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31 August, 2019
15 September
Top scorers of every World Cup 2019 team during the Qualifiers
12/03/2019
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Top scorers of every World Cup 2019 team during the Qualifiers

MIES (Switzerland) - The recently concluded FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers saw a lot of players torch the nets with their daredevil drives and sweet shooting.

It's time to look at the very best of these top scorers and see if they have what it takes to bring their sublime offensive arsenal to the World Cup 2019 in China. Take note that listed below are the players who scored the highest total points for their respective teams to emphasize their overall body of work instead of recognizing other players who may have averaged more points but played in less than a handful of fixtures.

# Player Position Team Points AVG MIN GP
1. RA GunA Forward Korea 267 26.7 33 10
2. TUCKER Dar Guard Jordan 240 21.8 29.5 11
3. DIOGU Ike Forward Nigeria 186 15.5 26 12
4. HIEJIMA Makoto Guard Japan 166 13.8 24.2 12
5. COLOM Joaquim Guard Spain 164 13.7 23.5 12
6. LIZ Victor Guard Dominican Republic 164 13.7 24.3 12
7. BOHACIK Jaromir Forward Czech Republic 163 13.6 30.1 12
8. PONITKA Mateusz Guard Poland 161 13.4 24.9 12
9. KULAGIN Dmitry Guard Russia 155 12.9 26.3 12
10. MOREIRA Yanick Center Angola 154 12.8 24.8 12
11. SCOLA Luis Center Argentina 150 16.7 25.8 9
12. ABADA Omar Guard Tunisia 147 12.3 26.2 12
13. BENZING Robin Forward Germany 146 18.3 26.3 8
14. JAMSHIDIJ Mohammad Forward Iran 144 12 29.8 12
15. DELLA VALLE Amedeo Guard Italy 142 17.8 25.5 8
16. IVANOVIC Nikola Guard Montenegro 138 13.8 25.8 10
17. RADULJICA Miroslav Center Serbia 133 13.3 21.2 10
18. COLMENARES Nestor Forward Venezuela 133 11.1 24.3 12
19. HUERTAS David Guard Puerto Rico 132 13.2 26.9 10
20. BLATCHE Andray Forward Philippines 128 16 29 8
21. HESLIP Brady Guard Canada 128 10.7 19.7 12
22. BENDZIUS Eimantas Forward Lithuania 127 10.6 18.2 12
23. NDOYE Youssou Center Senegal 125 12.5 22.9 10
24. BENITE Vitor Guard Brazil 123 12.3 23.8 10
25. BOUROUSIS Ioannis Center Greece 121 15.1 28 8
26. WEBSTER Corey Guard New Zealand 110 15.7 24.7 7
27. DIABATE Souleyman Guard Cote d'Ivoire 110 9.2 29.3 12
28. LACOMBE Paul Guard France 98 9.8 22.3 10
29 ABUDUREXITI Abudushalamu Forward China 87 10.9 28.8 8
30. HEARN Reggie Guard USA 87 9.7 21.0 9
31. ERDEN Semih Center Turkey 85 9.4 19.2 9
32 CREEK Mitch Guard Australia 84 14.0 24.0 6
           


Ra GunA, Korea (267 points - 26.7 points per game)



The man formerly known as Ricardo Ratliffe was an unstoppable force for the Koreans, getting 8 double-doubles and scoring 20 or more points 8 times. With him anchoring the interior and surrounded by sharp-shooters all around the perimeter, the Koreans were tough nuts to crack all throughout the Asian Qualifiers.

Dar Tucker, Jordan (240 points - 21.8 points per game)

The tried-and-tested Tucker didn't disappoint for the Falcons. The 30-year-old combo guard seemed to score at will against any opponent, and he became a huge reason for their late run in the second round that enabled them to sneak into the World Cup.

Ike Diogu, Nigeria (186 points - 15.5 points per game)

This 6ft 8in (2.02m) big man was just a dominant force for Nigeria, scoring in double-figures in all but 2 games. He quite literally threw his weight around as the D'Tigers topped Group F with 10 wins in 12 games.

