Diego Armando Willis Orozco (born May 11, 1999) is a Mexican professional basketball player for the Rayos de Hermosillo of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA). He played college basketball for the NJIT Highlanders and the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks. He has played for the Mexico men's national basketball team.[1]
| No. 9 – Rayos de Hermosillo | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||
| League | CIBACOPA | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | May 11, 1999 Hermosillo, Mexico | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Mexican | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Canarias Basketball Academy (Tenerife, Spain) | ||||||||||||||
| College |
| ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2012–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Libertadores de Querétaro | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Santos de San Luis | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Rayos de Hermosillo | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Youth career edit
Due to an impressive performance at the "200 mil Estudiantes por México" youth tournament, Willis received a scholarship to play at the Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain in 2014.[2] He averaged 18.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in his final year.[3] He signed a National Letter of Intent to go to NJIT.[4]
College career edit
As a junior, Willis averaged 5.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.[5] Following the season, he transferred to Stephen F. Austin.[6]
Professional career edit
Willis joined the Libertadores de Querétaro of the Mexican Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP) after coming out of ccollege.[7] He made his professional debut in a 93–80 loss to the Fuerza Regia de Monterrey on July 22.[8] Willis was named the 2022 Rookie of the Year.[9]
As a member of the Rayos de Hermosillo, Willis was named a CIBACOPA All-Star in 2024.[10]
National team career edit
Willis was first called up to the Mexico national team for the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup.[11][12] Willis represented Mexico in the 2019 Pan American Games.[13]
Career statistics edit
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | NJIT | 28 | 1 | 9.7 | .322 | .310 | .333 | 1.5 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 1.9 |
| 2019–20 | NJIT | 30 | 2 | 14.5 | .330 | .280 | .650 | 1.8 | .8 | .4 | .1 | 3.5 |
| 2020–21 | NJIT | 19 | 5 | 21.6 | .330 | .250 | .795 | 3.3 | .9 | .6 | .0 | 5.9 |
| Career | 77 | 8 | 14.5 | .328 | .277 | .726 | 2.1 | .8 | .4 | .1 | 3.5 | |
Personal life edit
His father, Rafael, represented Mexico in Basketball at the 1991 Pan American Games while his mother was a volleyball player.[14][15]
References edit
- ^ FIBA profile
- ^ Arvizu, Ricardo (September 23, 2014). "Vivirá Diego Willis aventura española". El Imparcial (in Spanish). Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ "Diego Willis: The Sky is the Limit". NJIT Highlanders. November 26, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ "NJIT squares up against Rutgers". Federal News Network. Associated Press. November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
- ^ Schmidt-Scheuber, Miles (June 29, 2021). "Diego Willis (Mexican National Team) Continues To Work On Pick And Roll Scenarios So He Can Continue To Grow As A Player". Eurobasket. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ "Diego Willis transfers to SF Austin". Latinbasket. July 30, 2021. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ Villalpando, Eduardo (November 24, 2022). "Destaca Diego Willis crecimiento del básquetbol de México". Grada.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ Arredondo, José Francisco (July 22, 2022). "Diego Willis vive debut profesional con Querétaro en triunfo de Fuerza Regia". Grada Norte (in Spanish). Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ Molina, Nassim (September 26, 2022). "Nombran al hermosillense Diego Willis Novato del Año en la Liga Nacional de baloncesto profesional". Radio Sonora (in Spanish). Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ Arrieta, Oscar (12 April 2024). "¡Todo listo! Estos son los jugadores que participarán en el Juego de Estrellas Cibacopa 2024". Línea Directa Portal (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ 2017 FIBA AmeriCup profile
- ^ Álvarez, Daniel (November 18, 2018). "Biografías del éxito: Diego Willis". Enlace a cancha (in Spanish). Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ "NJIT's Diego Willis to Represent Mexican National Team". NJIT Highlanders. May 14, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Diego Willis quiere escribir su propia historia en la duela" (in Spanish). Comisión del Deporte del Estado de Sonora. August 6, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ Solano, Teresa (June 20, 2022). "Diego Willis: Amo de Tiktok y de la Cancha". El Imparcial (in Spanish). Retrieved December 18, 2022.