Alba Torrens wins second FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year gong

By FIBA Europe

For the second time in her young career, Alba Torrens has been named FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year.

The 25-year-old has repeated her success of 2011, once more winning out in the combined voting of fans and an expert panel.

Additionally, the Spanish wing player won FIBA Europe Young Women’s Player of the Year in 2009.

Torrens’ first major achievement of 2014 came in April when she played an integral role in earning Galatasaray odeabank their maiden EuroLeague Women title, being named as MVP of the Final Eight in Ekaterinburg.

Similar successes awaited her on the domestic scene, with Galatasaray odeabank completing their stellar season by defeating arch rivals Fenerbahce in the Turkish Women’s Basketball League finals.

Success followed Torrens into the summer when she switched to a national team vest for the FIBA World Championship for Women, entering the All-Star Five as the second-best scorer (15.5 points per game) on the silver-medal winning Spanish team.

“In 2014 Alba Torrens distinguished herself as one of the world’s truly elite basketball players,” FIBA Europe President Turgay Demirel said. “After leading Galatasaray odeabank to championships in both EuroLeague Women and the Turkish Women’s Basketball League, at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women she showcased her skills on the biggest stage and lifted Spain to an historic silver medal. I congratulate Alba on this well-deserved honour.”

“Despite her young age, Alba has shown herself to be amongst the best of the elite women’s players not only in Europe, but also further abroad,” observed FIBA Regional Director Europe Kamil Novak, adding, “with so many years of basketball playing ahead of her, I will not be surprised to see her continuing to win such accolades.”

Runner-up to Torrens was national team-mate Sancho Lyttle, who won the same title twelve months previous. On that occasion it was Torrens who finished second. Coming third in the rankings was Serbia’s Ana Dabovic.

The announcement follows up on another Spaniard, Angela Salvadores being named as Young Women’s Player of the Year and Croatia’s Dario Saric as the Young Men’s Player of the Year. The Men’s Player of the Year will be announced on Wednesday.

FIBA EUROPE WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR 2014 – FINAL VOTING