August 8, 2005

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Virginia Tech men's basketball player A.D. Vassallo is playing well for the Puerto Rico National team in the FIBA Under-21 World Championship for Men, being played in Cordoba and Mar del Plata, Argentina.

Vassallo, a 6-6, 213 lb., wing from Santa Maria Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, will enroll at Virginia Tech later this month. He played last season for the Hargrave Military Academy post-graduate team after attending Faith Christian Academy in Hurt, Va., in high school.

Puerto Rico is 1-2 in the preliminary round, following Sunday night's 94-79 loss to the defending champion United States team. He is averaging 9.7 points and 24.3 minutes per game in the team's first three games in the tournament. He has made 12 of 18 shots (.667) from the field and three of five (.600) from three-point range. He also has five steals in the tournament.

Vassallo scored seven points in the opening game loss against Lithuania and followed that with five points in the win against Slovenia. In Sunday night's loss to the USA, Vassallo came off the bench to score 17 points, hitting seven of 10 shots from the field in 22 minutes of action. The US team features ACC players J.J. Redick of Duke and Justin Gray of Wake Forest.

The tournament features some of the top players from around the world, including NBA players, such as teammate Peter Ramos of the Washington Wizards. Puerto Rico will play on Tuesday night against China and again on Wednesday against Nigeria before the medal round begins on August 12.