Mike Rosario sure is going to rack up the frequent flyer miles this summer.
Rosario, a member of the Big East All-Rookie team at Rutgers, heads to Madrid May 23 with his Rutgers teammates for a trip that includes four games in four days against club teams.
From there, Rosario heads to Puerto Rico to meet up with Fordham guard Jio Fontan and the other members of the Puerto Rican U19 National Team. The team will also include Raymond Cintron, the No. 1 point guard in Puerto Rico.
Rosario and Fontan are best friends and former teammates at St. Anthony in Jersey City. Under head coach Bob Hurley, they led the Friars to the 2008 Tournament of Champions title and a mythical national championship. The team’s story was captured in the upcoming film, ‘The Street Stops Here.’ Check out the trailer here.
“We’re excited that these guys are playing,” said Todd Washington, senior adviser to the President of the Puerto Rican Basketball Association. “These guys come from St. Anthony. They have the discipline and experience. We think they’re going to bring a lot in terms of experience. We ‘re excited about the team. We think we have a medal-level team here.”
Rosario came to Puerto Rico for spring break and Washington was highly impressed.
“He came down during the spring break to work out with the U19 team and just his work ethic, his focus, his discipline were amazing,” Washington said. “Seeing him in person, he was better than he looked on TV. He was an animal. He’s got a chip on his shoulder.”
“One of the tasks we’ve given Mike is to be a leader and we feel he’s up to the challenge.”
The team will train in Puerto Rico, then head to Paris (June 8-15) for more games and then come back to Puerto Rico (June 16-June 30).
Rosario and Fontan will ultimately head to Auckland, New Zealand to compete in the 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship July 2-12.
Better pack a few extra pairs of socks and underwear, Mike!
