outbreak was already happening in the team, which is good for the future, because most (of the players) already have it (viral antibodies). But it wasn’t bad for me that they suspended me on Saturday because he gave me several days of training, “he said.
The Puerto Rican national team captain will play two more games – on February 7 against Real Madrid and on February 10 against Acunsa – before traveling to Puerto Rico to play the third and final qualifying window for the AmeriCup 2022 tournament on 19 and 20.
“I would leave at some point after the 10th and be in Puerto Rico for about ten days and then come back,” Barea said.
After the break through the FIBA windows, Movistar Estudiantes will return to the field on February 27, when they will face Unicaja.
Students rank 14th in the rankings.