Latest news with #FIBAU20EuroBasket
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
French forward Noah Penda, a potential first-round pick, declares for 2025 NBA draft
Noah Penda, a 6-foot-8 forward from France, will reportedly declare for the 2025 NBA draft after one season with Le Mans Sarthe, according to Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Penda is averaging 9.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals on 43.3% shooting from the field in 27 games in the French League. He has scored at least 10 points 13 times, including a season-high 19 points and two rebounds on Oct. 4. Advertisement The 20-year-old is viewed as one of the top international prospects this year, given his scoring, versatility on the defensive end of the court and size at 225 pounds. He can be a force in the paint after getting downhill and has good athleticism for a player at his position. Penda, born in Paris, is considered a potential first-round pick this year based on his overall skill set and potential on the court. He has mostly been inconsistent as a shooter and will need to improve in that area after converting 31.6% from 3-point range on 2.9 attempts per game. He has represented France three times at the junior level, most recently in the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket. He helped the Frenchmen to the gold medal, averaging 11.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, three assists and 1.7 steals on 56.3% shooting from 3-point range in seven games. Advertisement Penda will be a late arrival to the United States for the predraft process, with Le Mans on track to qualify for the playoffs beginning next month. He will likely have the opportunity to participate in a draft combine in June for prospects still playing with their international teams. The 2025 NBA draft will occur June 25-26 in New York City. This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: NBA rumors: Frenchman Noah Penda declares for 2025 NBA draft
USA Today
14-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida basketball point guard Kajus Kublickas will enter the NCAA transfer portal
Florida basketball point guard Kajus Kublickas will enter the NCAA transfer portal The Florida basketball program saw its first departure to the NCAA transfer portal on Monday. According to Swamp247's sources, sophomore point guard Kajus Kublickas will seek greener pastures elsewhere after winning a national championship with the Gators. The 6-foot-2-inch native of Lithuania came to Gainesville as an unranked prospect and has spent his entire collegiate career thus far parked at the end of Todd Golden's bench. He has played in 15 games over the past two seasons, amassing a total of 11 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and a steal in 60 total minutes played. Nine of Kublickas' appearances came last season while six came this year. He only made two shots from the field in seven attempts — one a missed 3-pointer — while going 7-for-8 from the charity stripe for an 87.5% clip. Kajus Kublickas' international experience Kublickas played for Zalgiris II — the reserve team for the professional Lithuanian basketball club Žalgiris Kaunas — during the 2022-23 campaign, where he averaged 9.1 points and 3.3 assists in 37 games and helped the team to a second-league championship. Before that, he helped his country earn a 5-2 record and fifth-place finish at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket, averaging 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. The young guard also competed at the FIBA U20 European Championships in 2023 on behalf of Lithuania, averaging 6.3 points and a team-leading 3.1 assists in an eighth-place finish, and at the 2022 U18 European Champions in 2022, posting 8.3 points and a team-high 4.4 assists in a seventh-place finish. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
