This article first appeared in El Vocero daily in Puerto Rico. It was translated and edited for our followers who are interested in the Puerto Rican Basketball League.
CABO ROJO, PR — – The scoring leader for a Latino player in basketball in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Jhivvan Jackson Meléndez, arrived in Puerto Rico last week to join the Manatí Bears in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN).
The 25-year-old, 6’0 player comes from playing with Walter Tigers Tubingen in the Bundesliga in Germany, where he averaged 18.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in 26 minutes of play in 27 games.
Jackson – who is the grandson of the former coach and now general manager of the Bears, Flor Meléndez – was the first pick in the 2023 new entry draw, but did not debut last season, since he was active in the Dutch and Belgian league BNXT with the Spirou Basket team, where he averaged 18 points per game in 26 games.
In the NCAA he had a successful career with the University of Texas at San Antonio, averaging 22.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in his four years as a college student.
The Bears are third in the standings with an 10-10 record and are averaging 91.3 points, 31.7 rebounds and 18.2 assists per game, shooting 49.0% from the field and 36.0% from three-point range.
Jhivvan was excited to play for the team that where his grandfather is the General Manager.
Basketball teams in the PR National Basketball League (BSN)
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