Samuel Deguara
No. 21 – Tokyo Excellence | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position | Center | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
League | B.League | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Pietà, Malta | June 21, 1991||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Maltese / Italian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listed height | 7 ft 6.5 in (2.30 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2007–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007–2010 | Pallacanestro Treviso | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010–2011 | →BVO Caorle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2011–2012 | →CUS Bari Pallacanestro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2012–2013 | Pallacanestro Reggiana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2013–2014 | BUPA Luxol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014 | Viten Getafe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014–2015 | Fuenlabrada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014–2015 | →Fundacion Fuenlabrada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 | Ferrol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 | Erie BayHawks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2016 | Niagara River Lions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | BUPA Luxol | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | Farmcochem | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | PEA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018 | Mono Vampire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018–2019 | Hong Kong Eastern | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019 | CEB Puerto Montt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2019–2020 | San Miguel Alab Pilipinas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2020-present | Tokyo Excellence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
|
Samuel Deguara is a Maltese-Italian professional basketball player who last played for San Miguel Alab Pilipinas of the ASEAN Basketball League.[1][2][3] He is the tallest man in Italy and Malta.[4] Standing at 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m), Deguara is currently the joint-third tallest active basketball player in the world, sharing the spot with Montenegrin Slavko Vraneš and is only surpassed by Sun Ming Ming at 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m) and Paul Sturgess, at 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m).
Professional career
Beginnings in Italy
Deguara began his professional career after signing a nine-year contract with Benetton Treviso, breaking through the club's youth ranks.[5] After three years, Deguara was loaned to fellow Italian sides BVO Caorle and CUS Bari Pallacanestro over the course of the next two years. The following season, he played for Pallacanestro Reggiana in the Serie A, playing a single game against Armani Milano.
Malta
After an injury-plagued spell in Italy, Deguara decided to return to his native Malta, signing up for BUPO Luxal for the 2013–2014 season.[6] It was a successful stint for Deguara, where he averaged 29.5 points and 21.4 rebounds per game there.
Spain
After his stint in his native country, Deguara set out to Spain to continue his basketball career. He first played for Viten Getafe, scoring 5 points and 6 rebounds in 10 minutes of action.[7] After Getafe, Deguara continued his stint in Spain, playing for Fuenlabrada and also for its reserve team. Deguara also played for Ferrol, where he tallied 17 points, 17 rebounds and 3 rebounds in his debut and averaged 15.0 points and 11.0 rebounds a game.[8]
North America
Deguara continued his basketball career in America, where he was selected 98th overall in the sixth round by the Erie Bayhawks in the 2015 NBA Development League Draft. However, Deguara did not play a single game for the BayHawks.
Deguara was then signed by newly-formed NBL Canada side Niagara River Lions.[9][10] Despite his much-publicized and highly hyped signing with the Canadian club, he was largely absent from the team's debut campaign in the NBLC, playing in only 3 games, playing a total of 7 minutes and scoring only 2 points in all games.[11]
Lithuania
Deguara signed a contract with Lithuanian side BC Šilutė, playing in the Lithuanian second tier, the NKL.[12]
Return to Malta
Deguara returned to his native Malta for the second time, again playing for BUPA Luxol, where he led the club to its 13th Maltese championship, where they swept fellow Maltese club Floriana MCP Car Parks in a best-of-five series.[13]
Southeast Asia
Deguara headed to Asia for the first time in his career, where he signed with Malaysian NBL side Farmcochem, winning the Malaysia Pro League title in his only season with the club, scoring 24 points and 24 rebounds in the championship game against the KL Dragons.[14]
Shortly after his stint in Malaysia, Deguara was signed by another Southeast Asian club, PEA, of Thailand.
In January 2018, Deguara was signed by another Thai club and ASEAN Basketball League side Mono Vampire, where he replaced Reggie Johnson, who left the team due to personal reasons.[15][16]
Deguara returned to the Southeast Asian league with San Miguel Alab Pilipinas, replacing Adrian Forbes as the team's third import.[1]
National team career
Deguara is the tallest player on the Malta national basketball team, and has been in the national set-up since he was 14.[4] Deguara was also part of the Malta national team that won the Division C of the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship on home soil in 2009, where he averaged 27.2 points and 23.8 rebounds per game. Deguara also played for the medal-winning teams of Malta that took part in the 2010, 2012 and 2014 European Championships for Small Countries, winning bronze, another bronze and silver medals, respectively, in these events.
In 2018, he helped Malta to win the tournament and achieved the MVP title. He accomplished this all, while not starting single game in the tournament.
Playing style
Despite his imposing stature and immense size, he is considered a good rebounder and an effective passer from the post.[17]
Personal life
Deguara wears US size 24 (43 cm) shoes (size 60 EU).[citation needed] Deguara is multilingual, speaking Italian, English, and Maltese fluently.[citation needed]
References
- ^ a b Leongson, Randolph B. (December 5, 2019). "Giant boost as Alab signs 7-foot-4 Sam Deguara as new import". Spin.ph. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "NBL: Niagara River Lions signs 7-foot-5 big man Samuel Deguara". www.sportando.com.
- ^ "Silute lands Samuel Deguara". www.eurobasket.com.
- ^ a b Riches, Sam (9 February 2016). "Samuel Deguara is 7'5, Unemployed, And Looking For A Basketball Home". Vice Sports. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
- ^ Nilsen, Paul (11 May 2010). "MALTA'S DEGUARA AIMS FOR NEXT LEVEL". FIBA Europe. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ Colin Schembri (31 December 2013). "Bupa Luxol sign Samuel Deguara". Sport in Malta. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "El techo del baloncesto español juega en el Viten Getafe" [The roof of Spanish basketball plays at Viten Getafe]. FBM.es (in Spanish). Spain. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "International Hoopster Samuel Deguara Joins River Lions". www.riverlions.ca. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "NBL: Niagara River Lions signs 7-foot-5 big man Samuel Deguara". www.sportando.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ Zelkovic, Chris (7 January 2016). "7-foot-5 Maltese basketball player hopes Canadian experience pays off". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ Samuel Deguara Player Profile, Niagara River Lions, International Stats, Game Logs, Awards - Real GM
- ^ Silute lands Samuel Deguara
- ^ Stewart, Said (23 April 2017). "BUPA Luxol Champions għat-13-il darba" [BUPA Luxol Champions for the 13th time]. NET News (in Maltese). Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ Kng Zheng Guan (30 October 2017). "Farmco's Guga and Ban Sin snuff out Dragons' fire in MPL final". The Star. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Samuel Deguara (ex Farmcochem) signs at Mono Vampire". www.asia-basket.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Mono Vampire Upsizes, Replaces Reggie Johnson with Samuel Deguara". www.aseanbasketballleague.com. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
- ^ "Samuel Deguara". legabasket.it.
- Living people
- 1991 births
- Centers (basketball)
- Eastern Sports Club basketball players
- Maltese expatriates in Italy
- Maltese expatriates in Thailand
- Maltese expatriates in the Philippines
- Maltese expatriates in the United States
- Maltese men's basketball players
- Naturalised citizens of Italy
- Niagara River Lions players
- San Miguel Alab Pilipinas players
- Expatriate basketball people in the Philippines