|
Raitis Grafs
Raitis Grafs (born June 12, 1981) is a Latvian professional basketball center. Born in Riga, Latvia, he is a member of the Latvia national basketball team. In kindergarten, Grafs met Kristaps Valters and they became fast friends. Since then, the two have grown to be best friends and teammates on the Latvia national basketball team. As a teenager, Grafs was regarded as one of the best prospects in Europe averaging 13.8 points and 10.5 rebounds at the 1998 U18 European Championship. He posted similar numbers (11.9 ppg and 11.0 rpg) at the 1999 World Junior Championship during which he was voted a First Team All-Star. At 16 years 5 months, Grafs became the youngest Latvian National Team member. For the next step in his career he chose to study at Valparaiso University; during four years at Valparaiso University (NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Armands Šķēle
Armands Šķēle (born September 4, 1983) is a former Latvian professional basketball player. He was a member of Latvian National Team. He earned praise from fans for his artistic style of play that thrived on creativity and unorthodox moves. During his career Šķēle was nicknamed "Big Time", mainly due to his skills and personality. Professional career Šķēle started his professional career playing for Brocēni which at the time was the top team in Latvia. In 2001, he moved to Poland signing a multi-year contract with Anwil Włocławek. Under the guidance of head coach Andrej Urlep, Šķēle developed rapidly and become one of the most attractive players in the Europe - his game was compared to Serbian star Aleksandar Đorđević. In 2004, he was pursued by Real Madrid as they sought talented Latvian to back-up Louis Bullock, but the deal fell through as both sides couldn't find an agreement. In the same year Šķēle declared for the NBA draft. Despite having a co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |