Pistoia Basket 2000 officially signs Karlis Silins

A.S. Estra Pistoia Basket 2000 is pleased to announce that it has reached a one-year agreement with Latvian forward/pivot Karlis Silins. Born in Riga on July 22, 1997, 211 cm by 112 kg, he took his first steps in his homeland starting in the 2015/16 season with the Riga Barons where, just 18 years old, he played 13 games with 10′ of average usage. And it was in the summer of 2016 that he began his college adventure, first with the Ole Miss Rebels and then, for three seasons, with the Florida Atlantic Owls where, steadily, he grew year after year, going from 6.5 points in 17‘ average to 10.5 points with 22’ of usage in the 2020/21 season in 23 games played before the interruption due to Covid.

From the 2021/22 season he returned to Europe and, for two championships, wore the colours of Liepaja in the Latvian-Eston league, the two countries‘ top club competition: the first year he finished with 13.2 points, 7 rebounds with 51% from 2 and 33% from 3 in 25 minutes of use while in the second, over 25 games played, he rose to an average of 18 points, grabbing 8.7 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists per game with 27.8’ on average with 57% from 2 and over 78% at the free-throw line.

This season as a protagonist has put him in the spotlight and in the championship that has just ended he played a very important year in the Bundesliga with the BG Gottingen team, with which he achieved salvation in the German top league, producing 12.6 points (22 times in double figures) to which he added 5. With the German team, however, he also played the preliminary round of the Champions League and, subsequently, the first and second rounds in the Fiba Europe Cup with even more interesting figures: 14.7 points (66% from 2), 5.3 rebounds and almost 2 assists per game in 27 minutes of average per game. As a curiosity, his two best scoring performances (with 20 and 31 points scored, respectively) were when he met the Italian team that was in his group, namely Varese.

Finally, his performances over the past two seasons have put him in such evidence that he was called up by Latvia’s national team and was on the court for 12 minutes, with 4 points scored, in the victory against Spain in February.

‘I’m excited to start this adventure with Estra Pistoia Basket – Karlis Silins’ first words in red and white – and I can’t wait to give my contribution to the team. Coming to play in the Italian league is, for me, a fantastic opportunity because I’ve always admired the high level that exists and the passion of the fans: faced with the history of basketball in Italy I can’t help but be eager to come and be part of it.

As for me, after a good season in Germany the goal now is to bring my experience and skills to Pistoia, helping the team win games. I want to improve as a player and support my teammates in every way: I can’t wait to start this new adventure’.