Makoto Hiejima, Japan (166 points - 13.8 points per game)

With Japan against the ropes after losing their first 4 games, Hiejima stepped  and helped carry the team with his daring drives and sweet perimeter game. One of his finest games as dropping 24 points on Iran as Japan got a big road win in the final window.

Quino Colom, Spain (164 points - 13.7 points per game)

Spain had a scoring hotshot in Colom, who lit up the scoreboards many times in the European Qualifiers. His best effort was scoring 25 points on 9-of-15 field goal shooting against Slovenia.

Victor Liz, Dominican Republic (164 points - 13.7 points per game)

Seasoned veteran Liz at times played like a one-man-wrecking-machine for the Dominican Republic. He shot  well pretty much from everywhere on the floor and routinely ran rings around defenders who were struggling to keep up. 

Jaromir Bohacik, Czech Republic (163 points - 13.6 points per game)

Bohacik had some slow outings for the Czechs, but he also exploded in some contests. Torching Bulgaria with 24 points on the back of 4 triples was terrific, and so was dropping 26 points in a fifth window game against Russia. 

Mateusz Ponitka, Poland (161 points - 13.4 points per game)

This 6ft 6in (1.98m) shooting guard was consistently among Poland's most dangerous offensive weapons. He saved one of his best performances in the final window, too, scoring 20 points against Croatia.

Dmitrii Kulagin, Russia  (155 points - 12.9 points per game)

This PBC Lokomotiv Kuban shooting guard picked up his scoring in the final 2 windows, and it couldn't have been better timing as Russia needed big wins to qualify to the World Cup. Kulagin's best was scoring 26 points on a variety of shots in Russia's victory over Finland in the fifth window.

Yanick Moreira, Angola (154 points - 12.8 points per game)

Moreira was just a tower of power for Angola in the African Qualifiers. He was a legitimate double-double threat in every match, and had his best performance when he scored 20 points on 9-of-13 field goal shooting against Cameroon in the fourth window.

Luis Scola, Argentina (150 points - 16.7 points per game)

This former NBA standout continued to defy Father Time in the Americas Qualifiers, averaging close to 17 points despite being 2 years shy of 40 years old. Scola has proven again how he has set the gold standard for longevity and productivity in international hoops.

Omar Abada, Tunisia (147 points - 12.3 points per game)

Abada may be nowhere near the tallest players in any game, but he makes good use of his strengths like quickness and shooting. The 25-year-old point guard's explosive scoring was a big reason for Tunisia's successful qualification.

Robin Benzing, Germany (146 points - 18.3 points per game)

Benzing was one of the most experienced players on Germany's European Qualifiers squad, and he used that experience to the hilt as he finished the competition with the second-best scoring average. At 6ft 10in (2.09m), he was a matchup nightmare for opposing forwards at the perimeter.

Mohammad Jamshidi, Iran (144 points - 12.0 points per game)

Jamshidi was thrust into the role of a primary scoring option for Team Melli after the first round as seasoned veterans either retired (Oshin Sahakian and Aren Davoudi) or were injured (Arsalan Kazemi, Hamed Haddadi, Samad Nikkhah Bahrami). The 27-year-old responded to the challenge, though, scoring 25 or more points in Iran's last three games.

Amedeo Della Valle, Italy (142 points - 17.8 points per game)

Truth be told, Italy wouldn't be anywhere if it weren't for Della Valle's streaky shooting. Yes, there were a couple of times he struggled, but by and large, when he caught fire, Italy was near indomitable.

Nikola Ivanovic, Montenegro (138 points - 13.8 points per game)

This 25-year-old floor general was absolutely brilliant for Montenegro as he was capable of shooting the lights out and handing out one assist after another to his teammates. His most impressive performance? How about dropping 30 points on Ukraine in the second round?

Miroslav Raduljica, Serbia (133 points - 13.3 points per game)

Yes, Raduljica isn't getting any younger, and at times it really looked like all those miles have taken their toll on the 31-year-old's tired legs. For the most part, however, the 7ft 0in (2.13m) slotman was still able to anchor Serbia splendidly in the middle.

