VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Numerous players were terrific in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers played in November. Here are five that stood above the rest.

Jayson Castro William, Philippines

Castro, 'Mr Reliable' for the Philippines, had 20 points in a 77-71 win at Japan

Chot Reyes, the Philippines coach, has the sure thing in Castro, a 31-year-old playmaker who has been wheeling and dealing for Gilas the past several years. He can hit the 3-pointer but it's his ability to knife his way into the lane and score or dish that is his biggest weapon. I love the across-the-board stats of Castro. He had 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal in the 77-71 win over Japan, and 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and a block in the 90-83 victory over Chinese Taipei. Castro is going to face his biggest test in the World Cup Qualifiers, however, next time out when the Philippines travel to Australia. If he maintains his current form against the Boomers' defense, now that will be something to really shout about.

Omar Abada, Tunisia

 Abada, just 24, is going to be in the Tunisia line-up for a long time

What is it about Tunisia that this country from one year to the next, a different player steps up and makes the big plays? This is a national side that gets the job done no matter who plays. Salah Mejri was the FIBA AfroBasket 2011 MVP while Makram Ben Romdhane, Marouan Kechrid, Mourad El Mabrouk and Mohamed Hadidane have been All-Star 5 members at FIBA AfroBaskets since 2011. The latest player to jump into the spotlight is Omar Abada, the 24-year-old point guard who likes to race up and down the floor on fast breaks. Abada was a real weapon from the perimeter in Tunisia's wins over Guinea, Chad and Cameroon. He nailed all eight of his attempts from deep and he also made the inbounds pass to Mokhtar Ghyaza for the go-ahead basket late in Tunisia's 67-66 win over Cameroon.

Amedeo Della Valle, Italy

Della Valle had 25 points in Italy's come-from-behind win at Croatia

Amedeo Della Valle has gone from not making Italy's roster the past two summers to becoming 'Mr Essential' in the Azzurri's World Cup Qualifiers campaign. After pouring in 16 points against Romania in Italy's win in Turin, Della Valle erupted for 25 at Croatia. Della Valle was 7 of 15 from the arc overall in the two games. So how did Della Valle cope with the disappointment of being the last cut by former coach Ettore Messina before the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and FIBA EuroBasket 2017? "After the second time," he told me, "maybe I started to think I wasn't the right guy for Messina's system but I didn't use that as an excuse. I just started working even more. I was really motivated and I'm still very motivated that I can compete at this level and to prove I can play."

Anderson Varejao, Brazil

Olympic absentee Anderson made up for lost time with Brazil in their two wins

This may be the best story of the November Qualifiers. A veteran who was robbed of the chance to represent his country at a home Olympics in Rio de Janeiro due to injury, Anderson has come back to play for Brazil and experience the thrill of playing meaningful games in front of home crowds. Anderson, 35, had 11 points and 9 rebounds in an 86-73 win over Chile and then 16 points and 12 boards in a 72-60 triumph over Venezuela.

Miroslav Raduljica, Serbia

Raduljica returned home from China to play and Serbia are glad he did!

It pained Miroslav Raduljica to miss Serbia's FIBA EuroBasket 2017 campaign because of injury. There was never any doubt the Jiangsu Dragons center would answer the call to play in the World Cup Qualifiers. The 29-year-old was solid in a blowout win over Austria with 15 points and 8 rebounds while against Georgia, he was unstoppable. Raduljica poured in 28 points by making 7 of 11 shots from the field and 14 of 18 at the free-throw line. No, the hack-a-Shaq approach didn't work on this big fella.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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