Sebas Saiz

Juan Sebastián "Sebas" Saiz Soto (born 15 July 1994) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Alvark Tokyo of the Japanese B.League. He also holds Dominican citizenship.[1]

Sebas Saiz
Saiz, playing for Ole Miss in 2016.
No. 11 – Alvark Tokyo
PositionCenter
LeagueB.League
Personal information
Born (1994-07-15) 15 July 1994
Madrid, Spain
NationalitySpanish / Dominican
Listed height2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Listed weight109 kg (240 lb)
Career information
High schoolSunrise Christian Academy
(Wichita, Kansas)
CollegeOle Miss (2013–2017)
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2019Real Madrid
2017–2018→ Miraflores
2018–2019→ Canarias
2019–2020Sun Rockers Shibuya
2020–2021Chiba Jets
2021–presentAlvark Tokyo
Career highlights and awards
  • B.League Finals MVP (2021)
  • First-team All-SEC (2017)
  • 2020 Japan Basketball League Dunk Contest Winner
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Spain
EuroBasket
Gold medal – first place2022 Germany
U20 European Championship
Silver medal – second place2014 GreeceTeam
Bronze medal – third place2013 EstoniaTeam
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Saiz and the second or maternal family name is Soto.

Early years

Saiz, whose father is Spanish and his mother is from Dominican Republic,[2] started playing basketball at the youth teams of Real Madrid, until transferring to CB Talavera due to personal reasons. In 2009, he passed the trials to join Estudiantes, where he made his debut in senior competitions, playing in some Liga EBA games in 2011, at age 16.

High school and college career

Saiz moved in 2012 to the United States to continue his basketball career,[3] and in 2013 he joined the Ole Miss Rebels, averaging 5.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in his first season. He ended his college years becoming only the second player in school history after Murphy Holloway to surpass 1,000 points and 900 rebounds and was included in the All-Conference first team of the Southeastern Conference.[4]

Professional career

In July 2017, Saiz signed his first professional contract with Real Madrid, terminating previously with Estudiantes. One month later, he was loaned to San Pablo Burgos, debutant in the Spanish Liga ACB,[5] where he averaged 9.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

In July 2018, he was loaned to Iberostar Tenerife of the Liga ACB.[6] He will make his debut in European competition as the Canarian team is qualified for the Basketball Champions League.

On August 1, 2019, Saiz signed with Sun Rockers Shibuya of the B.League.[7][8] He signed with Chiba Jets on June 3, 2020.[9]

International career

Saiz played with the Spanish youth teams, taking part of the under-19 team that finished in the fifth position at the 2013 World Championship.[10]

With the under-20 team the European Championship, achieving a bronze medal in 2013 and a silver one in 2014.

He made his debut with Spain in November 2017, at the 2019 World Cup qualifying match played in Podgorica against Montenegro.

References
  1. Brito, Edison (18 January 2015). "NCAA - Sebastian Saiz, 12 puntos en undécimo triunfo de Ole Miss" (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  2. Sáez, Faustino (16 March 2017). "Sebas Sáiz, la fiera que viene" [Sebas Sáiz, the beast that comes]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  3. "Sebas Saiz estudiará en EEUU" [Sebas Saiz will study in the United States] (in Spanish). CB Estudiantes. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  4. "Historical Southeastern Conference Awards". RealGM. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  5. "El San Pablo Burgos comunica que llega a un acuerdo por Sebas Saiz" (in Spanish). ACB.com. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  6. "ACB.COM - Sebas Saiz, nuevo jugador del Iberostar Tenerife". www.acb.com (in European Spanish). 13 July 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  7. "選手契約締結のお知らせ". サンロッカーズ渋谷 (in Japanese). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  8. "Sebastian Saiz (ex Tenerife) agreed terms with SR Shibuya: EUROBASKET NEWS". www.eurobasket.com. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  9. "Chiba Jets signs Sebastian Saiz". Sportando. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  10. "Spain at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship". FIBA. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
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