Women's Basketball | 8/1/2019 12:43:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – Esther Castedo, a rising sophomore guard on the Robert Morris University women's basketball team, will continue her summer of International Basketball Federation (FIBA) competition as she was picked to represent Spain at the FIBA Under-20 European Championships.
"We are thrilled to have learned about Esther earning her way onto the U20 Spanish National Team," said Robert Morris head coach Charlie Buscaglia. "She is a very hard-working student-athlete, and we are very excited to see her efforts rewarded. The honor of representing your country is a very difficult achievement to earn, as it's much more than talent alone. We are excited to have the great joy of watching another Colonial compete for a gold medal."
Castedo and her teammates travel to the Czech Republic begin their European journey on Saturday, Aug. 3 against Portugal. Spain continues play on Sunday, Aug. 4 with a Group A contest against Serbia, and finishes off the three-game stretch on Monday, Aug. 5 against Latvia. Knockout games are set to begin Wednesday, Aug. 7.
Spain Group Stage Games (all times in EST):
Saturday, Aug. 3 | Portugal vs. Spain | 7:30 AM (ET)
Sunday, Aug. 4 | Spain vs. Serbia | 7:00 AM (ET)
Monday, Aug. 5 | Spain vs. Latvia | 12:00 PM (ET)
Just last month, Castedo helped Spain win bronze at the FIBA U19 World Cup. The Lugo, Spain native averaged 5.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in seven games, seeing a total of 116 minutes at guard. She registered a +6.1 plus/minus per contest, and opened the competition with a game-high 13 points in a 75-38 victory over Colombia. The previous summer, Castedo was a key contributor in Spain's silver-medal run at the FIBA U-18 European Championship, averaging 7.9 points, 2.0 assists, and a team-best +7.1 plus/minus per game.
In her freshman season at RMU, Castedo averaged 6.2 points and 1.9 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per game as a reserve, assisting in the Colonials' run to the NCAA Tournament. She ranked ninth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) in three-point percentage (.364), using one of those trifectas with 1:04 remaining in the NEC Championship Game to seal RMU's eighth conference tournament title.
Castedo has previously represented her country and the U15, U16, U18, and U19 levels. Spain is currently ranked second worldwide in the FIBA World Ranking presented by Nike.
Robert Morris finished the 2018-19 campaign with a 22-11 overall record, capturing its eighth NEC Tournament title and advancing to its sixth NCAA Tournament. The Colonials also ranked No. 3 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Division I Team Honor Roll with a 3.748 team GPA – becoming the only team to rank inside the top four over the last three seasons.
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