André Curbelo


André Jael Curbelo Rodríguez is a Puerto Rican college basketball player for the Illinois Fighting Illini of the Big Ten Conference. He represents Puerto Rican national team in junior international tournaments. Standing, he plays the point guard position.

High school career

Curbelo grew up in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico and started playing basketball at age four. He moved to the United States when he was 13 years old. 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. 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 a Class AA title at the New York State Federation Tournament of Champions, his school's first-ever Federation championship. In April 2019, Curbelo played for the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon.

Recruiting

Curbelo is considered a four-star recruit. On November 1, 2019, he committed to play college basketball for Illinois over offers from Oregon, Florida, Kansas and Louisville, among others. Curbelo was recruited to Illinois by assistant coach Orlando Antigua.

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. 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. 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. 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.

Personal life

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