Francis Alonso

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Alonso and the second or maternal family name is Martínez.
Francis Alonso
CB Estudiantes
PositionShooting guard
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (1996-05-25) 25 May 1996 (age 28)
Málaga, Spain
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolCushing Academy
(Ashburnham, Massachusetts)
CollegeUNC Greensboro (2015–2019)
NBA draft2019: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2013–2014Axarquía
2019–2022Unicaja Málaga
2019–2020→ Fuenlabrada
2020→ Oviedo
2022–2023Bilbao
2023–presentEstudiantes
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× First-team All-SoCon (2018, 2019)
  • Second-team All-SoCon (2017)
  • SoCon Tournament MOP (2018)
  • SoCon All-Freshman Team (2016)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Spain
FIBA U20 European Championship
Gold medal – first place 2016 Finland Team
Silver medal – second place 2015 Italy Team

Francisco Fernando Alonso Martínez (born 25 May 1996) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Estudiantes of the Spanish LEB Oro. He played college basketball for the UNC Greensboro Spartans.

Early life and career

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Alonso was born and brought up in Málaga, Spain. The son of former basketball player and coach Paco Alonso, he began playing basketball from a young age.[1] He played youth basketball for Unicaja Málaga and competed for Clinicas Rincón Axarquía.[2] Alonso became friends with his Unicaja teammate Domantas Sabonis, a future NBA All-Star.[3] At age 18, he moved to the United States to attend Cushing Academy, a private boarding school in Ashburnham, Massachusetts.[4] In his only season at the school, Alonso averaged 17.0 points, 6.5 assists and three rebounds per game, leading his team to an 18–8 record and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council quarterfinals.[5] He committed to UNC Greensboro over offers from Virginia, Elon, South Florida, Iona, Western Kentucky, and Richmond.[4]

College career

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Before Alonso arrived at UNC Greensboro, the team had endure seven consecutive losing seasons. He primarily functioned as a catch-and-shoot perimeter scorer as a freshman.[4] He led the team in scording during his freshman season at 13.0 points per game.[6] As a sophomore, Alonso averaged 14.9 points and 2.0 assists per game for a team that reached the NIT.[7] He was named to the Second Team All-Southern Conference.[8] As a junior, Alonso averaged 15.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game in leading the team to the NCAA Tournament.[9] He scored a career-high 31 points in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament versus Samford.[10] He was named to the First Team All-SoCon and was named most outstanding player of the conference tournament.[11] On February 28, 2019, Alonso became the second player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points, finishing with 18 points in a 100-96 win over The Citadel.[12] As a senior, Alonso averaged 17.6 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game, shooting 37.1 percent from three-point range.[13] He was named to the First Team All-SoCon alongside teammate Isaiah Miller.[14]

Professional career

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On 26 July 2019, Alonso signed a two-year contract with an option for a third year with Unicaja Málaga of the Liga ACB. He was immediately loaned to ACB club Montakit Fuenlabrada for his first season.[15] About one month into the season, Alonso suffered an ankle injury at the Supercopa de España and initially attempted to play through it. He had edema in his joint and missed about five months of action while recovering.[16] Alonso played three games for Fuenlabrada, averaging 1.7 points per game, before being loaned to Liberbank Oviedo Baloncesto of the LEB Oro. On 7 March 2020, Alonso recorded a season-high 31 points, seven rebounds and five assists in an 88–70 win over Leyma Básquet Coruña.[17] He later rejoined Unicaja. On 8 June, Alonso announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19.[18]

National team career

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Alonso represented Spain during the 2016 FIBA U20 European Championship in Helsinki, Finland. He helped the team to a 68-55 victory over Lithuania in the championship game. Alonso averaged 13.0 points, 3.7 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game and was named to the Championship’s All-Star Five team.[19]

References

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  1. ^ Bedrosian, Alyssa (8 January 2019). "Spartan Spotlight: Francis Alonso". UNCGNews. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. ^ "El base-escolta Francis Alonso se incorpora al Liberbank Oviedo" (in Spanish). Spanish Basketball Federation. 13 February 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  3. ^ Meehan, Jim (13 March 2018). "UNC Greensboro guard Francis Alonso childhood friend, teammate of former Gonzaga star Domantas Sabonis". SWX Right Now. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Mills, Jeff (8 March 2019). "Cultural gifts: Spanish star Francis Alonso helps change UNCG into a winner". News & Record. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Men's Basketball Signs Francisco Alonso To NLI". UNC Greensboro. 16 April 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  6. ^ Mills, Jeff (November 10, 2016). "Triad college basketball previews: A&T, UNCG, High Point and Elon". News & Record. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  7. ^ Osborne, Brandon (November 10, 2017). "Tale of the Tape: UVA vs. UNC Greensboro". 247 Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  8. ^ "Men's basketball annual awards announced" (Press release). Southern Conference. March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  9. ^ Berkowitz, Steve (March 18, 2018). "NCAA tournament bracket: 2018 March Madness West region capsules". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Mills, Jeff (March 9, 2019). "Francis Alonso's 31 points power UNCG to comeback victory at SoCon Tournament". News & Record. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  11. ^ "Ten SoCon players earn NABC All-District honors". Southern Conference. March 14, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  12. ^ "Francis Alonso passes 2,000 points for UNCG in win over The Citadel". Greensboro News and Record. February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  13. ^ Chasen, Scott (November 8, 2019). "What Bill Self said about facing UNC Greensboro for AFH opener". 247 Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  14. ^ "All-Southern Conference men's basketball teams announced". Southern Conference. March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  15. ^ "Francis Alonso returns to Unicaja". Unicaja Baloncesto. 26 July 2019. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  16. ^ Calderón, Juan (5 April 2020). "Francis Alonso, una temporada que nunca olvidará". Diario Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  17. ^ Maestre, Mike (7 March 2020). "Francis Alonso empieza a salirse en la LEB Oro tras su etapa en la Liga Endesa" (in Spanish). Gigantes del Basket. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  18. ^ "Malaga's Francis Alonso tests positive for coronavirus". EuroHoops. 8 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  19. ^ McCollester, Matt (July 25, 2016). "UNCG's Francis Alonso Leads Spain To U20 European Championship". WFMY. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
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