Who were the MVPs for each team in Window 2?

BEIRUT (Lebanon) – The crowds at the Prince Hamza Hall in Amman watched as Freddy Ibrahim put on a show for the fans for a second straight game. They burst out in to cheers:

“Freddy! Freddy! Freddy!”

At the end of the game, Ibrahim returned the favor by standing on the signboard in front of the scorer’s table and acknowledging the love from the fans.

For this game, where he flirted with a triple-double, Ibrahim was their MVP.

Who were the MVPs for each team in Window 2 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers?

Group A

New Zealand 

Tom Vodanovich – PF / 2.01m / 1994
Statistics: 20.3 points, 8.0 assists, 3.3 assists per game, 55.6 FG%, 52.9 3P%

There have been only 5 double-double with at least 20 points in the Asian Qualifiers so far and Vodanovich has 2 of them. In fact, he’s the only player so far to have more than one of these 20-10 games.

It’s tough to single out just one player from a balanced core of talents on the Tall Blacks roster, but if you had to, you can’t go wrong with Vodanovich.

Philippines 

Dwight Ramos – PG / 1.93m / 1998
Statistics: 17.5 points, 7.0 assists, 2.5 assists, 2 steals, 1.5 blocks per game

This was a tight race between Ramos and Thirdy Ravena. Ramos gets the nod here for being a tiny bit more well-rounded, but no one would be angry with going the other way.

Still at just 23, Ramos has continued to look like a sure-fire star and fans are hoping to see more performances like his game against New Zealand where he put up 18 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks.

India 

Vishesh Bhriguvanshi – G / 1.92m / 1991
Statistics: 9.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game

India have been pushing for the development of their youngsters which is why we see the likes of Sahaij Pratap Singh Sekhon, Prashant Singh Rawat, and Pranav Prince playing significant minutes.

Still, they need a trusted veteran leader to keep the ship sailing in the right direction and that’s what Vishesh Bhriguvanshi has been doing. Other than posting well-rounded stats highlighted by a team-high in assists, Bhriguvashi also was responsible for controlling the tempo for his team.

Group B

Australia 

Nick Kay – PF / 2.06m / 1992
Statistics: 14.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists per game, 56.7 FG%

Kay headed into this window as the captain of and most experienced player on this young Boomers squad and didn’t disappoint by putting on a performance worthy of a team leader. The highlight of this window for Kay was pulling off a rare triple double, though he was already putting up all-around stats in every game. Fans can clearly see why Kay has been a key part of the Boomers over the years.

Japan 

Luke Evans – C / 2.03m / 1991
Statistics: 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists per game, 55.0 FG%

Evans didn’t have an explosive performance as teammate Yudai Nishida had against Chinese Taipei. However, he was efficient and effective in both games of Window 2 – something that Japan needed.

Not only was his presence in the paint important, he also moved the ball well and continuously set solid screen for the perimeter-oriented Akatsuki Five to operate smoothly.

Chinese Taipei 

Will Artino – C / 2.11m / 1992
Statistics: 16.3 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists per game

What a debut it was for Will Artino with Chinese Taipei. His scoring and rebounding numbers are highly impressive, but it was Artino’s defensive efforts down in the paint that was most crucial for Chinese Taipei.

It’s not easy going against the likes of Luke Evans, Angus Brandt, and Kay, but Artino held his ground. It will definitely be exciting in the future when he’ll get to play with Chinese Taipei’s star guards Chen Ying-Chun and Lin Ting-Chien.

Group C

Jordan 

Dar Tucker – SG / 1.90m / 1988
Statistics: 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists per game, 51.9 FG%

Tucker missed playing in Window 1 of the Qualifiers and made sure to make up for lost time in his return.

Jordan actually got high-level performances from all of their stars in Window 2, but we’re also giving Tucker an additional edge here for his showmanship. Whenever he plays, never take an eye off of him, especially after a made bucket.

Lebanon 

Ater Majok – C / 2.10m / 1987
Statistics: 5.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks per game

Majok is the lowest scoring player in this list of MVPs, but his impact on the team is just as much – and maybe even more.

With his freakish athleticism and timing, opponents can always find it tough to score on him and on Lebanon. In this Window, he blocked 7 shots which is more than what 6 teams have managed to do through the entire Qualifiers so far.

Saudi Arabia 

Mohammed Alsuwailem – C / 2.08m / 1998
Statistics: 12.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.0 blocks per game, 75.0 FG%

The man in the middle for the Mean Green Machine, Saudi Arabia, continues to be their rock. In Window 2, Alsuwailem recorded two straight double-doubles while shooting 75 percent from the field.

The loss to Lebanon was tough, but seeing the 24-year-old play at a high level should be reassuring for Saudi Arabia basketball fans.

Indonesia 

Abraham Damar Grahita – SG / 1.80m / 1995
Statistics: 17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists per game, 51.8 FG%

Window 2 was a tough stretch for Indonesia again, with 2 big losses to Jordan and Saudi Arabia, but the play of Abraham Damar Grahita has sparked some hope.

The 26-year-old guard had his biggest game of the Asian Qualifiers so far against Jordan, with 24 points on 10-18 shooting and 4 assists.

Group D

Kazakhstan 

Nikolay Bazhin – F / 1.95m / 1990
Statistics: 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists per game, 52.0 FG%, 55.6 3P%

This was a breakout window for Nikolay Bazhin, the 31-year-old forward who turned into one of the deadliest three-point shooters in Asia basketball out of the blue.

Across the World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers, Asia Cup 2022 Qualifiers, and Window 1 of this Asian Qualifiers, Bazhin shot 8-40 from three-point range. However, in Window 2 along, Bazhin has already made more three-pointers (10) in less attempts (18) for a scorching hot conversion rate of 55.6 percent.

Iran 

Mohammad Jamshidi – F / 1.85m / 1991
Statistics: 36.5 points, 6.0 assists per game, 60.5 FG%, 80.0 3P%, 95.6 FT%

Just look at those averages again. Those numbers should be enough of a reason to name him as Iran’s MVP.

If you are not convinced, we’d like to inform you that Jamshidi scored 49.6 percent of all of Iran’s points in this window while shooting 60.5 percent from the field, 80 percent from beyond the three-point line, and 95.8 percent from the free-throw line.

If that’s not MVP-worthy, we’re not sure what is.

Syria 

Amir Hinton – F / 1.98m / 1997
Statistics: 36.5 points, 6.0 assists per game, 60.5 FG%, 80.0 3P%, 95.6 FT%

It was as clear as ever in this Window that Hinton is Syria’s MVP. They won the front end against Bahrain riding on Hinton’s third straight game scoring 30 or more points, but when he failed to get things going against Iran, they struggled.

In that loss to Iran, Hinton (18 points) failed to reach 20 points for the first time and failed to get at least 10 free-throw attempts as well. Even then, he’s still leading all scorers in the Asian Qualifiers with 29.8 points per game.

Bahrain 

CJ Giles – C / 2.11m / 1985
Statistics: 9.5 points, 9.5 rebounds per game, 57.1 FG%

It was a tough window for Bahrain, suffering two double-digit losses and staying winless in the window. Their anchor that kept the ship as steady as it could over the two games was center CJ Giles.

Bahrain will need some more back up from the backcourt (as Ahmed Haji and Maitham Isa provided) in the upcoming windows, knowing that they’ll at least get steady production from Giles.

 FIBA