While I was rooting for the U.S. to win, I was happy to see a former FIU player perform greatly and he is now on headlines all over the place. Here is the article from the herald:



<a href='http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/9412510.htm' target='_blank'>Link</a>

Quote:Posted on Mon, Aug. 16, 2004BASKETBALL | CARLOS ARROYO

FIU ALUM STYMIES U.S. STARS

On what he called 'a big day for Puerto Rican basketball,' former FIU standout Carlos Arroyo scored 24 points to lead an upset of the U.S. team.

By CLARK SPENCER

cspencer@herald.com

ATHENS - Just before taking the court Sunday to face the vaunted and heavily favored U.S. basketball team, Carlos Arroyo got up in front of his Puerto Rican teammates in the locker room and made a bold prediction.

''I said we're going to be in all the newspapers in the world,'' Arroyo said.

They made headlines, shocking the U.S. team in a 92-73 victory in the first game of the Olympics for both teams. And it was Arroyo, the former Florida International University standout, who inflicted much of the damage, leading all scorers with 24 points, dishing out seven assists and making four steals before fouling out late.

''I think we shocked the world tonight,'' said Arroyo, who plays for the Utah Jazz and is one of only two NBA players on the Puerto Rico roster compared with the 12 who play for Team USA.

Puerto Rico became only the second team -- the Soviet Union being the other -- to defeat the United States in Olympic competition.

Arroyo was the biggest reason.

''I think it was the best game he's ever played,'' teammate Luis Ayuso said.

Arroyo averaged 12.6 points last season for the Jazz, and was a standout at FIU, though not nationally known.

Former FIU coach Shaky Rodriguez was awed when he took his first look at Arroyo when scouting him in Puerto Rico.

''When I saw him play, my jaw dropped,'' Rodriguez said. ``I said, `This kid is the best player on the island. If anyone sees him, he's going to go to North Carolina or Kentucky, or somewhere like that.''

Rodriguez managed to convince him to go to FIU, where he led the Sun Belt Conference his senior season by averaging 21.2 points. His stock has risen in the NBA. The Jazz awarded him with a four-year, $16 million contract this summer.

''He is a true point guard, which is hard to find,'' Rodriguez said. ``He controls the game. No one is going to take the ball from him. He sees the whole court, and he can score.''

Arroyo was 9 of 16 from the field in Sunday's win over the United States. But more than scoring, it was Arroyo's insistence on directing the attack for Puerto Rico that had much to do with the upset.

''I felt like having the ball in my hands,'' Arroyo said. ``I was going to control the tempo and organize the team.''

Arroyo said he respected, but did not fear, Team USA.

''We understood it was going to be a very difficult game for us to win,'' Arroyo said. 'We were playing against the best players in the world. We said, `Let's gain some respect tonight.' ''

Arroyo basked in the victory afterward.

''We weren't playing as individuals,'' he said. ``We were playing as a country. This is a big day for us, for Puerto Rican basketball.''

Herald assistant sports editor Walter Villa contributed to this report