NCAA Basketball: Top players participating in 2019 FIBA World Cup

The 2019 FIBA World Cup is set to begin in a few days and while the competition is littered with NBA talent, there are a few NCAA Basketball players suiting up for their national teams.

The 2019 FIBA World Cup is set to take place between Aug. 31 and Sept. 15 in China. There are 32 teams participating and they are split into eight four-team pods. While the majority of the team’s roster consists of professional players, including more than 50 NBA players, there are a few current NCAA Basketball players also partaking in the event. Here is a look at each of those players.

Dominik Olejniczak, Poland (Florida State)

The 7-0 center is currently a grad student at Florida State after spending the past three seasons at Ole Miss. Olejniczak averaged 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 33 games with 22 starts for the Rebels. He shot 57.5% from the floor and 76.3% from the free-throw line. Olejniczak scored in double-figures on three occasions and recorded multiple blocks nine times.

This is Olejniczak’s third stint with the Polish national team. He was part of Poland’s U18 and U20 teams in 2014 and 2016. The 23-year-old is averaging 1.5 points and 1.0 rebounds in two games this summer for Poland, which is making its first appearance in the World Cup since 1967. He will unlikely see many minutes during the event this year. Olejnicek started his college career at Drake.

Jordan Nwora, Nigeria (Louisville)

The 6-8 forward was named the 2018-19 ACC Most Improved Player and third-team All-ACC honors as a sophomore after raising his scoring average by over 11 points a game for the Louisville Cardinals. Nwora, who ranked seventh in scoring and ninth in rebounding in the conference last year, produced 17.7 points along with 7.6 caroms to go along with 77 triples. He also scored in double-figures in 31 of 34 games, topping the 20-point plateau on 13 occasions, and posted eight double-doubles.

The Buffalo (NY) native is participating with the Nigerian national team for the second straight summer. He is considered the future face of Nigerian basketball. Alex Nwora — Jordan’s father –is a native of Nigeria and is the head men’s basketball coach at Erie Community College as well as the Nigerian national team.

Nigeria is the top-ranked team in Africa. While Nwora is not the most prominent name on the national team’s roster, he set the national team’s against Mali last summer. Nwora finished with  21.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game a year ago.

Ivan Gandia, Puerto Rico (North Florida)

The North Florida Ospreys’ 6-1 junior point guard averaged 10.5 points along with 5.8 assists while shooting 42.5% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc last season. He finished 16th in the NCAA in assists with 192 and registered 24 games with five or more assists. Gandia also scored in double-figures on 18 occasions.

The Cageus native started for the Puerto Rico national team at the 2019 Pan Am games but is unlikely to see much time in China. Prior to attending North Florida, Gandia spent a season at the College of Central Florida.