Latest news with #González
Boston Globe
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
‘We got lucky:' Celtics' lead international scout details pursuit of first-round pick Hugo González
'With a minute or two left, he's just out there diving for the ball and close to getting hurt,' Matkevicius said. 'He does not care. He competes and just wants to win.' Matkevicius heard about another game in which González injured his elbow going up for a dunk. He was expected to miss the next game, but just wrapped it up and took the court. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'He's really a true competitor and fans will love him because of that Marcus Smart-type of effort that he just goes out there,' Matkevicius said. 'He guards multiple positions and dives on the floor. He just wants the ball more than anybody else.' Advertisement González now plays for Real Madrid's senior team that won the Spanish League by defeating Valencia on Wednesday, the same night In the days that followed, the reaction Matkevicius received from people in European basketball circles was loud and unanimous. 'I've never received as many messages after a draft as I did the next day from around Europe, from coaches and managers and scouts,' he said. 'There were a lot of messages I received that were just like, 'Man, great pick.' That was an indicator that usually doesn't happen, and it happened not only from Spain but from other teams as well. For value, for the range we picked at, we got lucky.' Related : Advertisement NBA veterans fill Real Madrid's roster, and the franchise's rich history brings big pressure to win, so it cannot really take time to serve as a talent incubator. That led to scattered opportunities for González this year. In recent seasons Matkevicius leaned on evaluations from González's games with Real Madrid's junior teams, as well as in international competitions with Spain's under-18 program. He first saw González play for Real Madrid in a junior tournament when he was about 15, still a year or two younger than most others on the court. 'He was already standing out with his athleticism, physical prowess, energy, motor,' Matkevicius said. 'He was fitting right in and playing well, already playing up.' González was still too young to truly be projected as an NBA draft prospect, so Matkevicius slotted him in his rankings for players in his age group and continued to monitor his progress. At the start of this season, Matkevicius began including updates about González in the reports he sent to the Celtics' front office every two weeks. He tried to predict Real Madrid matchups that might give González the best chance to play, but also came away impressed by games in which he was used sparingly. 'He can play around superstars easily,' Matkevicius said. 'He can fit in. One thing that always impressed me about him is when he's playing with the pros and is on the bench or gets subbed out, he's the loudest guy on the bench and it's sincere. He's really cheering for his teammates, really happy. He's not pouting, expecting playing time. He knows who he is and he's very self-aware, and that makes him personality-wise a good fit also.' Related : Advertisement González averaged 5.2 points and 2.5 rebounds while playing 14.2 minutes per game in the Spanish League this season, connecting on just 27.1 percent of his 3-pointers. On draft night, Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens said González has the tools to become a more efficient offensive player, and Matkevicius agrees. He said it can be tough to evaluate shooting stats for a player whose opportunities are so sporadic. He believes González has good form and has shown at the junior level that he is quite comfortable with the ball in his hands. 'Obviously, the offensive game has to be refined because there's a lot of development left as a 19-year-old,' he said, 'but I wouldn't be afraid to throw him out there now, just because he's physically more advanced than the average 19-year-old and he's got the size and length and a lot of intangibles that already give him a good foundation to start his career.' … The Celtics will open Las Vegas summer league play against the Grizzlies on July 11 at 4 p.m. Boston will then play the Pistons (July 13, 4 p.m.), Heat (July 14, 8 p.m.), and Lakers (July 17, 9 p.m.) before having a final game added to the schedule. Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Five things to know about Celtics first-round draft pick Hugo González
