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    Free agent Arturs Zagars attracts interest as he dishes out record 17 assists

    It looks like it won’t take long before Latvian playmaking wizard finds a job
    Sep 9, 2023
    Arturs Zagars Latvia vs Lithuania
    PHOTO: Jerome Ascaño

    LATVIA guard Arturs Zagars dazzled observers of the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup that he ended with a record performance against Lithuania in the classification round.

    The 23-year-old Zagars set a new Fiba World Cup record 17 assists in Latvia’s 98-63 win over Lithuania to bag fifth place on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

    Zagars shattered the previous World Cup record of 15 set by Toni Kukoc of Croatia in 1994 and Carlik Jones of South Sudan this year.

    He did all that facilitating without committing a single turnover in over 26 minutes of play.

    READ: Arturs Zagars, Latvia rip Lithuania by 35 to finish Top 5 in World Cup

    Unknown to casual basketball fans, Zagars is, surprisingly, a free agent during the World Cup, following the end of his stint with BC Nevezis in the Lithuania league this year.

    It looks like it won’t take long before Zagars finds a job.

    Reports said Saski Baskonia, a team that plays in the Euroleague and Liga ACB in Spain, is one of the teams that have expressed interest to sign the 6-foot-3 Zagars.

    Arturs Zagars Latvia vs Lithuania

    It won’t be the first time Zagars will play in Spain if he chooses to sign with the ballclub, having played for Joventut Badalona from 2017 to 2022 before moving to Lithuania.

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    Head coach Luca Banchi said searching for an opportunity for Zagars will be one of his priorities following Latvia’s Cinderella run.

    “I want to judge [team] going into a wider picture. It’s just the first step. The next step is to find a job to this guy because he [deserves it],” said Banchi, referring to Zagars when the two were together during the postmatch press conference.

    “He’s not like me. I’m old and I have to rest. But this guy is young and he needs to play. Let’s hope that he will find a job,” said Banchi.

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      Zagars finished the tournament with 7.4 assists in eight games, and was the team’s third leading scorer with 12.4 points. Zagars introduced himself to the Filipino fans when he had 24 points and eight assists in Latvia’s 81-79 loss to Germany in the quarterfinals.

      “Arturs played a solid tournament together with his teammates. He did an excellent job of keeping the team’s performance no matter the opponent,” said Banchi.

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      PHOTO: Jerome Ascaño
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