South Carolina lands commitment from talented forward from Spain's highest professional league

Juan Fernandez, a member of the Argentinian national team and a former professional in Spain’s Liga ACB, has committed to South Carolina, GamecockCentral has learned.

Fernandez’s recruitment from the Spanish professional game to college basketball has been quiet. Nonetheless, his commitment to the Gamecocks is a big one, as he could challenge for a starting job.

A 6-11 forward, Fernandez is a strong scorer and a capable rebounder. He can put the ball in the basket, both as a post-up player and as a slasher. Fernandez can also step out and knock down the occasional jumper. Based on his film, it appears there is more to unlock in his game on defense and as a passer.

Because he comes to Carolina from outside the ranks of American high school, junior college, or transfer portal, Fernandez does not have an official recruiting ranking.

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Fernandez is 23 years old and has played five seasons at the highest level in Spain. He has also spent four years on the Argentinian national team.

During his most recent year with Spain’s Basquet Girona, Fernandez scored 7.7 points per game and pulled down 4.4 rebounds in just 19.4 minutes per contest. He knocked down 48.2% of his shots this season.

Fernandez was one of the top players for Team Argentina at the AmeriCup, averaging 13.7 points and 6.0 rebounds. He shot 53.4% from the field for the silver medal-winning squad.

Fernandez is the seventh Gamecock commitment this semester, joining six transfers. George Mason four-star guard Kory Mincy, Texas three-star wing Camden Heide, Wisconsin four-star big man Aleksas Bieliauskas, Drexel three-star wing Shane Blakeney, Duquesne three-star forward Jakub Nečas, and Alabama three-star guard Davion Hannah are the others.

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