SAN JUAN (Puerto Rico) - The 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is in the rearview mirror but several individual performances will be hard to forget.
From TISSOT MVP Jose Alvarado to breakout stars like Bahrain's Zee Hamoda, the tournament offered plenty of firepower on the hardwood. These were the best players from each participating country:
Jose Alvarado - Puerto Rico
Stats: 16.5 EFF, 16.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.0 APG, 2.3 SPG - 50% FG, 50% 3PT, 100% FT
Puerto Rico put on a fantastic team performance, but Alvarado was the straw that stirred the piña colada.
The speedy point guard was a pest on defense and scored 23 points in the Final to defeat Italy and punch his country's ticket to Paris 2024.
Marius Grigonis - Lithuania
Stats: 17.5 EFF, 17.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.8 APG - 51.1% FG, 46.4% 3PT
Grigonis was having a dominant week, arriving in the Final shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, but fell prey to Puerto Rico's defense scheme on Sunday.
He still led the tournament in scoring (17.5) and was among the top three-point shooters (46.4 percent), solidifying himself as his country's top perimeter option.
Joshua Ibarra - Mexico
Stats: 21.0 EFF, 16.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, 2.7 APG - 50.0% FG
Ibarra and his teammate Fabian Jaimes led the tournament in efficiency (21.0) and was excellent manning the paint on both ends of the floor.
The 29-year-old also led the San Juan OQT in rebounds (9.3) and finished third in scoring.
Danilo Gallinari - Italy
Stats: 16.5 EFF, 14.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.0 APG - 63.2% FG, 66.7% 3PT, 88.2% FT
Gallinari came off the bench throughout the tournament and tweaked his knee in the Group Stage against Puerto Rico but overall had a good showing.
At 35-years-old, the Italian power forward showed he still has plenty in the tank and that his outside shot remains as silky as ever.
Vanessa Fofana - Côte d'Ivoire
Stats: 16.5 EFF, 11.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 BPG - 61.5% FG, 42.9% 3PT
Fofana was a model of consistency for a very competitive Côte d'Ivoire squad that scared both Lithuania and Mexico.
The 32-year-old small forward was the 6th best rebounder in the competition and had incredibly efficient shooting splits (61.5 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from beyond the arc) on top of his usual hard-nosed defense.
Zee Hamoda - Bahrain
Stats: 12.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.0 SPG - 38.5% 2PT, 100% FT
In the absence of point guard Mustafa Rashed, Hamoda got the task of running a lot more of the offense.
The 22-year-old used his blend of size, length and skill to create for himself and his teammates and finished the event as the team's leader in points and assists.
FIBA