VALENCIA (Spain) - Hosts Spain may have claimed the ultimate prize at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Valencia by winning the event to clinch a spot at the Summer Games in France.
Yet there were players on other teams who raised eyebrows with performances that made them the MVPs of their roster.
Here are the team's MVPs stars at the Valencia OQT.
Santi Aldama - Spain
Stats: 23.0 EFF, 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.8 blocks per game - 58.1% FG, 45.0% 3P, 90.0% FT
To be a talisman at the OQT for one of the most successful national teams in international basketball the past two decades, one that is transitioning to a new generation, that's a huge deal for his country. Santi, a diminutive for Santiago - the patron saint of Spain - put on a highly efficient performance in his run to win it all with Spain. All were team highs. Oh yeah, Aldama was also the TISSOT MVP of the event. No big deal.
Bruno Fernando - Angola
Stats: 20.5 EFF, 12.0 points, 10 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals per game
Fernando was flat out the best player for Angola. He showed his value at the OQT, leading the team in overall efficiency. Fernando had 12 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals and a block in a narrow defeat to Spain, and also shone against Lebanon. Sadly for Angola, both games were defeats but when you're looking for positives, Fernando is a big one.
Buddy Hield - Bahamas
Stats: 19.8 EFF, 19.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists per game - 44.4% FG, 36.6 % 3P, 100% FT
There's no doubt that Buddy Hield is about as good as they come in international basketball, which makes his absence at the Olympics all the more painful for him and his country. Yet at the OQT in Valencia, he dazzled, leading the team while stacking up numbers all across the box score. In wins over Poland and Finland, Hield was a combined 11 of 22 from 3-point range. He also had 10 assists against both Poland and Lebanon.
Mikael Jantunen - Finland
Stats: 24.0 EFF, 17.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists per game - 62.1% FG, 61.5% 3P, 90.0% FT
Most countries suffer without their talisman, but not Finland. There was no Lauri Markkannen at the OQT Valencia, yet the team displayed tremendous depth and relied on others like Jantunen, among the most dependable Finland players in recent years. At the OQT in Valencia, he boasted team-best numbers in efficiency, points, and rebounds.
Omari Spellman - Lebanon
Stats: 16.0 EFF, 15.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game
As was the case at the World Cup with the Cedars, Spellman is counted on to produce across the board, which he did in Valencia. This was arguably his best run with Lebanon, especially in the win over Angola that got the team to the Semi-Finals. He drilled 4 3-balls and had 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Jeremy Sochan - Poland
Stats: 23.0 EFF, 18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists per game - 61.9% FG
Poland needed someone to take some of the pressure off of the veterans and Sochan did as he attempted to spur the team to new heights. Sochan had 16 points and 10 rebounds against the Bahamas, and 20 points and 8 rebounds against Finland. He had played in an international window but this was his first big tournament with Poland and he led the team in efficiency, scoring, and rebounds.
FIBA