Courtesy of Eurobasket LLC We bring you last week's top former Cougars players who are currently playing in pro basketball.
#1. Experienced Panamanian, Josimar Ayarza, a 6'9'' power forward at 39 years old, graduated from Southern Miss in 2011. However, he honed his skills at Cuesta JC between 2007 and 2009 before embarking on his professional career in Colombia. Ayarza showcased his prowess as a key player in Motilones del Norte's recent triumph against the underdog Storm with a convincing 103-96 victory in the Colombian LBP on Thursday night. The standout player achieved a double-double performance by notching 23 points and securing 10 rebounds, along with contributing 7 assists, displaying remarkable accuracy by going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line in 40 minutes of gameplay. Despite Motilones del Norte currently holding the second-to-last position (#7) in the league with a 5-9 record, Ayarza's stellar performance against the Carrib.Storm team was pivotal in sealing the win for his team, crowning him as the champion of the game. The Regular Season has already concluded, with Ayarza standing out for his exceptional season statistics, averaging 21.9 points per game (second best in the league), 6.1 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game, solidifying his status as a finalist in the league.
#2. French Alexandre Fanchini, a 6'0'' point guard aged 27, is an alum of the Trojans from 2020. Prior to that, he played for Cuesta JC between 2018 and 2019, where he helped them become the Western State Conference North Division Regular Season Co-Champion. Fanchini currently plays professionally in France and recently led Pays Salonais to a decisive 91-76 victory over the 14th-ranked Pole France in the French Nationale Masculine 1 league, which is the third division in France. In that game, Fanchini showcased his skills by scoring 13 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, and providing 4 assists in just 28 minutes of play. Pays Salonais Basket 13, with a record of 17-23, holds the seventh position in Group B. Fanchini's team has been on an impressive winning streak, securing their sixth consecutive victory. The Second Stage of the competition has already concluded, with Fanchini emerging as a standout player throughout the season. His statistics showcase his contributions, averaging 10.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. Fanchini's exceptional performance against Pole France not only led his team to victory but also solidified his position as the champion of the game.
Other former Cuesta College players, who play in pro basketball:
Alex Ouandie (6'6''-F-1996, played in 2015-17) plays for Minyor 2015 in Bulgarian NBL
Vasil Bachev (6'5''-SG-1992, played in 2012-13) plays for Akademik Plovdiv in Bulgarian NBL
Rafail Eleftheriou (6'7''-F-1994, played in 2014-16) plays for Anorthosis in Cypriot ECOMMBX BL
Roberto Mantovani (6'8''-F-1994, played in 2015-16) plays for APOEL in Cypriot ECOMMBX BL
Valentin Bauer (6'0''-G-1994, played in 2013-14) played for BK Karbon-X Dukes Klosterneuburg in Austrian BSL few monts ago
Karl Otabor (6'1''-G-1990, played in 2009-13) played for Fyllingen in Norwegian BLNO last year
Alexander Karras (6'4''-G-1998, played in 2018-19) plays for Hogsbo in Swedish Basketligan
Arne Ingebrigtsen (6'6''-G-1990, played in 2009-13) plays for Froya in Norwegian BLNO
Andres Aguado (6'0''-PG-1996, played in 2015-17) played for Novaschool in Spanish Tercera FEB last year
Jacques Safra (6'2''-G-1999, played in 2019-21) played for Winterthur in Swiss NLB last year
Nicolas Dierynck (6'4''-G/F-1999, played in 2018-19) played for Laugdaelir in Icelandic Division II last year
Alejandro Jorda (6'4''-G-1995, played in 2010-14) plays for Lucentum in Spanish Tercera FEB
Mathieu Giroud (6'3''-G-1996, played in 2017-19) plays for Riviera in Swiss NLB
Notice: The list above includes only some of alumni playing currently in pro basketball. Check complete list of Cuesta College basketball alumni.
Josimar Ayarza is last week best Cougars alumni, who plays professional basketball (Photo: @correbasketuat)
