Ojārs Siliņš

Ojārs Siliņš

File:1ojarssilins2015.jpg
No. 15 – Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia
Position	Small forward
League	Serie A Eurocup
Personal information
Born	(1993-07-20) 20 July 1993 Rīga, Latvia
Nationality	Latvian
Listed height	204 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight	98 kg (216 lb)
Career information
NBA draft	2014 / Undrafted
Playing career	2009–present
Career history
2009	DSN Rīga
2009–2010	BK Ķeizarmežs
2010–2012	Pallacanestro Reggiana Youth
2011–present	Pallacanestro Reggiana
Career highlights and awards
EuroChallenge champion (2014) Supercoppa (2015)
Medals Men's Basketball Representing Latvia FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship 2013 Estonia National Team

Ojārs Siliņš (born 20 July 1993) is a Latvian professional basketball player who plays for Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia in the Italian Serie A. He plays at both forward positions.

Professional career

Siliņš made his professional debut aged 16 with hometown team BK Ķeizarmežs during the 2009–10 season, playing in both the Latvian Basketball League and the Baltic Basketball League (6.8 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in the latter). Transferring midseason to youth side Stella Azzurra Roma, he participated in the Euroleague Next Generation Tournament with the team, finishing as top scorer of the Rome leg with 20.5 points per game, in addition to 5.3 rebonds.

Siliņš had a trial with Italian professional side Trenkwalder Reggio Emilia, later signing a multi-year contract. His first team debut was in December 2011 in a Cup game, scoring 13 points. During his first complete season as a pro, Siliņš averaged 2.0 points and 1.6 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game.

On 25 April, Siliņš top-scored for Reggio Emilia with 14 points to help then get past Royal Halı Gaziantep in the EuroChallege semi-final, as the side went on to win the competition. He sarted all but one game during the domestic season, posting 7.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in nearly 24 minutes per game. His averages increased to 9 points and 1.2 blocks during the playoff quarterfinals series against Montepaschi Siena. Siliņš was named the second best young player in Serie A

Siliņš was an early entry for the 2014 NBA draft, with a good performance at the adidas Eurocamp enhancing his stock, though he would go undrafted. He signed a two-year contract extension with Reggio Emilia in the summer. After being hampered by injuries during the first part of the 2014–15 season, he profited from being repositioned at his natural small forward position, performing well in the title playoffs as the team reached the finals. In September 2015, Siliņš won the Italian Supercoppa for the first time in club's history.

International career

Siliņš has played for the Latvian under-age sides at the Under-16, U-18, U-20 European Championships and the 2011 FIBA Under-19 World Championship. With the Under-20's, he would earn a silver medal at the 2013 U-20 European Championship played in Tallinn, averaging 12 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in about 38 minutes per game.

He was invited to the senior national team for Eurobasket 2013 subsequently but was unable to answer the call-up due to an injury; again due to an injury he was forced to miss Eurobasket 2015.

Playing profile

Siliņš is 6 ft 8.5 in (2.045 m) tall with shoes, with a 7 ft 0.75 in (2.1527 m) wingspan. He's an athletic combo forward with a good physique, in addition to a decent three point shot. Capable of guarding multiple positions, he runs the floor well, rebounds on both ends and can compete with stronger opponents in the post.

Honors and awards

Club career

• Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia (2012–present)
  • FIBA EuroChallenge Championship: (2014)
  • Lega Basket A Runner Up: (2015)
  • Supercoppa: (2015)

Individual

• Lega Basket Serie A Defensive Player of the Year: (2014)

National Team

• FIBA Europe U-20 Championship Runner Up: (2013)

External links

• Player profile from FIBA Europe website
• Player profile from Eurobasket.com website
• Player profile from Lega Basket Serie A website
• Ojārs Siliņš on Twitter