Ziga Samar, Rokas Jokubaitis, Joel Parra, Jaime Pradilla and Khalifa Diop are the ‘Best Young Quintet’
BARCELONA, 28 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Club Joventut Badalona forward Joel Parra (22 years old) is the ‘Best Young Player’ of the 2021-22 Endesa League after beating the rest of the applicants in the vote among fans, journalists, players and coaches, and is part of the ‘Best Quintet Joven’ of the Regular League together with Ziga Samar (Urbas Fuenlabrada), Rokas Jokubaitis (Barça), Jaime Pradilla (Valencia Basket) and Khalifa Diop (Gran Canaria).
The green-and-black academy player has obtained the highest score from fans, journalists and players, and third among coaches, and succeeds Usman Garuba, winner of the previous edition, on the list of winners. He outvoted Jaime Pradilla (Valencia Basket) and Ziga Samar (Urbas Fuenlabrada).
Parra averages 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and a PIR of 9.7 per game, numbers that are enough for him to win the award and inscribe his name alongside those of Usman Garuba, Guillem Vives (2013-14), Dani Díez (2014-15), Juancho Hernangómez (2015-16), Luka Doncic (2017 and 2018) or Carlos Alocén (2019 and 2020).
“I would like to thank the club, the team, the ‘staff’, my family… Everyone! I am very happy and proud to win it: it means a lot to me,” said Joel Parra after hearing the verdict , in statements provided by the ACB.
“It is a recognition of the entire season that would not have been possible without my teammates. When I started I was a child like them, with great enthusiasm and desire to play basketball and compete. Reaching the first team was a prize for me, so to be one more important player of the team and win an award like the Best Young Player I can already tell you that neither I nor my family imagined it”, he concluded.
BEST YOUNG FIFTH
The ‘Best Young Quintet’ 2021-22 already has members in the guards Ziga Samar (Urbas Fuenlabrada) and Rokas Jokubaitis (Barça), forward Joel Parra (Joventut Badalona), and centers Jaime Pradilla (Valencia Basket) and Khalifa Diop ( Gran Canaria).
Five members who make their debut in a ‘Best Young Quintet’ and who take over from the winners of the best five of the 2020-21 season, who were Carlos Alocén, Leandro Bolmaro, Dino Radoncic, Usman Garuba and Yannick Nzosa.