Gold: Van der Vuurst and Marinov, two new rookies

Boyd van der Vuurst
TAU Castello

It has taken time to move TAU Castelló file before the injury of his shooter Edu Durán at the start of the league. Sometimes it is difficult to do it, and finally the chosen one was the Dutch player Boyd van der Vuurst (1999 / 191 cm). International for his country in the lower categories and consolidated in his generation, he is a player who has been trained in Den Helder during his career, having responsibility since 17/18 and each year a little more prominence until last season he was declared best young U23 (Rising Star) from the DBL (14.7 pt, 4.8 ace). His good season meant that for the newly created league, a BNXT that unites the Netherlands and Belgium in the same competition, the Belgian Okapi was noticed in his services, but he ended up landing in Gold after playing only 6 games without too many opportunities. (7 my, 1.2 pt).

It is a signing that has surprised me. Edu Durán is clearly irreplaceable. With bets like Höök I saw it clearly, but in this case I see Van der Vuurst as a player with projection rather than a reality for what the LEB Oro now demands. He had a lot of freedom in Den Helder, a team from the lower-middle zone from the Netherlands and which has a very young block. A combo guard with good ball control, who feels comfortable in the Q&A and taking advantage of blocking to get to the rim. He gets up comfortable from the triple and has a very good vision of the game to find the right pass. It will be necessary to see how he adapts to the physical level and speed of the LEB Oro, since physically he has yet to form; Also keep an eye on his defensive performance. In Belgium he didn’t manage to have opportunities and in Castelló the same could happen to him, although Toni Ten’s is a team that manages to create options for their shooters and there the Dutchman can have his moments, which add to his passing ability.

Pavel Marinov
Palmer Mediterranean Soul Palma

Palmer Mediterranean Soul Palma is in full swing. After betting on players with experience in Gold such as Pavelka and Elijah Brown, the penultimate to arrive, yesterday the incorporation of Robert Cosialls (former Bàsquet Girona) was made official, he was a player with international experience (but not in our leagues) as is the bulgarian international Pavel Marinov (1988 / 199cm). We are dealing with a seasoned player who was climbing in his country: first in Yambol (07-11), then in the most important team (Lukoil, 11-13) and finally in Balkan, where he enjoyed franchise player status for two seasons. (16.7pt on 14/15). His good season led him to sign in Romania, where he spent three seasons with a brief spell in France, playing for Dinamo, Pitești and Steaua before returning to France on 18/19 to play for Caen in the ProB (9.2 pt, 3.0 re, 2.8 ace) until a knee injury knocked him out.

The 19/20 could only play one match in February with the Bulgarian Beroe, with whom they repeated the past 20/21 (30 pa, 9.4 pt, 6.5 re, 3.2 ace). This campaign began in Kosovo (Trepca), returning to Romania to sign for Constanța (5.3 pt) before landing in LEB Oro. Throughout his career he has always had a presence with the Bulgarian national team, being a basic pillar.

A risky signing, in my opinion. Marinov has experience, knows how to read the game and has the ability to assist or occupy spaces, something that will come in handy for Palma. My doubts come from a physical point of view, whether he will be able to withstand the pace and speed of this competition. He has a good body, he can even post up and he likes to play with feints and shoot from distance, although he is inconsistent in this regard. The lack of speed weighs him down, and it will do so more in a league like the one in which he is going to debut. Without a doubt, a BSA lacking in rotation adds a different player to their scorers, who can occupy spaces, receive Figueras’ passes from the corners and play in the middle distance. It remains to be seen if he will give that extra back and if he will adapt to the fast pace of those from Son Moix. In conclusion, experience for a young team, but perhaps its moment of splendor has already passed.