GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNCG men's basketball sophomore guard Francis Alonso (Malaga, Spain/Cushing Academy) has been named the Most Valuable Player of the Platja D'Aro U20 Tournament, leading his home country of Spain to the tournament championship. The event is a tune-up for the FIBA European U20 Championships to be held in Helsinki, Finland July 16-24.
Alonso led Spain to a 3-0 record on the week as a starting guard on his way to MVP accolades. He averaged 12.3 points per game over the week and connected on 15-of-25 (60%) from the field, including seven 3-pointers.
Alonso opened the event scoring 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field in Spain's 87-76 victory over Belgium. He followed that up with an 11-point effort in an 82-64 victory over the Czech Republic in 22 minutes of action. Alonso saved his best for the championship game, scoring a team-high 16 points in Spain's come-from-behind 69-65 victory over Hungary. During the game, he connected on 7-of-10 from the field while also handing out five assists.
The U20 Championships marks the fifth time that Alonso has played for Spain in international competition during his career. Alonso represented Spain last summer in the FIBA U19 World Championships, helping his team to an eighth place finish in the event. He started six of seven games last summer, averaging 9.1 points per game. His play allowed him to play “up a level” last summer as he participated in the FIBA U20 European Championships as a reserve, helping Spain finish as runner-up falling to Serbia in the championship game.
Alonso is one of the key members of the Spain team in Finland that headlines Group B. Joining Spain in the group includes Israel, Finland and France. Additional teams in the European Championship include: Group A – Turkey, Hungary, Germany, Lithuania; Group C – Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Latvia; Group D – Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Czech Republic. Spain opens the event July 16 when it faces off against France. Other group games include against host Finland (July 17) and Israel (July 19).
Alonso turned in the top freshman season in UNCG basketball history this year, scoring a team-high 443 points. He averaged 13.0 points and scored in double figures 22 times. He was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team and finished second in the league with 85 made 3-pointers. His 85 made 3-pointers ranks third all-time in UNCG single-season history. His play helped the Spartans qualify for the postseason for the third time in program history and earn the Spartans their first-ever postseason victory with a first round win in the CBI.
-- UNCG --
