MUNICH (Germany) - The FIBA Europe Cup players were out in force during the recent international window, with many solid performances across the globe.
As the road to the FIBA Basketball World Cup began, how did they get on? Let's take a look, and you can pick your favorite by voting below.
Joaquin Rodriguez - Uruguay
GUARD
Birth Date: Jun 14, 1999 (26 years old) Height: 194cm / 6'4" Club: Casademont Zaragoza
STATS: 26.5 EFF: 18.5 PTS, 8.5 REB, 5.0 AST, 2.5 STL
Casademont Zaragoza’s Joaquin Rodriguez was the juggernaut behind Uruguay’s unbeaten window in the Americas Qualifiers. In 16 minutes, he posted 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists in his side’s 93-60 win over Panama, and in the return game three days later, had 29 points, shooting 7-for-14 from three-point range in the slender 84-82 success.
Tryggvi Hlinason - Iceland
CENTER
Birth Date: Oct 28, 1997 (28 years old) Height: 215cm / 7'0" Club: Surne Bilbao Basket
STATS: 23.0 EFF: 16.5 PTS, 7.0 REB, 2.5 BLK
It was a mixed window for Iceland in the European Qualifiers, celebrating a deserved 81-76 road win over Italy before coming down to earth three days later with a 90-84 loss at home to Great Britain. Tryggvi Hlinason shot 64.3 percent across those two games, going for 16 points, 7 boards and 2 blocks against the Azzurri, followed by 17 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Brits.
Joel Soriano – Dominican Republic
CENTER
Birth Date: Jan 30, 2000 (25 years old) Height: 211cm / 6'11" Club: Casademont Zaragoza
STATS: 21.5 EFF: 14.0 PTS, 7.5 REB, 1.5 BLK
Joel Soriano shot 69.2 percent from the floor in the Dominican Republic’s two games against Mexico in the Americas Qualifiers. The Zaragoza man had 16 points and 7 rebounds in his side’s 92-85 road win, followed by 12 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in their narrow 89-88 victory.
Yannick Franke - Netherlands
GUARD
Birth Date: May 21, 1996 (29 years old) Height: 196cm / 6'5" Club: Aliaga Petkimspor
STATS: 19.5 EFF: 19.5 PTS, 5.5 REB, 4.0 AST
Yannick Franke led the Netherlands to a satisfying start in the European Qualifiers. He struggled from the field against Latvia, going 5-for-13 for 13 points, but filled the stat sheet with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in a remarkable 86-78 win in Riga. The 29 year old followed that with 26 points, 6 boards, 4 assists in a narrow 85-83 loss to Poland.
Elvar Fridriksson - Iceland
POINT GUARD
Birth Date: Nov 11, 1994 (31 years old) Height: 183cm / 6'0" Club: Anwil Wloclawek
STATS: 18.0 EFF: 19.0 PTS, 6.5 AST, 3.0 REB
Veteran Elvar Fridriksson pulled the strings for Iceland during their European Qualifying window. The point guard went 10-for-18 from the field for 29 points and dished out 5 assists in the win over Italy, but struggled against Great Britain, only going 3-for-11. He still mustered 9 points and 8 assists.
Trae Bell-Haynes - Canada
POINT GUARD
Birth Date: Sep 5, 1995 (29 years old) Height: 188cm / 6'2" Club: Casademont Zaragoza
STATS: 17.5 EFF: 13.5 PTS, 8.5 AST, 2.5 REB
After the first window in the Americas Qualifiers concluded, Canada’s Trae Bell-Haynes was ranked third in assists per game with 8.5 over two games. He enjoyed a double-double of 17 points and 10 assists in his side’s 94-88 success over the Bahamas. Before that, the Zaragoza guard amassed 10 points and 7 assists in Canada’s dominant 111-75 win.
Zoltan Perl - Hungary
GUARD
Birth Date: Jul 28, 1995 (30 years old) Height: 195cm / 6'4" Club: Falco Vulcano Energia KC Szombathely
STATS: 17.0 EFF: 19.5 PTS, 3.5 AST, 2.0 REB
Zoltan Perl was deadly from three-point range, as he led Hungary to a flawless record after the opening window. The Szombathely guard had 25 points, going 3-for-6 from range in their 89-82 win over Finland, then shot 66 percent from three-point land for 14 points in the Hungarians’ narrow 87-85 victory over Belgium.
Emanuel Cate - Romania
POWER FORWARD
Birth Date: Jul 30, 1997 (28 years old) Height: 206cm / 6'9" Club: UCAM Murcia
STATS: 16.0 EFF: 10.5 PTS, 7.5 REB, 1.5 STL
Even though Romania ended the first European Qualifying window winless, Murcia’s Emanuel Cate formed a formidable duo with Daron Russell. Cate averaged 64.3 percent from the field in his two games, getting 8 points and pulling down 8 rebounds in 20 minutes in the 91-64 loss to Greece. Romania fared much better in their second game against Montenegro, but ultimately fell 80-75, with Cate scoring 13 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.
Chase Audige - Jamaica
GUARD
Birth Date: Jun 29, 1999 (26 years old) Height: 193cm / 6'3" Club: KK Bosna
STATS: 13.5 EFF: 15.5 PTS, 11.0 AST, 6.0 STL
Jamaica made a considerable impact in the Americas Qualifiers, going unbeaten in their two games played, with Chase Audige the heartbeat of the team. Playing significant minutes, he had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in their stunning 92-90 success over Puerto Rico. And to prove that the result wasn’t a one-off, Audige – who is making a switch to Unicaja – had 20 points, 5 assists and 2 steals in Jamaica’s 97-92 victory over the same opponent.
Santi Yusta – Spain
FORWARD
Birth Date: Apr 28, 1997 (28 years old) Height: 200cm / 6'6" Club: Casademont Zaragoza
STATS: 13.0 EFF: 13.5 PTS, 5.5 REB, 4.0 AST
Santi Yusta was Spain’s lynchpin in their European Qualifiers as they look to put the disappointment of their recent FIBA EuroBasket behind them. The 28 year old did struggle from the field in the 74-64 win against Denmark, shooting 3-for-13 for 10 points, but like any talented player, found ways to help his team by pulling down 7 boards, with three of those coming on the offensive side. He fared better in a 90-61 dismissal against Georgia, with 17 points and 6 rebounds.
Elsewhere, some players featured in only one game across the continent. JDA Dijon’s Gregor Hrovat had 23 points and 4 assists in Slovenia’s heartbreaking 94-93 loss to Estonia. PAOK’s Nikos Persidis was perfect from the field, going 7-for-7 and scoring 17 points in Greece’s win over Romania.
And in the FIBA EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers, Bilbao’s Harald Frey had 21 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists for Norway in their 74-62 win in Armenia.
FIBA