The University of Mississippi Athletics
Saiz In Summer International Competition
7/22/2013 | Men's Basketball, Blog
Incoming Ole Miss freshman Sebastian Saiz has represented his native Spain in two international competitions this summer, the FIBA Under-19 World Championships in the Czech Republic, then the FIBA Under-20 European Championships in Estonia.
In the bronze medal game at Under-20 European Championships on Sunday, Saiz posted a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, both tournament highs, in a 70-63 win against Russia. He pulled down nine offensive rebounds and averaged 2.7 offensive rebounds, which ranked eighth in the tournament.
It was his fifth game of the tournament scoring in double figures and first game rebounding in double figures, with previous highs of 11 points (vs. France, Greece) and 10 rebounds (vs. Russia).Â
He averaged 7.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game. He was 29-of-51 (56.9 percent) from the field and 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from the free-throw line. He also averaged 0.8 blocks, which ranked 14th, including a highlight block of Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), the 15th-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Earlier this summer, Saiz helped Spain to a fifth-place finish at the FIBA Under-19 Word Championship in the Czech Republic. He recorded four double-doubles in the tournament, including a tournament-high 18 points and 11 rebounds in a 72-68 win against Canada, as Spain claimed fifth place. He was also 7-of-9 from the field, his best shooting performance of the tournament.
In an earlier consolation game, he posted a double-double with 16 points and a tournament-high 16 rebounds in a 75-64 win against Croatia. He pulled down 10 offensive rebounds in that game and averaged 4.3 offensive rebounds, which ranked second in the tournament.
He nearly averaged a double-double with 9.6 points and 9.4 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game. His 9.4 rebounds per game ranked sixth in the tournament. He was 31-of-58 (53.4 percent) from the field and 24-of-36 (66.7 percent) from the free-throw line.
Here's a story from FIBA, and what others are saying about Saiz, a teammate of fellow signee Janari Joesaar at Sunrise Christian Academy in Kansas:
Ole Miss! RT @ChristopheEPcom: Sebastian Saiz has grown a lot bigger after year in the US compared to what I saw of him in 2012. #FIBAU19
-- Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 5, 2013
Ole Miss fans Christmas came early for you. 6-8 Spaniard Sebastian Saiz is rebounding machine and NBA prospect in time! Impressing in Prague
-- Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 7, 2013
Strong buzz from across the pond about Ole Miss freshman Sebastian Saiz. Big man will play major minutes immediately for the Rebels.
-- Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) July 7, 2013
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