VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - Some news you can't get over.

On Friday afternoon, a few days before Christmas, the Venezuelan Basketball Federation announced that their bright young star from the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Garly Sojo, had passed away.

He was just 24.

In numerous Venezuela games the past few years and especially in the Americas Qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Sojo stood out as the present and the future of Venezuelan basketball.

He came off the bench for Venezuela in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kaunas in 2021, and then became a starter during the Americas Qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup.

Garly was smooth and often dazzling. He was not as boisterous as some teammates. He played with a quiet, steely look, yet at times did show the fire and emotion that is a characteristic of all Venezuelan players.

He excelled in transition and shot the ball well from the perimeter. That's what Garly was, a scorer. He led Venezuela in scoring at this year's World Cup, averaging more than 12 points a game.

In their opener against Slovenia, Garly stole some of the limelight away from Luka Doncic by hitting four of seven three-pointers and leading his team with 16 points.

Slovenia won that game, 100-85.

Venezuela show an abundance of passion and heart on the court. We love watching them play. It was always fun watching Garly, the youngster that coach Fernando Duro believed in so much that he made him a starter and gave him big minutes.

My heart goes out to his family and friends, his teammates and coaches.

 He will be missed.

Jeff Taylor
FIBA

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