St. John's University Athletics
LJ Figueroa Selected to Represent Dominican Republic at Pan Am Games
6/28/2019 3:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Rising junior will be one of two Johnnies competing alongside Mustapha Heron
QUEENS, N.Y. (June 28, 2019) – Two members of the St. John's men's basketball program will now have the opportunity to gain international experience at this summer's Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, as it was announced on Friday that LJ Figueroa has been selected to represent the Dominican Republic.
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 The BIG EAST and USA Basketball announced earlier this month that Mustapha Heron will be among a select group of conference players and alumni that will don the red, white and blue. Two other Johnnies have represented USA Basketball at the Pan Am Games in the past, as Chris Mullin and Sonny Dove won gold medals for the U.S. in 1983 and 1967, respectively. The United States and the Dominican Republic will play in opposite pools during the competition running from July 31-Aug. 4.
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Figueroa will represent the Dominican Republic on the heels of a strong first season in Queens, finishing third on the team and 14th in the BIG EAST in scoring with 14.4 points per game. That average was good enough for the highest among first-year players in the conference. The Lawrence, Mass., native topped the team and ranked 10th in the league in rebounding with 6.4 boards per outing and tallied a team-high six double-doubles on the season.
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Before helping the Red Storm secure its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2015, Figueroa was a First Team NJCAA All-American at Odessa College in Texas during the 2017-18 campaign, averaging 21.4 points per game and leading the Wranglers to a spot in the NJCAA Division I National Championship.
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 The BIG EAST and USA Basketball announced earlier this month that Mustapha Heron will be among a select group of conference players and alumni that will don the red, white and blue. Two other Johnnies have represented USA Basketball at the Pan Am Games in the past, as Chris Mullin and Sonny Dove won gold medals for the U.S. in 1983 and 1967, respectively. The United States and the Dominican Republic will play in opposite pools during the competition running from July 31-Aug. 4.
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Figueroa will represent the Dominican Republic on the heels of a strong first season in Queens, finishing third on the team and 14th in the BIG EAST in scoring with 14.4 points per game. That average was good enough for the highest among first-year players in the conference. The Lawrence, Mass., native topped the team and ranked 10th in the league in rebounding with 6.4 boards per outing and tallied a team-high six double-doubles on the season.
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Before helping the Red Storm secure its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2015, Figueroa was a First Team NJCAA All-American at Odessa College in Texas during the 2017-18 campaign, averaging 21.4 points per game and leading the Wranglers to a spot in the NJCAA Division I National Championship.
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