The Spanish basketball family continues to expand. Head coach Chus Mateo has chosen 12 promising young players for a special training camp aimed at evaluating their development and integrating them into the national team’s system.
12 Spanish players selected by Chus Mateo for a special training camp
FEB
Twelve of the most talented young players in Spanish basketball will have the chance to showcase their skills and get accustomed to the ideas of national team head coach Chus Mateo (57) during a unique training camp. The camp will also feature Spanish coaches working in the NCAA, who are part of the federation’s monitoring network in the United States.
The growing trend of young Spanish players opting to pursue their athletic and academic development in the U.S. college system has reshaped how the Spanish national team operates. A network of coaches has been established there to track the progress of these prospects, with Chus Mateo himself visiting them throughout the season.
Now that the season is over, it’s time to get a closer look. A camp has been organized in Madrid from May 15 to 20 to assess the evolution of players over 20 years old who are no longer eligible for youth categories but could soon join the senior national team.
“The staff led by Chus Mateo wants to use the end of the season to establish direct contact and expand monitoring of some of the most outstanding Spanish players in the competition. This camp also reinforces the player tracking strategy in the United States that the FEB launched under the leadership of Dani Gómez. At the same time, it serves as a boost for players who have finished their season in various FEB competitions, where numerous Spanish talents also develop,” the Spanish Basketball Federation explained in a statement.
For his part, the head coach sees this as “a great opportunity to see how the players who have been developing their careers away from Spain, especially in the U.S., have evolved, and who are no longer under the radar of the FEB’s youth teams. Beyond their progress, we will understand how they work and how they understand the game. These training days allow us to get closer to a group of players that, otherwise, we would not be able to evaluate as potential members of the senior national team in the future.”
The 12 selected
Among the called-up players, the following stand out:
– **Álvaro Folgueiras**, key for Iowa in the March Madness and U17 World Championship runner-up in 2022.
– **Rubén Domínguez**, a standout player with Texas A&M and two-time European champion (U16 in 2019, U20 in 2022).
– **Jordi Rodríguez** and **Victory Onuetu**, both in their first NCAA year and U19 world champions in 2023.
– **Michael Caicedo**, also a European champion in 2019 and 2022, who competed with Melilla Ciudad del Deporte in Primera FEB.
The full list:
– Michael Caicedo (Melilla Ciudad del Deporte)
– Rubén Domínguez (Texas A&M Aggies)
– Clemson Edomwonyin (Drexel Dragons)
– Fabián Flores (DePaul Blue Demons)
– Álvaro Folgueiras (Iowa Hawkeyes)
– Lucas Marí (Vermont Catamounts)
– Conrad Martínez (High Point Panthers)
– Victory Onuetu (Hofstra Pride)
– Eddy Valentino Pinedo (UNC Greensboro Spartans)
– Jordi Rodríguez (Cincinnati Bearcats)
– Pablo Tamba (LSU Tigers)
– José Roberto Tanchyn (UMBC Retrievers)
Daily training, under the supervision of Chus Mateo, will be led by Paco Redondo, national team assistant coach and coordinator of FEB men’s youth teams. They will be joined by coaches Jorge Sanz (Gonzaga), Pedro García (Washington State), and Miguel Mateo (Kansas State).