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Former Terrapin basketball star Bruno Fernando is ready for the FIBA AfroBasket

On August 5th, Bruno Fernando arrived in Angola ready to represent his country in the FIBA AfroBasket.
Jaden Golding|
Dec 1, 2018; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins forward Bruno Fernando (23) reacts during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at XFINITY Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2018; College Park, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins forward Bruno Fernando (23) reacts during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at XFINITY Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

On August 12th, the 31st edition of the FIBA AfroBasket begins and will be hosted by Angola. A former Maryland Terrapin star, Bruno Fernando, will represent Angola and will be one of their top stars representing the country.

Once again, Fernando will play for Angola. He played for their youth national team in 2014 and 2016. He also joined the national team for the first time in 2016 and participated in the FIBA qualifying tournament.

In the 2023 FIBA basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers, Fernanado averaged 11.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over three games. Following the qualifiers, Angola won one of its five games in the FIBA 2023 World Cup. Fernando continued to lead the team, putting up 14 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, one block, and 1.3 steals.

Before the pros and overseas time, Fernando played at Maryland for two seasons (17-18, 18-19) under former head coach Mark Turgeon. In his first season, he was part of the Big Ten Freshman team.

The following season, he became a top high-energy star for the Terps and broke out on the college basketball scene. He averaged a double-double through all 34 games (13.6 points and 10.6 rebounds) and tied Len Elmore (1973-74) for the second most double-doubles in program history in a single season (22). He helped the team reach the NCAA tournament as the sixth seed before ultimately falling to LSU in the second round.

Here are some more accolades he accomplished, listed from the Maryland athletics page....

His 15 double-doubles in conference action led the Big Ten ... Posted seven straight double-doubles from 1/18 to 2/12, which was tied for the third-longest streak in program history ... Totaled 362 rebounds, which was tied for fourth-most in program single-season history ... Led the Big Ten with a .607 field goal percentage - the sixth-best in program season history. Tied  career-high with 21 points vs. Mount St. Mary’s (11/18) ... Finished 8-for-8 from the floor with 17 points vs. Hofstra (11/16)

FERNANDO'S MARYLAND RANKS

• 2nd - career field goal pct. (.595)
• t-2nd - single-season double-doubles (22 // 2018-19)
• t-3rd - longest double-double streak (7)
• t-4th - single-season rebounds (362 // 2018-19)
• 6th - single-season field goal pct. (.607 // 2018-19)
• t-8th - career blocked shots (1.6/g)
• t-9th - career double-doubles (25)
• 10th - career rebounding average (8.7)

FERNANDO'S CAREER HONORS

• 2018-19 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Finalist (top-5 centers)
• 2018-19 Honorable Mention All-America (Sporting News)
• 2018-19 First Team All-Big Ten & All-B1G Defensive Team (only player in league on both)
• 2018-19 Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Watch List (top-15)

Fernando was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft, with the Atlanta Hawks' 34th pick. He's played with the Hawks, Rockets, Celtics, and Raptors throughout his six-year career.

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Jaden Golding
JADEN GOLDING

Jaden's sports journalism career began at the College of Southern Maryland from 2022-2023, where he was brought in to cover baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball at CSM. In late 2023, he began interning at the University of Maryland Athletics Department as a contributing writer to help develop feature stories and game recaps. He also creates his own sports media content on professional Washington teams with LegacyMaker Sports Network.

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