González got his start early with Real Madrid González was identified as a top prospect at a very young age, joining the Real Madrid youth system when he was just 9 years old. He debuted professionally for the senior Madrid team at age 16 in October 2022, becoming the fourth youngest player in the team's history. Advertisement And while González appeared 16 games with the big league team that season, he drew more attention from scouts for his efforts leading Madrid's U18 team to the EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament title in both 2023 and 2024 — earning tournament MVP honors the second time. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up After starring for Spain's junior national teams at each age level, he debuted for Spain's senior national team during EuroBasket qualifiers this past February, posting 11 points and 6 rebounds in a win against Latvia. He is viewed as more of a project Though González had plenty of options for where to spend his pre-draft season both in Europe and in the US, he elected to remain with Real Madrid and get his first crack at playing a full season with the senior squad. Advertisement Playing on a contending team with a mix of EuroLeague veterans and ex-NBA players, González found himself stuck on the bench for large chunks of the season ― though his minutes increased as the season progressed. Furthermore, even during the minutes he was on the court, he lacked significant opportunities to play on the ball and develop his offensive creation. His best traits are his motor and defense At 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, González is a high-level athlete who is able to absorb contact and play aggressively on both sides of the ball. Scouts rave about González's motor and energy, and he's built a reputation in Spain for giving second and third efforts on every play and consistently getting to the dirty areas of the court. He also brings quick reactions on defense, and he averaged 2.7 steals per game at the U18 European Championships in summer 2024. His shooting is a big question mark González's ceiling in the NBA will be determined in part by his ability to shoot consistently from beyond the arc. He shot 28 percent from deep this past season with Real Madrid, and made just 25% of his threes on 96 three-point attempts for the junior Spanish national team. The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann notes that in EuroLeague competition, 'defenses typically closed out softly on him or sometimes would ignore him entirely.' His parents were both pro players in Spain González comes from a bloodline of Spanish basketball players. His mother, Montserrat, and father, Paco, both played professionally at Estudiantes ih Madrid ― Montserrat for the women's professional team, and Paco for the men's professional team. Advertisement 'My first basketball memories come from my parents. They played basketball and they influenced me a bit,' González said in Spanish in a February interview with ACB. 'It made me want to play as well.' Matty Wasserman can be reached at
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
CONCACAF Gold Cup: Canada reaches quarterfinals; Honduras, Panama, Guatemala also advance
Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan scored 2 minutes, 35 seconds apart early in the second half and Canada defeated El Salvador 2-0 on Tuesday night to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals. El Salvador, which was eliminated, finished two men short after Santos Ortíz and Jairo Henríquez were ejected late in the first half. Canada won Group B with seven points and advanced to a quarterfinal against Guatemala on Sunday in Minneapolis, with the winner moving on to a semifinal against the U.S. or Costa Rica. In the other quarterfinals, Mexico meets Saudi Arabia and Panama plays Honduras, both on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona. El Salvador was last in the group with one point and was eliminated, becoming the 14th team not to score a goal in the group stage. Canada coach Jesse Marsch returned from a two-game suspension assessed for his conduct during the CONCACAF Nations League third-place match against the U.S. in March. David scored in the 53rd minute, his Canada record 35th goal in 66 appearances. He took a pass from Mathieu Choinière, turned and beat goalkeeper Mario González to the far post with a diagonal shot from about 15 yards. González had jumped to his left to save David's penalty kick in first-half stoppage time after a foul by Jefferson Valladares on Jacob Shaffelburg. Buchanan scored his eighth goal in the 56th, lifting the ball over González after a feed from Niko Sigur, who had intercepted Diego Flores' pass. Ortíz received yellow cards in the 13th and 35th minutes, the second for a lunging tackle from behind on Sigur. Henríquez got a red card in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time for elbowing Alistair Johnston in the head. Ortíz and Henríquez will be suspended when El Salvador starts the third round of World Cup qualifying in September. Honduras defeated Curaçao 2-1 at San Jose, California, on Luis Palma's goal in second-half stoppage time. Panama beat Jamaica 4-1 at Austin, Texas, to win Group C with a 3-0 record, and the Reggae Boyz were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 2009. Guatemala beat Guadeloupe 3-2 in Houston.
