Spain Adds Top Scorer Megan Gustafson to Women’s Basketball Team

Spain signs the top scorer in the Euroleague. The women’s basketball team announced this Monday the call for the next international matches (Thursday the 9th against Croatia and Sunday the 12th against Austria, of the first qualifying window for Eurobasket 2025), of the American center Megan Gustafson, 26 years and 1.90m, and who obtained Spanish nationalization by naturalization letter on June 14. The publication in the BOE of this decision occurred just one day before the start of this summer’s Eurobasket, but Gustafson was not then part of the immediate plans of the team led by Miguel Méndez, but her incorporation responded to a future plan . Spain won silver in that tournament after losing in the final against Belgium in another accelerated success for a team immersed in a generational change and on the bench.

The signing of Gustafson responds to the interest of the Spanish Federation to continue reinforcing the center position with a nationalized player, in the wake of the previous incorporations of Sancho Lyttle (originally from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) and Astou Ndour (Senegal), two key pieces in the recent successes of the women’s team. Ndour’s maternity leave has now opened the doors for the arrival of Gustafson, since each team can only have one nationalized team in its ranks, the same as in the men’s category. And although she will not be able to play these next games due to being injured, the center of American origin has been called up to enter the team dynamic with a view especially to the pre-Olympic in February, in which the team will play for a ticket to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.

Gustafson was the top scorer in the Euroleague last season with Olympiacos, with 22.6 points on average, and the fifth best rebounder, with 9.4 catches per game. This summer she has changed the Greek team for the London Lions. That outstanding role in European competition has not translated into her time in the WNBA, in which she has had a secondary role in her time in Dallas, Washington and Phoenix.

Gustafson’s case has certain similarities with that of Lorenzo Brown, who was nationalized Spanish via express route before Eurobasket 2022 due to the problems of the men’s team at the point guard position. Like Brown, Gustafson has not so far had any connection with Spanish basketball, neither with the clubs nor with the national teams, unlike the relationship that Sancho Lyttle and Astou Ndour did have. The signing of Brown, once the controversy surrounding his arrival was buried, was a great success from a sporting point of view: under his direction, Spain won gold in Berlin and the point guard entered the ideal quintet of the tournament.

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2023-10-30 22:28:17
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