Nestor Colmenares, Venezuela (133 points - 11.1 points per game)

Colmenares was a superb inside force for Venezuela in the entire Americas Qualifiers. He was a constant double-double threat and showcased a wide repertoire that should make him a dangerous foe in the World Cup.

David Huertas, Puerto Rico (132 points - 13.2 points per game)

Huertas saw action in 10 of Puerto Rico's Americas Qualifiers games, and he was among their most potent scorers. The 31-year-old even exploded for 36 points as Los Gallos dealt Uruguay a big loss in the fifth window.

Andray Blatche, Philippines (128 points - 16.0 points per game)

This 6ft 11in (2.10m) frontliner saw action in 8 games for the Philippines, giving them a two-way threat and consant double-doule machine. Maybe his finest game was dropping 17 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in a critical win over Qatar in the final window.

Brady Heslip, Canada (128 points - 10.7 points per game)

When one talks about lights-out shooters, Heslip has to be in the conversation. This 28-year-old long range specialist made nearly 3 triples per game as Canada topped their group with 10 wins and only 2 defeats.

Eimantas Bendzius, Lithuania (127 points - 10.6 points per game)

Bendzius's scoring may have dipped a bit in the second round, but don't forget that his point production was crucial for Lithuania in their first few games of the European Qualifiers. Remember his flawless 6-of-6 three-point shooting against Kosovo in the second window?

Youssou Ndoye, Senegal (125 points - 12.5 points per game)

Senegal have always had quality big men, and Ndoye is surely cut from the same mold. The 6ft 11in (2.11m) man-in-the-middle was a terrific inside force for the Lions as put up about 12 points and 6 boards per game.

Vitor Benite, Brazil (123 points - 12.3 points per game)

This 29-year-old shooting guard was one of the most dependable scorers for Brazil in the Americas Qualifiers. He finished his campaign hitting over 2 triples per game, giving the Brazilians a great perimeter threat.

Ioannis Bourousis, Greece (121 points - 15.1 points per game)

Bourousis was among the handful of "oldies but goodies" players in the entire World Cup Qualifiers. He's already 35 years old, but he sure played like he was still an energetic 20-something, giving the Greeks a dependable hand around the basket.  

Corey Webster, New Zealand (110 points - 15.7 points per game)

The elder of the Tall Blacks' Webster brothers made quite the impact in the Qualifiers. He scored in double-figures in all but 1 of his 7 appearances, including an eye-popping 30-point explosion in a big road win against Korea.

Souleyman Diabate, Cote d'Ivoire (110 points - 9.2 points per game)

At 31 years old, Diabate is considered among the most experienced players for Cote d'Ivoire, but he was still among their best in the Qualifiers. The 6ft 0in (1.82m) guard finished his campaign strong with 16 points on 6-of-9 field goal shooting against Mali.

Paul Lacombe, France (98 points - 9.8 points per game)

Lacombe may be a bit undersized as a small forward, but makes up for it with his often outstanding offensive efficiency. The 6ft 3in (1.90m) wingman did well for France, scoring in double-figures 7 times in the Qualifiers.

Abudushalamu Abudurexiti, China (87 points - 10.9 points per game)

Abudurexiti is already considered one of the best young talents in China, and he has the makings of someone who could be the team's starting power forward for years to come. His eye-popping 23 points and 12 rebounds against New Zealand in the second window was sublime.

Reggie Hearn, USA (87 points - 9.7 points per game)

This 6ft 4in (1.93m) spitfire may not have finished with a double-digit scoring average, but he was certainly among the most dependable scorers for Team USA. This is a guy who drains 22 triples per game after all, folks.

Semih Erden, Turkey (85 points - 9.4 points per game)

Burly Turking big man Erden is an expert at bullying his way in the paint, and we saw that may times in the European Qualifiers. he finished strong, too, scoring in double-digits in Turkey's last 4 games.

Mitch Creek, Australia (84 points - 14.0 points per game)

Creek's scoring average the highest on any list, but remember that for many of the games where he played, Australia were leading by huge margins. His Asian Qualifiers body of work has proven time and again that he can score if the Boomers need him to.

FIBA