Jaime Jesús Echenique Salinas (born April 27, 1997) is a Colombian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for Promitheas Patras of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

and the

Basketball Champions League The Basketball Champions League (BCL) is an annual professional basketball competition for European clubs, organised by FIBA. It is the top-level competition organised by FIBA Europe, therefore the champion participates in the FIBA Intercontin ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Trinity Valley Community College Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) is a public community college based in Athens, Texas. It has four campuses serving five counties across the southeast and eastern parts of the state. About TVCC operates four campuses serving the Texas co ...

Cardinals and the

Wichita State Shockers The Wichita State Shockers are the athletic teams that represent Wichita State University, located in Wichita, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the American Athletic Conference ( ...

Early life and high school career

Echenique grew up in

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of Atlántico Department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean Coast region; as of 2018 it had a population of 1,206,319, making it Col ...

, Colombia and joined a street gang called the LBs which was headed by a cousin. Echenique gravitated towards basketball after playing baseball at a young age. He attended IED Pestalozzi and led its basketball team to four straight regional championships. As a junior and senior, Echenique was named region MVP. After graduating from high school in December 2015, he received several offers to play professionally in Europe, but his father forced him to turn them down to focus on academics. With the idea of playing college basketball in the United States, Echenique joined an amateur club in

Medellín Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...

and, two months later, a club in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

that had international connections and helped him acquire a visa for the United States. Guy Furr, the head coach of

, was informed of Echenique's talent by two Colombians on the roster, and he invited Echenique to Texas to work out.

College career

Trinity Valley CC

Echenique arrived in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

with no money and not speaking English fluently. He impressed coach Furr with his potential and received a scholarship from

. During his freshman season, Echenique did not have much confidence and struggled with his conditioning, having never been pushed to exhaustion before. Nonetheless, he started 26 games as a freshman and averaged 9.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. As a sophomore, Echenique averaged 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. In his sophomore season, a friend invited him to visit

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

and he became fond of the city of

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

. Echenique committed to the Shockers over offers from Baylor,

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Western Kentucky Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state. ;Always included * The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, and

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Wichita State

After Echenique arrived at Wichita State, he collapsed after a workout, prompting him so see a cardiologist to see if he had a heart condition. The examination proved that his heart was healthy, Echenique just needed to work through his conditioning. As a junior, he averaged 9.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. Echenique considered redshirting his senior season, an idea coach

Gregg Marshall Michael Gregg Marshall (born February 27, 1963) is an American college basketball coach whose most recent position was head coach at Wichita State University. Marshall has coached his teams to appearances in the NCAA Division I men's basketball ...

rejected. He missed several games in the beginning of the season with a fractured hand. He posted season highs of 20 points and 13 rebounds on January 15, 2020, in a 65–53 loss to

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. On February 20, Echenique tied a career high of 20 points and had a career-best 12-of-14 shooting from the foul line, along with nine rebounds, four blocks and two steals in a 65–55 victory over

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

. As a senior, Echenique averaged 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. He earned Second Team All-

AAC AAC may refer to: Aviation * Advanced Aircraft, a company from Carlsbad, California * Alaskan Air Command, a radar network * American Aeronautical Corporation, a company from Port Washington, New York * American Aviation, a company from Cleveland, ...

honors.

Professional career

Acunsa GBC (2020–2021)

On August 11, 2020, Echenique signed his first professional contract with Acunsa GBC of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

. He made his debut with the team on September 19, recording 10 points and four rebounds in an 86–70 loss to

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. He averaged 12 points and four rebounds per game.

Capital City Go-Go / Washington Wizards (2021–2022)

In August 2021, Echenique joined the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

for the

2021 NBA Summer League The 2021 NBA Summer League was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The summer league cons ...

and on September 21, he signed with the Wizards. Echenique was waived on October 16. In October 2021, he joined the

Capital City Go-Go The Capital City Go-Go is an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Washington, D.C., and are affiliated with the Washington Wizards. The Go-Go play their home games at the St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

as an affiliate player. Echenique averaged 12.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 55.4 percent from the floor. On December 30, 2021, he signed a 10-day contract with the Washington Wizards. On the same day, he made his NBA debut in a 110–93 win over the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, making him the first Colombian in NBA history. On January 9, 2022, Echenique was reacquired by the Capital City Go-Go.

Motor City Cruise (2022–2023)

On December 22, 2022, Echenique was traded from the

to the

Motor City Cruise The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play a ...

Rytas Vilnius (2023)

On April 14, 2023, Echenique signed with Rytas Vilnius of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Jew ...

(LKL) for the remainder of the 2022–23 season.

Promitheas Patras (2023–present)

On July 26, 2023, Echenique signed with Greek club Promitheas Patras.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , — , , — , , .500 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , — , , — , , .500 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0

College

NCAA Division I

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 37 , , 34 , , 17.9 , , .543 , , .387 , , .649 , , 6.0 , , .4 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 24 , , 23.4 , , .487 , , .190 , , .784 , , 7.1 , , .6 , , .7 , , 1.6 , , 11.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 58 , , 20.2 , , .516 , , .308 , , .719 , , 6.4 , , .4 , , .6 , , 1.5 , , 10.1

JUCO

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Trinity Valley CC , 31 , , 26 , , — , , .613 , , — , , .750 , , 5.4 , , .2 , , .4 , , 1.2 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Trinity Valley CC , 33 , , 3 , , — , , .575 , , .500 , , .697 , , 6.1 , , .2 , , .2 , , 2.0 , , 9.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 29 , , – , , .593 , , .500 , , .721 , , 5.8 , , .2 , , .3 , , 1.6 , , 9.1

Personal life

Echenique is the son of Jaime Echenique Sr. and Lidis Salinas. His mother is a chef in an Arabian restaurant while his father is a bus driver.

References

External links

Wichita State Shockers bioTrinity Valley CC Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Echenique, Jaime 1997 births Living people BC Rytas players Capital City Go-Go players Centers (basketball) Colombian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Colombian expatriate basketball people in Lithuania Colombian expatriate basketball people in Spain Colombian expatriate basketball people in the United States Colombian men's basketball players Gipuzkoa Basket players Liga ACB players Motor City Cruise players Promitheas Patras B.C. players Sportspeople from Barranquilla Trinity Valley Cardinals men's basketball players Undrafted National Basketball Association players Washington Wizards players Wichita State Shockers men's basketball players