Fox Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Jesse Marsch returns as Canada books Gold Cup quarterfinals spot
Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan scored 2 minutes, 35 seconds apart early in the second half and Canada defeated El Salvador 2-0 on Tuesday night to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals. El Salvador, which was eliminated, finished two men short after Santos Ortíz and Jairo Henríquez were ejected late in the first half. Canada won Group B with seven points and advanced to a quarterfinal against Guatemala on Sunday in Minneapolis, with the winner moving on to a semifinal against the U.S. or Costa Rica. In the other quarterfinals, Mexico meets Saudi Arabia and Panama plays Honduras, both on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona. El Salvador was last in the group with one point and was eliminated, becoming the 14th team not to score a goal in the group stage. Canada coach Jesse Marsch returned from a two-game suspension assessed for his conduct during the CONCACAF Nations League third-place match against the U.S. in March. David scored in the 53rd minute, his Canada record 35th goal in 66 appearances. He took a pass from Mathieu Choinière, turned and beat goalkeeper Mario González to the far post with a diagonal shot from about 15 yards. González had jumped to his left to save David's penalty kick in first-half stoppage time after a foul by Jefferson Valladares on Jacob Shaffelburg. Buchanan scored his eighth goal in the 56th, lifting the ball over González after a feed from Niko Sigur, who had intercepted Diego Flores' pass Ortíz received yellow cards in the 13th and 35th minutes, the second for a lunging tackle from behind on Sigur. Henríquez got a red card in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time for elbowing Alistair Johnston in the head. Ortíz and Henríquez will be suspended when El Salvador starts the third round of World Cup qualifying in September. Honduras defeated Curaçao 2-1 at San Jose, California, on Luis Palma's goal in second-half stoppage time. Panama beat Jamaica 4-1 at Austin, Texas, to win Group C with a 3-0 record, and the Reggae Boyz were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 2009. Guatemala beat Guadeloupe 3-2 in Houston. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from Gold Cup Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada advances in CONCACAF Gold Cup, beats El Salvador 2-0 on goals by David and Buchanan
HOUSTON (AP) — Jonathan David and Tajon Buchanan scored 2 minutes, 35 seconds apart early in the second half and Canada defeated El Salvador 2-0 on Tuesday night to reach the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals. El Salvador, which was eliminated, finished two men short after Santos Ortíz and Jairo Henríquez were ejected late in the first half. Canada won Group B with seven points and advanced to a quarterfinal against Guatemala on Sunday in Minneapolis, with the winner moving on to a semifinal against the U.S. or Costa Rica. In the other quarterfinals, Mexico meets Saudi Arabia and Panama plays Honduras, both on Saturday in Glendale, Arizona. El Salvador was last in the group with one point and was eliminated, becoming the 14th team not to score a goal in the group stage. Canada coach Jesse Marsch returned from a two-game suspension assessed for his conduct during the CONCACAF Nations League third-place match against the U.S. in March. David scored in the 53rd minute, his Canada record 35th goal in 66 appearances. He took a pass from Mathieu Choinière, turned and beat goalkeeper Mario González to the far post with a diagonal shot from about 15 yards. González had jumped to his left to save David's penalty kick in first-half stoppage time after a foul by Jefferson Valladares on Jacob Shaffelburg. Buchanan scored his eighth goal in the 56th, lifting the ball over González after a feed from Niko Sigur, who had intercepted Diego Flores' pass Ortíz received yellow cards in the 13th and 35th minutes, the second for a lunging tackle from behind on Sigur. Henríquez got a red card in the ninth minute of first-half stoppage time for elbowing Alistair Johnston in the head. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Ortíz and Henríquez will be suspended when El Salvador starts the third round of World Cup qualifying in September. Honduras defeated Curaçao 2-1 at San Jose, California, on Luis Palma's goal in second-half stoppage time. Panama beat Jamaica 4-1 at Austin, Texas, to win Group C with a 3-0 record, and the Reggae Boyz were eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 2009. Guatemala beat Guadeloupe 3-2 in Houston. ___ AP soccer:
