A summer of Fiba Youth Hoops is just around the corner, starting on Sunday with FIBAU18 Americas from Saint Catharines, Canada. Eurospects would like to bring you some profiles and notes on a few less well-known prospects balling with their respective national U-teams in the coming months.
Today we talk about three 2000-born ballers who were also present in the last Spanish U18 National Championships, and who didn’t make big headlines over there. But because of their progress as players over the season and their potential, we are pretty sure they can step up at any moment into the main line up of a big tournament. Just for now we will call them the second unit guys, waiting for their chance to perform at top level when called upon.
NACHO ARROYO (00) 6’2 PG Chile / Estudiantes
It was during last year’s U17 South American Championship that Nacho Arroyo’s talent became pretty obvious and impossible to ignore. Along with NYC native Maxwell Lorca (uber-athletic presence with several college offers for 2019) and Kevin Rubio (a 6’3 bulldozer who can also make threes), he made up the backbone of a historic Chile team that won the gold medal in Lima, with Arroyo as floor general. Facing Argentina in the final, Arroyo set the tone and pace of the game, got the best of Andres Farabello (BWB invite), and rose above all the Argentinean efforts to stop him with rough D, full-court press or even 2on1. After the final, the crafty Chilean playmaker, who already spent a year away in Utah with San Diego Catholic high school, moved to Europe, where he’s continued growing and working on his game with the Spanish club Estudiantes.
What sets Nacho Arroyo apart from other PGs? Let’s call it fundamentals:
– Master of the bounce/hiding the ball with his low-gravity handle and long arms: Ability to shake and make his way to the basket using crossovers, spins, fakes and euro-steps
– Good user of screens and passing lines, looking to feed post players (special PnR partnership with big Maxwell Lorca as a roller) and kicking out the ball
– Fluid shooter with smooth release (catch and shoot or off the bounce) plus soft touch in the drive and great use of the floater
– Fast and furious in transition, easy down the rack with space and smelling blood against a slow defensive balanced teams
– Leadership and confidence to embrace his playmaking role
Nacho Arroyo is as pure a ball handler as they come, and has the precious and uncommon talent to break defenders off the bounce. Even without being extremely fast or explosive, he still can beat them on the spot and small spaces, moving well his feet and creating separation for a jumper or a drive. Over the year, he has also become a natural in the art of the floater, finishing a good amount of dribbles that way. Although sometimes he has played off the ball with Chile, he’s clearly a PG by trade. And in Estudiantes, with a simple and effective game plan based on screens, 1×1 and PnR, he’s become the main playmaker and initiator next to Lithuanian combo scorer Dovydas Geidraitis, but still with freedom to make shots for himself or others.
Most of Arroyo’s skills are already translatable to the pros, but there is still some work to do with his decision-making, D concentration and sometimes rushed shot selection. Moreover, in order to overcome his apparently lack of elite athleticism, the main way forward is gaining strength and muscle to become a better defender and overall player. That will allow him to better finish in contact, fight through screens and react to D rotations and switches. His notable wingspan already helps to deflect and disturb the rival’s passing lines.
We will see Nacho Arroyo and Chile from Sunday on, all guns blazing and going head to head in a competitive FIBAU18 Americas group B, with host Canada (Florida commit Andrew Nembhard among them) and old rivals Argentina (BWB guy Farabello, and also UVA commit Francisco Caffaro). They will try to avoid USA in the quarterfinals and look for a last 4 spot that brings qualification for the FIBAU19 World Cup next year. It’d mean a whole new world of exposure and possibilities for Chilean basketball and this truly gifted generation. While the task in hand will be extremely difficult, the reward will never be more worth it.
JACOB ROUND (00) 6’3 Guard Great Britain / Fuenlabrada
If you have never watched Jacob Round play before, you are in for a surprise. We discovered him in 2017 with Fuenlabrada U18, already playing big minutes while being a year younger than most of his teammates. Then, last summer, he was part of the GB U18 roster that got promoted to the European Division A in Tallinn. There, he shared backcourt duties with the likes of Kayne Henry- McCalla, and took full advantage of his versatility playing both guards spots while still being one year younger, always meeting the team’s needs and working his socks off. He also had some big performances, like the final game against favourites Croatia with Luka Samanic. That night, Round took over the PG spot giving Sesan Russell freedom to roam and score, played quite well PnR, moved the ball and teammates, and also made a few triples to keep the game close until OT. That effort represents quite well what Jacob Round is all about, a player who can do a whole lot of stuff especially on the offensive end, and who’s always looking to help his team to win using his strengths and pushing himself forward to get better:
– Excellent shooter especially running out of screens; quick mechanics and release, with NBA range
– Very strong for his position; broad shoulders, packed frame who can hold against bigger opposition in mismatches, plus great legs and interesting vertical explosion
– Ready to play both guard positions: good handle, understanding and execution in the PnR.
