| No. 8 – Valencia Basket | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| League | Liga ACB | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (2003-07-03)3 July 2003 (age 21) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 79.5 kg (175 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2022:undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2019–2024 | Gran Canaria | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2021 | →Gran Canaria B | ||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | → Team Overtime | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | →Real Betis | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | →Andorra | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Valencia | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Jean Claudio Montero Berroa (born 3 July 2003) is a Dominican professionalbasketball player forValencia of the SpanishLiga ACB.[1] He has previously played forCB Gran Canaria.
Born inSanto Domingo, Montero grew up playing basketball andbaseball and was introduced to basketball when he visited a court to entertain himself.[2] He first played basketball with his cousin near his home, using the wheels of an old bicycle to make a rim.[3] He started playing the sport seriously at the age of 10 or 11 through Club DOSA in theVilla Juana sector.[2] Montero subsequently moved to Club Mauricio Báez, also based in Villa Juana.[4] In 2018, Montero began attendingDME Academy inDaytona Beach, Florida, where he averaged 20 points and eight rebounds per game. At the time, he also competed for NightRydas Elite at theNike Elite Youth Basketball League under-15 division.[5]
After having success at the2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in June 2019, Montero received offers from clubs inSpain and high schools in theUnited States. He continued his career with the Spanish clubGran Canaria.[6] Later that month, Montero was named MVP of theBasketball Without Borders Americas camp inMedellín, despite being a year younger than the other participants.[7] In late December 2019, he averaged 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, four assists, and 1.8 steals for Gran Canaria's under-18 team at theValencia Tournament, a qualifier for theAdidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT). He earned MVP honors of the competition after posting 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists in an 88–72 win overUnicaja's under-18 team in the title game.[8]
In the2019–20 season, Montero began playing for Gran Canaria B, thereserve team ofLiga ACB clubGran Canaria, in the third-tierLEB Plata. He immediately became a key player for his team.[9] In his debut on 15 December 2019, Montero recorded 12 points, four assists, and six steals in an 84–65 win overMenorca.[10] One week later, he scored a season-high 28 points in a 97–89 victory overBenicarló.[11] On 18 January 2020, Montero collected 27 points with six three-pointers and six rebounds in a 98–82 win overPardinyes.[9] He finished the season averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and three assists per game, shooting 43.5 percent from three-point range.[12]
On 27 September 2020, Montero made his debut for Gran Canaria's senior team in the ACB, recording five points and three rebounds in 10 minutes in an 88–71 loss toZaragoza.[13] On 5 December, he scored 33 points, a career-high in the LEB Plata, and six rebounds in a 95–86 loss toNavarra.[14] On 17 March 2021, Montero posted 27 points, six rebounds, and six assists in an 82–54 win against Navarra, and was named MVP of Round 21 in the LEB Plata.[15] In the2020–21 LEB Plata season, he averaged 18 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 2.5 steals per game.[16] After his time withOvertime Elite concluded, Montero would return with the Gran Canaria properly.
On 4 June 2021, Montero wasloaned to Team Overtime of Overtime Elite (OTE) for the league's inaugural season.[16] Montero was projected as a potential lottery pick for the 2022 NBA draft .[17]
In 24 games, he averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 3.4 steals per game, leading OTE in scoring.[18][19]
Montero went undrafted in the2022 NBA draft. He joined theNew York Knicks for the2022 NBA Summer League.[20]
In 2023, Montero would sign withReal Betis Baloncesto in the SpanishLiga ACB.
Following his brief time spent with Real Betis, Montero would sign withBC Andorra in the SpanishLiga ACB.
On July 9, 2024, he signed withValencia of the SpanishLiga ACB.[21]
Shortly before turning 14 years old, Montero made his national team debut for theDominican Republic at the2017 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship inFormosa, Argentina. In five games, he averaged 9.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, leading his team to fifth place and a spot in the2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Argentina.[6][22] At the Under-17 World Cup, Montero was two years younger than most of his opponents but played well against the competition. In seven games, he averaged 15.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists, while leading the tournament in steals (4.1 per game).[6] He helped the Dominican Republic to ninth place, one of its best finishes in a global tournament.[23]
In December 2018, at theCentrobasket Under-15 Championship inHermosillo, Montero was named tournament MVP after averaging 25.8 points, eight rebounds and five assists and winning a gold medal.[24] He helped his team win the bronze medal at the2019 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship inBelém. Montero led the tournament in points (30.3) and steals (3.3) per game while also averaging 9.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists.[2] In the bronze medal game againstArgentina, he recorded 49 points, 12 rebounds and six steals.[5] He was named to the all-tournament team.[25] In July 2018, Montero led the Dominican Republic to fourth place at the Centrobasket Under-17 Championship inSan Juan, Puerto Rico. He was the tournament's leading scorer (28.2 points per game) and averaged six rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 4.2 steals.[6]
In August 2019, at age 16, Montero was one of 17 players to join theDominican Republic senior national team for training camp in preparation for the2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup inChina.[26] He played three exhibition games for the team but did not compete in the World Cup.[6] Montero played for the Dominican Republic during2022 FIBA AmeriCup qualification.[27]
