Wareham's Jordan Rezendes to represent U.S. in Brazil basketball tour
The accolades keep piling up for Wareham native and UMass Dartmouth basketball star Jordan Rezendes.
Rezendes, a senior, is one of 20 players tapped to represent the United States in the Brazil Tour 2016. The tour is a series of goodwill games and cultural exchanges between top U.S. Division 3 players and professional Brazilian basketball players.
A brainchild of former Division 1 coach Ron Smith, the tour is now in its seventh year. Smith is director of U.S.A. Sports Tours and Events, the organization that hosts the event.
“This is an outstanding group of basketball players that come from thirteen different states and fifteen different colleges and universities,” said Smith. “We feel that we have some of the best of the best representing almost every region in the country.”
Two teams, one made up of male players and the other female players, will start the tour on July 19 in Orlando, Florida with practice sessions.
On July 22 and 23, the teams will play professionals in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
It’s not just about competition. Team U.S.A. will host a skills clinic for Brazilian youth on July 24. The last games of the tour will be played on July 26. In addition to basketball, the U.S. players will visit cities, schools and cultural landmarks, such as the Christ the Redeemer Statue, while on tour.
For Rezendes, being named to the team caps a long list of awards and recognition from this year.
The guard was recently named to the D3Hoops.com All-America Second Team in March and received First Team All-American honors from HERO Sports.
Both accolades are the first for Rezendes in his two-year Corsair career.
Rezendes also participated in the Reese’s National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division 3 College All-Star Game. One of just 18 participants selected from around the country, he played as a starter for East All-Stars, scoring 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting to help his squad to a 129-120 victory over the West All-Stars.
A two-time Little East Conference Player of the Year, Rezendes led the nation in scoring in his final season with 29.7 points per game. He registered the highest single-game scoring mark in the nation on Jan. 30 with 58 at Plymouth State, breaking his own UMass Dartmouth program record of 51 in the process. A starter in 26 of 27 games, he shattered the previous single-season scoring mark of 681 set by General Holman in 1975-76 by registering 831 total points. That total was also the highest point total for the season in all Division 3. In addition, he ranked in the top-five nationally in 3-point field goals made, total field goals made and free throws made.
Rezendes established new program standards in several other categories this season. On Dec. 1 at Worcester State, he set a new school record with 10 3-pointers as part of a 48-point performance. His season marks of 210 free throws and 103 3-pointers are also new Corsair records. On Jan. 13, Rezendes became the 47th member of UMass Dartmouth’s 1,000-point club, after playing only 40 games in a Corsair uniform. He exits as the program 17th on the all-time scoring list with 1,434 points.