One current and two former Maryland stars are back in action this summer, including two who will team up as former Maryland star Bruno Fernando and new Maryland guard Selton Miguel are set to suit up for Angola in the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament. Pooled with Croatia, Ivory Coast and the Philippines, Angola enters summer ranked 34th in FIBA’s world rankings as the two Terps look to leave their mark. For Fernando, who became the first Angolan to reach the NBA, the former Rockets and Hawks forward will pair alongside Jilson Bango inside. Meanwhile Miguel will look to build off his first appearance with the national team after playing with the Senior Team at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2021, becoming the only college player and youngest on the team. While the summer will give Maryland fans a glimpse into their newest addition, the Fernando-Miguel connection could loom large as Angola looks for its first medal in its sixth Olympic appearance and first since 2008. While the duo will look to shine on the court, their relationship off the court helped the Terps reel in the reigning AAC Sixth Man of the Year winner as Miguel looks to continue the legacy started by his older cousin. “I have one of my guys there who went to school there, Bruno . It’s just a plus that coach Kevin was there. And how coach lets his guards play, that’s an advantage and a plus going there. I had other visits to go to but I wanted to make Maryland a priority,” Miguel told IBG about why the Terps won out, choosing Maryland over Villanova, West Virginia, Ole Miss and Oklahoma. Fernando just wrapped up his fifth season in the NBA and third season with the Hawks over his career, averaging 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game this past season. They won’t be the only two Terps suiting up as former Maryland women’s star Alyssa Thomas will head to Paris this summer for her first Olympic appearance after being named to Team USA’s 2024 roster. Thomas becomes the first Terp since Vicky Bullett (1988, 1992) to make Team USA as she will make the trip to Paris on July 28. While this marks her first Olympic appearance, Thomas is plenty familiar with Team USA after teaming up with former Terp Brionna Jones en route to a gold medal in the 2022 FIBA World Cup , averaging 9.9 points on 64.7% shooting along with 4.3 assists per game. Thomas averaged nine points and 5.7 rebounds per game in Team USA’s qualifying tournament in Belgium earlier this year. Ten years after donning the Maryland uniform, Thomas remains the all-time leader in both career points (2,356) and rebounds (1,235) after being named an All-American and three-time ACC Player of the Year while leading the 2014 team to a Final Four appearance. Related Links
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