{"id":160537,"date":"2025-08-04T17:37:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T17:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/who-is-guillermo-del-pino-the-hero-of-the-under-18-eurobasket-against-france-who-turned-down-a-contract-in-spain\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T17:37:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T17:37:50","slug":"who-is-guillermo-del-pino-the-hero-of-the-under-18-eurobasket-against-france-who-turned-down-a-contract-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/who-is-guillermo-del-pino-the-hero-of-the-under-18-eurobasket-against-france-who-turned-down-a-contract-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is Guillermo del Pino? The hero of the Under-18 Eurobasket against France who turned down a contract in Spain."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Javier<\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Actualizado <\/span>

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Guillermo del Pino: A Rising Star in Basketball<\/h2>\n

In the world of \u00a0basketball\u00a0, there exists a tradition that can sometimes lead to \u00a0injustices\u00a0. This tradition revolves around selecting the \u00a0Most Valuable Player (MVP)\u00a0 of an international tournament. Journalists present in the arena are asked to submit their votes shortly before the game concludes. This process, conducted 10 to 15 minutes prior to the final whistle, limits the selection to performances already established in earlier games. Unfortunately, this often leads to inconsistencies, as evidenced by the recent Eurobasket U-18 championship, where Guillermo del Pino was not designated as MVP despite spectacular performances during the final moments.<\/p>\n

In the championship game against \u00a0France\u00a0, Del Pino, despite being down by six points, orchestrated an incredible comeback. He scored a \u00a0triple\u00a0, made a crucial layup, and hit free throws, ultimately achieving nine consecutive points in the \u00a0final seconds\u00a0 of the match. This display of skill and determination culminated in a last-second \u00a0three-pointer\u00a0 that clinched the victory for Spain, a feat deserving of all available accolades.<\/p>\n

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FEB<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the middle of the Belgrade Arena, Del Pino was swarmed by his teammates, celebrating and lifting him in triumph despite \u00a0Ian Platteeuw\u00a0 being the official tournament MVP. The attention shifted to Guillermo Del Pino, igniting questions about who he is. Standing at 1.96 meters tall and only 18 years old, Del Pino epitomizes the great potential within \u00a0Spanish basketball\u00a0. However, his journey is complicated by the current state of the sport in Spain.<\/p>\n

The Future of Guillermo del Pino<\/h2>\n

Despite his remarkable talent showcased in youth categories, Del Pino will not play in Spain\u2019s top league, \u00a0Liga Endesa\u00a0, for at least four or five years. His decision is surprising given that he was once the MVP at the \u00a0Eurobasket U-16\u00a0 in 2023. Instead of pursuing a contract with \u00a0Unicaja M\u00e1laga\u00a0, where he had already debuted in the \u00a0Champions League\u00a0, Del Pino chose to return to his roots at the \u00a0Coto C\u00f3rdoba\u00a0 team in \u00a0second division\u00a0 basketball and is now set to join one of the best NCAA universities, the University of Maryland, next season.<\/p>\n

Del Pino explained in a podcast that leaving Unicaja was one of the toughest decisions he faced. Though he had an opportunity to stay and develop with the first team, he opted for a path that would better align with his aspirations, prioritizing the NCAA route over remaining in Spain. This choice reflects a broader trend where talented young players leave for the \u00a0NCAA\u00a0 due to better financial prospects and limited opportunities at home.<\/p>\n

Even though Spain launched the new \u00a0Liga U\u00a0 to retain young talent, many of its promising athletes continue to migrate to the NCAA, drawn by significant financial offers from U.S. universities and a more structured path to professional success. Players like Ian Platteeuw, who just became the MVP of Eurobasket U-18, are also leaving local clubs for university opportunities in the States.<\/p>\n

Guillermo del Pino is now seen as a basketball hero in Spain, but without a clear pathway to play professionally in his homeland. His future in the sport remains a subject of hope mingled with uncertainty, as the \u00a0basketball landscape\u00a0 is evolving rapidly. Del Pino\u2019s exceptional talent needs to be harnessed properly, and the sport\u2019s governing bodies must adapt to keep promising players like him in the Spanish system.<\/p>\n


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General News – 2<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Actualizado Lunes, 4 agosto 2025 – 18:50 Guillermo del Pino: A Rising Star in Basketball In the world of \u00a0basketball\u00a0, there exists a tradition that can sometimes lead to \u00a0injustices\u00a0. This tradition revolves around selecting the \u00a0Most Valuable Player (MVP)\u00a0 of an international tournament. Journalists present in the arena are asked to submit their votes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[36889,39336,40020],"class_list":["post-160537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","tag-baloncesto","tag-deportes-baloncesto","tag-unicaja-baloncesto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160537\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teknomers.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}