Arnold Van Opstal
| No. 7 – San Miguel Beermen | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | PBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
December 15, 1991 Germany |
| Nationality | Filipino / German |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | De La Salle Zobel |
| College | De La Salle University |
| PBA draft | 2016 / Special draft |
| Selected by the San Miguel Beermen | |
| Playing career | 2016–present |
| Career history | |
| 2016–present | San Miguel Beermen |
Arnold Van Opstal is a Filipino-German professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He has also played as part of the Philippine national basketball team in international competitions. Van Opstal played for the De La Salle University in the collegiate-level.
Early life
Arnold Van Opstal was born in December 15, 1991[1] Germany. He was born to Heinz, a German who was the former PAL general manager of Europe and Luzviminda Llantero who works at the Department of Foreign Affairs as head of the Machine Readable Passport Personalization Center of the Office of Consular Affairs. Van Opstal also has a brother named Christopher who is a lawyer by the age of 23 and a graduate of the University of Technology Sydney.[2]
Arnold Van Opstal studied at De La Salle Zobel from kindergarten to Grade 1 before relocating abroad with his family. His family resided in various places abroad such as in Bonn in Germany, the Hague in the Netherlands, Berlin, and then to Sydney, Australia due to his mother's foreign postings. In 2007, a year after Van Opstal's father died, his family moved backed to Manila after his mother received a Philippine-based assignment.[2]
He re-enroll at De La Salle Zobel as a high school student and later enrolled at De La Salle University for his collegiate studies[2] to pursue a degree in International Studies.[3]
High school career
Van Optal was scouted by Jack Rodriguez who was a former La Salle varsity who encouraged him to re-enroll at De La Salle Zobel. Van Opstal managed to earn a place for the school's junior varsity team for the 2008-09 season and was supposed to be named Rookie of the Year but was disqualified after he was ejected for retaliating during a game against the University of Santo Tomas. He spent a year-off from basketball to finish his studies at Zobel due to the non-honoring of his Australian credits.
Collegiate career
Van Opstal played for the De La Salle Green Archers while in college. However in July 2015, he opted his remaining playing year with the Green Archers due to a recurring Achilles' heel injury. He was a key player when the Green Archers won the UAAP title in 2013.[4]
Professional career
Van Opstal played at the PBA D-League while still playing with De La Salle. He played for the Hapee Fresh Fighters at the 2014-15 PBA D-League Aspirant's Cup but was later relegated to the reserve list by due to injuries.[5] In May 2015, he signed to Cebuana Lhuillier Gems and left Hapee.[6] He played in five games for Cebuana.[4]
He then went to various places such as England and Thailand to regain form. He also trained in the United States in March 2016.[7] He was part of squad that participated at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge.
International career
After recovering from an Achilles' heel injury in August 2016, Van Opstal expressed his commitment to play for the Philippine national basketball team.[7] He was part of the squad that participated at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge.
References
- ↑ "Arnold VAN OPSTAL". FIBA Asia Challenge 2016. FIBA. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- 1 2 3 Henson, Joaquin (8 November 2010). "Make mine green, says AVO". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ Ganglani, Naveen (2 July 2016). "Arnold Van Opstal: the jet-setting hoopster". Rappler. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- 1 2 "La Salle's Arnold Van Opstal skips final year in UAAP, eyes PBA stint". InterAksyon.com. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ Terrado, Reuben (13 May 2015). "Van Opstal eager to take on Hapee big men as he teams up with Tautuaa, Torres at Cebuana". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- ↑ Terrado, Reuben (12 May 2015). "Cebuana Lhuillier Gems boost D-League title bid by signing Van Opstal from Hapee". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
- 1 2 Ballesteros, Jan (21 August 2016). "After a year out, Arnold Van Opstal ready to re-commit to basketball and Gilas". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 25 September 2016.