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Former Illinois basketball player tearing up the FIBA World Cup 2023

ByRees Woodcock|
Dominican Republic's Jean Montero, Andres Feliz, and Karl-Anthony Towns celebrate victory after the end of the FIBA Basketball World Cup group A match between Italy and Dominican Republic at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on August 27, 2023. (Photo by SHERWIN VARDELEON / AFP) (Photo by SHERWIN VARDELEON/AFP via Getty Images)
Dominican Republic's Jean Montero, Andres Feliz, and Karl-Anthony Towns celebrate victory after the end of the FIBA Basketball World Cup group A match between Italy and Dominican Republic at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on August 27, 2023. (Photo by SHERWIN VARDELEON / AFP) (Photo by SHERWIN VARDELEON/AFP via Getty Images)

A former Illinois basketball player is tearing it up on the national stage.

Getting to the NBA and sticking in the league is something that many hope happens but only a small number of people actually achieve. The Illini have had a few players head to the NBA over the past decade, most notably Ayo Dosunmu.

Playing in the NBA has to be a great feeling, but winning games for your country has to be a great experience as well.

The FIBA World Cup 2023 is currently being held, as countries from around the world compete to win a championship. The United States is obviously one of the powerhouse programs, as they are 2-0 in the group stage thus far, sure to go 3-0.

Another power is Canada. A lot of elite NBA players come from Canada, so they are wielding their power and are 2-0 thus far as well. One team that is piquing the interest of a lot of people is the Dominican Republic.

The Dominican Republic is 3-0 in the group stage. They continue to win games with a couple of players leading the way. One of the players is the well-known NBA star, Karl-Anthony Towns. Who is his running mate in the FIBA World Cup? Former Illinois guard, Andres Feliz.

Former Illinois basketball guard Andres Feliz forms a nice one-two punch with Karl-Anthony Towns

The duo of Feliz and Towns has been running roughshod over the competition through three games. Multi-time NBA All-Star, Towns, is averaging 19.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 37.5% from three-point range.

Those are great numbers out of Towns, but this team couldn’t be winning without Feliz also dominating. He is averaging 17.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists while shooting an outrageous 55.6% from three-point range. The fact that Feliz has a +/- of 9.7 compared to Towns’ 5.7 is quite impressive as well.

At the end of the day, this Dominican Republic team could be a legitimate contender to at least get on the medal stand at the FIBA World Cup. They have already advanced out of the first round of group play and are playing some of the best basketball in the tournament.

Don’t be shocked if the Dominican Republic keeps making noise in the FIBA World Cup. Feliz and Towns are a special duo.

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