Hansel Atencia and Chris-Ebou Ndow land in Gold

The LEB Oro teams continue to strengthen. After talking about five important reinforcements and analyze newcomers such as Marinov and Van der Vuurst, last week two new players arrived with no experience in LEB (although at least on my radar they have always been in the spotlight). We talk about Hansel Attention Y Chris Ebou Ndow.

Hansel Attention
Unicaja Banco Oviedo

The unexpected departure of the leader of Unicaja Banco Oviedo, Harald Frey, to Germany left a huge void and has aggravated a depression in results for the Asturian team, which also did not reach an agreement to extend the contract of an Alberto Martín who left for powerful project of LEB Plata del Hereda COB. This situation has left only the youth squad Alonso Meana in the position of ‘one’, who is helped by a newcomer such as the combo guard American Paul Jorgensen, an explosive player with offensive instinct but still landing and with slight gaps to be a base in a basketball as tactical as Gold.

With slight economic constraints to undertake this transfer and with little available as they do not have free extra-community chips, it has arrived Hansel Atencia (1997 / 178 cm), wanting to land in Spain and without a team at the present time. The Colombian international (with a Spanish passport) went to the United States on 15/14 to go to a High School, jumping from there to NCAA-DI (Liberty), but without too many opportunities on 16/15, so he went to the NAIA to progress over three seasons (16-19) at The Master’s (18/19: 17.5 pt, 5.3 ace). He signed his first professional contract early, going to the Icelandic second division, specifically to a Þór AK in which Pablo Hernández (currently TAU Castelló) was also. He played a good season and adapted to European basketball, with promotion included in 19/20 (18.2 pt, 5.6 as). His meritorious campaign earned him a contract in the Icelandic first division with Haukar last 20/21, where he showed interesting growth and better decision making (21 pa, 32 mi, 17.7 pt, 4.5 ace). While playing in Iceland, he took a break for several weeks in the fall of 2020 to play in his country’s league. This 21/22 he returned to play in Colombia with Titanes, where he finished a few weeks ago, finding himself without a team.

It must be clear that Atencia, who does not know the competition, is not Frey, but he does have virtues that can help. He is a player that I liked more in his second year in Europe than in the first, seeing him settle more. He is a small point guard, but very fast (Steinarsson profile), despite his height he is strong and, accustomed to leadership, he does not hide. With excellent ball handling, he has been improving his reading of the game, he knows how to penetrate (with several shooting ranges in the completions to avoid the block) and has gone further from the triple. Behind, he is a lively player who annoys the rivals a lot.

Without a doubt, his arrival can give air to the OCB. Highly capable of playing Q&A And being able to assist can offer options to a team that needs air and get its flow back. He will have to take a certain toll, he will make some wrong decisions, he will suffer against physical guards and his three-point shot in a league with better defenses will have to be seen. Perhaps he is a similar profile to Meana, but Atencia knows that he has an opportunity and is a player who has been established in the Colombian national team for years, with enough experience, despite his youth, so that his legs do not shake .

Chris Ebou Ndow
Leyma Coruna

Leyma Coruña needed something, which has decided to make an effort and bet on a market opportunity such as the Norwegian international Chris-Ebou Ndow (1993 / 201 cm), a multipurpose and high-value player who stood out very young in the BLNO, which caught the attention of Germany, but especially of American college basketball, ending up in one of the best NCAA-DII teams such as Northwest Missouri St, where he spent four years (14-18) and was the lieutenant of Justin Pitts (HLA Alicante). In fact, his interesting senior course (13.7 pt, 7.7 d) led him to be included in our scouting of that summer of 2018. In his season rookie He decided to return home, signing for a Kongsberg team that played in European competition and in which he was a key player that 18/19 (20.4 pt, 9.8 re), also echoing their performance. Several important leagues followed him and he ended up signing the 19/20 in the French ProB (Denain), where he spent two seasons, even being captain and one of his best exponents (20/21: 10.4 pt, 6.4 re). Bouzalac, recently relegated from the highest category, noticed him after his good level and took over his services, although the new Básquet Coruña player would not have any luck and would not have the confidence of the coach; Between some physical discomfort and several signings without a quota license, he was left without a place, finally breaking the contract after playing only three games in the ProB (he also played the Cup / 12 mi, 1.7 pt, 1.7 re).

He is a player that has always been to my liking for LEB. It was necessary to wait for a “bad year” for a leading Gold club to bet on him. I think the signing of him is very intelligent on the part of Leyma Coruña and he comes to cover a gap that the Herculean team lacked, with two escorts who are really combo guard gamers (Monaghan and Gray) and two forwards like the worker Sanz and a Löfberg who does not find his best version (especially behind). Let no one expect an offensive star, but rather a multipurpose player who will seek the benefit of the team from him. Also note that the 2 meters of it are upwards.

Ndow will take advantage of the excellent handlers that he will find in the orange squad, easily getting up from the triple (especially in 45º in catch and shoot). Able to take physically inferior opponents to the low post, he knows how to run the transition and, without being a great handler of the Q&A, knows how to take advantage of his power to penetrate when he comes out with an advantage from the systems or play without the ball. A good rebounder, he also works at the back and, due to his versatility, he doesn’t have too many problems in defensive exchanges.

Without a doubt, Ndow is a player with a profile that pleases his new coach, Sergio García. Trained for the competition both physically and tactically, he will bring intangibles, as well as an interesting outside shot in a team in which he will not be forced to generate, but must finish the advantages, something he does very well. A good signing for a team with an irregular march, but in the end it will be where it aspires: the upper zone.