College of Saint Rose Athletics

ABOUT BRAGA: Given first name is João…Transferred from nearby Division I Siena College in Loudonville, NY prior to last year…Has outstanding court vision and is a natural floor general…Distributes the ball well and brings international experience to the Saint Rose program…Strong, competitive player who is comfortable with the ball on the perimeter and in the lane.

AS A JUNIOR: Appeared in four contests…Finished with four points and eight rebounds on the year…Pulled down three rebounds in five minutes of playing time in an 88-68 win versus Franklin Pierce (1/26/08).

2006-07 AT SIENA: Came off the bench to appear in six games…Averaged 1.3 minutes of playing time and dished out a pair of assists.

2005-06 AT SIENA: Saw limited action in 10 games, averaging 2.5 minutes and 0.6 points.

BEFORE SAINT ROSE: Selected to the All-Star team in the NBA's Basketball Without Borders Americas Program…Played for several club teams in Brazil, including: Continental Parque Clube (finished fourth in Sao Paulo) from 1995-2000, Circulo Militar de SP in 2001, CA Monte Libano in 2002 (finished third in state), Sao Paolo FC (was selected to the All-Star team) in 2003 and A Hebraica de SP (finished third in state) in 2004.

GENERAL: Listed Steve Nash and Sarunas Jasikevicius as the athletes he most admires…Said his father is one of the persons who has had a great influence on him…Said his best sports moment to date was being selected to the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders All-Star team…Spent this past summer working in the finance department of an ethanol company back home in Brazil.

COACH ON BEAURY ON BRAGA: “J.G. has the ability to help our team in a variety of ways. His ability to get to the rim in the half court creates a great advantage for his teammates. J.G. is a big powerful guard who can push the ball and make plays. He is going to be looked upon to relieve backcourt pressure and create scoring opportunities for his teammates. J.G. comes from a basketball family in Brazil and has a tremendous feel and basketball IQ. We are excited to see J.G. in his final season here at Saint Rose.”