Several young international players emerged for area schools in the opening weekend of the college basketball season. Here are the five who showed the most promise:
5. Joey Van Zegeren (Virginia Tech) » The 6-foot-10 redshirt freshman from the Netherlands hit all three of his shots and had a block as the first player off the bench in the Hokies’ victory over East Tennessee State. He sat out last year with a head injury.
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4. Kevin Larsen (George Washington) » The 6-10, 264-pound freshman from Denmark, who finished his high school career at Montrose Christian, has a wide body and excellent hands. In 13 ?productive minutes in his debut, Larsen had seven points and four rebounds.
3. Marko Gujanicic (George Mason) » In a win over Virginia, the 6-8 freshman from Serbia played like a closer-to-the-basket version of multiskilled former Patriots player Luke Hancock. Gujanicic had six points, seven rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes, hitting a pair of 3-pointers.
2. Patricio Garino (George Washington) » The 6-6 freshman from Argentina started and had 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two assists in the Colonials’ 80-73 loss to Youngstown State. Garino showed ability to score inside and out and rare savvy for a freshman.
1. Alex Len (Maryland) » The 7-2 sophomore from the Ukraine was the best player on the floor in the Terps’ 72-69 loss to Kentucky. He scored 23 points, grabbed 12?rebounds and blocked four shots, looking like a high NBA lottery pick.
– Kevin Dunleavy