MIES (Switzerland) - The 2024-25 NCAA season has tipped off and more and more international players are coming into the competition and having an impact - and that after they already left their mark with their national team system.
FIBA reviewed the NCAA rosters and found some of the top players in NCAA basketball who have a successful past in FIBA competitions and came up with 30 names. This is the second installment of the series.
Andres Marrero - VEN - La Salle
2 games - FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers No place awarded - FIBA South American U14 Championship 2015 3rd place - FIBA South American U15 Championship 2016 7th place - FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2017 5th place - FIBA South American U17 Championship 2019
Marrero is one of Venezuela's next hopefuls for the senior team. He was the second-best scorer at the FIBA South America U17 Championship 2017 and made his debut with the Venezuelan senior team at the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifiers in February 2021. After going to high school in the United States, he went to La Salle University and is playing his third season of games there.
Paulius Murauskas - LTU - Saint Mary's
9th place - FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2019 7th place - FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2022 5th place - FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2024
Murauskas dominated at all three levels of the continental youth ranks. He led the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2022 in scoring and was second in scoring and rebounding at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2024, earning a spot on the All-Star Five. Murauskas moved to the United States before last season and played at University of Arizona. This season he is playing at Saint Mary's College of California.
Ryan Nembhard - CAN - Gonzaga
2nd place - FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2019 3rd place - FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021
Nembhard has been dominating at Gonzaga after two successful runs for Canada in the youth national team ranks. He led the competition in assists in helping Canada to second place at the FIBA U16 AmeriCup 2019 and again was the top assist-giver as Canada grabbed third place at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021. Nembhard, the younger brother of NBA point guard Andrew Nembhard, is spending his second season with Gonzaga after two years at Creighton University.
Tyrese Proctor - AUS - Duke
1 game - FIBA Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers 1 game - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers 1st place - FIBA Asia Cup 2022
Proctor is spending his third season at Duke University and hopes to win the NCAA title with the Blue Devils alongside Cooper Flagg and other elite talent. Proctor never played for Australia's youth teams and debuted for the Boomers at the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers. He then shined at the FIBA Asia Cup 2022 with 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists as an 18-year-old.
Maxime Raynaud - FRA - Stanford
2nd place - FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2019 1st place - FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2023
Raynaud was a member of the France team that took second place at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2019 - along with Victor Wembanyama. The big man returned to the national team ranks in 2023 and helped France take the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2023 title. Raynaud has developed well in the United States, spending his fourth season at Stanford University and is absolutely dominating this year.
Reyne Smith - AUS - Louisville
1 game - FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers 1st place - FIBA U17 Oceania Championship 2019 10th place - FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021
Smith played for Australia internationally at the U17 level and then made his Boomers debut in February 2021 against Oceania rivals New Zealand and poured in 22 points with 6 three-pointers. Later that year he played at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021. Smith started his NCAA career in 2021 with College of Charleston and after three years there moved to University of Louisville for this season.
Santiago Trouet - ARG - San Diego
2nd place - FIBA South American U18 Championship 2022 4th place - FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2022 5th place - FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023
Trouet helped Argentina finish fourth at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2022 to then qualify for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023, where he played a strong role as the South Americans finished fifth. Trouet has yet to debut for the Argentina senior team. He played in Spain for Estudiantes Madrid's youth teams for three seasons before moving to the United States and is now spending his second season at University of San Diego.
Henri Veesaar - EST - Arizona
3 games - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers 15th place - FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2019 No place awarded - FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021 16th place - FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2023
Estonia basketball have high hopes in the future for Veesaar, who played at all three age levels in the youth ranks and then made his debut with the senior national team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers. He played two seasons with Real Madrid in Spain and then moved to United States to join University of Arizona in 2022. Veesaar missed the 2023-24 season after elbow injury and has come back strong this season for the Wildcats.
Samet Yigitoglu - TUR - Southern Methodist University
9th place - FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021 No place awarded - FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021 2nd place - FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2022 3rd place - FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023 7th place - FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2023
Yigitoglu had a successful youth national team career with Türkiye with second place at FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2022 and then third place at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023. The center played with Besiktas in Türkiye and then 1.5 years in North Macedonia with MZT Skopje before returning to the Istanbul club in December 2022. Yigitoglu left Europe this summer and is a force in the paint for South Methodist University.
Tan Yildizoglu - TUR - Virginia Military Institute
9th place - FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021 No place awarded - FIBA U18 European Challengers 2021 2nd place - FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2022 3rd place - FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023 7th place - FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2023 14th place - FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2024
Yildizoglu was a regular every summer for Türkiye's youth national teams, playing six competitions in four years - taking second place at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2022 and third place at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2023. The point guard went to the United States in 2023 to play for University of Pacific and then moved to Virginia Military Institute this summer.
FIBA