– More of a scorer at this point, but adaptability and potential to become a two-way player and impact the game in both ends
– Pro mentality approach; always sticks around, can create his own shot and works his way in D, helped also by his remarkable wingspan
In the year gone by since Tallinn, Jacob Round has been playing mostly SG with his club and become the main scoring threat in the backcourt with Pere Sureda. However, Round has improved also his decision-making and overall D, being able at this point to do plenty of stuff on both ends. He won’t back down easily in D, his legs allow him to cover ground and fight through contact and screens, or take his matchup to the post if he thinks he can win that fight. Work is still needed regarding his general speed and power for cutting the corners in the drive. That would make him a much more effective scorer at the rim, but he is an absolute workhouse of a player with translatable ability and mentality to the pro game.
They are exciting times for British Youth basketball this summer, and we will be sure to keep an eye on the U18 team progress in Division A. Facing some traditional European powers like Serbia or Lithuania in a few weeks, the Brits will try to keep building momentum with a strong bunch of versatile and talented guards like Jonathan Brown, Nathan Robinson, Mate Okros, and of course Jacob Round, ready to score, pass or defend to help his team out in any possible way.
JAIME FERNANDEZ (00) 6’9 F/C Spain / Zaragoza
The last player to roll in our second unit is a big man who belongs to ACB club Tecnyconta Zaragoza, one of the European top teams working with youth and development at the moment, and with an impressive pool of prospects to choose from. The likes of Carlos Alocen or Vit Krejci surely sound familiar as they been in the college hoops’ radar recently, and probably also the younger center Jaime Pradilla. All of them have been sharing roster with our man Jaime Fernandez in the last Spanish U18 Nationals, where they reached the semifinals, but also during the season in the EBA league, where the Zaragoza farm team learns its trade. And it’s been there all over the year that Fernandez has gone some way forward, showing good signs of progress during the U18 tournament.
We are talking about a 6’9 guy who clearly isn’t just a low post man, with an interesting combination of size plus body control, and who can do a whole lot of stuff on the court. Let’s call it versatility:
– Average size to play in the paint but great length; long arms that help him to defend in space, change shoots and get a fair amount of blocks (some rim protector potential)
– Excellent rebounder, adding natural positioning instincts to his length: active on both ends, with good timing and vertical jump for tips, buckets or just keeping alive the offensive play
– Modern face-up forward ability: dynamic with the ball on the deck and good feet. Not really quick or athletic, but can finish above his match up for length and bounce/skill
– Good shooter with range who likes to start the 1on1 play on the 3pt-line, or to stay open for catch & shoot three. Nice release but needs consistency (good FT shooter)
– Some ability to play above the rim (catching lobs and finishing with dunks) plus reliable in transition, filling lines and making other big men suffer on the break
Listed above are the reasons for Fernandez debut in ACB as a 17yo. That mix of qualities makes him a special prospect to look at in the future, but there is still way to go to settle at the next level. The obvious task should be working on his body and muscle development, filling up his frame and gaining the strength needed to hold on bodies, battle in the post and set effective screens. At the moment, Jaime is more of a pop guy, so it’d be interesting to see him work not just on the roll, but on his overall post up game, using both hands, fakes and sealing moves, and putting to good use his soft touch near the rim. Moreover, D in space, switches, and recovering from closeouts are also important. The progress made recently make us confident there’s an exciting player here, and that we’ll see him in the future balling at high level.
The next stop for Jaime Fernandez will be joining Spain for the U18 European Championship in late July in Latvia, which qualifies for the 2019 FIBAU19 World Championship. In a loaded frontcourt with some ANGT ‘veterans’ such as Usman Garuba, Golden Dike or Arnau Parrado, and his Zaragoza teammate Pradilla, we expect him to make his mark thanks to that blend of distinctive tools, skill and versatility.
Author: https://twitter.com/MaceoBaller16
