Lorenzo Mata-Real (born February 27, 1986) is an American 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 in Mexico's

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP) is the top professional basketball league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 10 teams. Despite its short history, the LNBP has established itself as the one of the most important ...

(LNBP). He was the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

for the

UCLA Bruins men's basketball The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in the sport of men's basketball as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. Established in 1919, the program has won a record 11 NCAA titles. Coach John ...

team from 2004–05 until 2007–08, and was an important part of their final four runs in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Born in the United States, Mata has also played for the

Mexico national team The Mexico national football team () represents Mexico in international football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation (). It competes as a member of CONCACAF. Mexico has qualified to seventeen World Cups and has qualified conse ...

High school

Mata averaged 25.0 points and 15.0

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

in his senior season. He led the South Gate Rams to an 18–8 overall record, an unbeaten Eastern League mark and one playoff victory. In the L.A. City Sectional quarterfinal game, future UCLA teammate Josh Shipp's Fairfax High School team defeated South Gate 89–85. In his junior year he led South Gate to their first playoff victory in 11 years.

UCLA career

Mata was recruited by

Ben Howland Benjamin Clark Howland (born May 28, 1957) is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as the men's head coach at Mississippi State University from to 2015 to 2022. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Northern Ar ...

along with

Jordan Farmar Jordan Robert Farmar (born November 30, 1986) is an Israeli-American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named the ''Los Angeles Times'' High School Player of the Y ...

, Josh Shipp, and

Arron Afflalo Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a junior, he was named a consensus All-America ...

to attend UCLA. These four led UCLA to the Final Four in back to back seasons (2005–2006, 2006–2007). His stats improved each year at UCLA, scoring 6.7 points and pulling down 5.5 rebounds while shooting 67% from the floor during his junior year. In his senior season he added his mother's last name (Real) to his jersey.

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2008 NBA draft, Mata tried out for a team in the Japanese pro league. He then signed onto the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

summer league team in order to make a name for himself among NBA scouts. Mata played in the LNBP for the Halcones de Xalapa and for the

Mexico National Team The Mexico national football team () represents Mexico in international football and is governed by the Mexican Football Federation (). It competes as a member of CONCACAF. Mexico has qualified to seventeen World Cups and has qualified conse ...

, and for

Piratas de Quebradillas The Piratas de Quebradillas is a Puerto Rican basketball team, part of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional league. Founded in the mid 1920s, it is one of the original teams of the league. The club enjoyed its most successful era during the 1970s, ...

, with whom he won the 2013 BSN Championship. In 2013, Mata helped lead Mexico to victory in the gold medal game against Puerto Rico at the

FIBA Americas Championship The FIBA AmeriCup (previously known as the FIBA Americas Championship) is the Americas Basketball Championship that takes place every four years between national teams of the Western Hemisphere continents. Since FIBA organised the entire Wester ...

Pan American Games

*Pan American Games 2011 Silver Medal

FIBA AmeriCup

*FIBA Americas Championship 2013 Gold Medal

Centrobasket

*Centrobasket 2016 Silver Medal

References

External links

RealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mata, Lorenzo 1986 births Living people American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Mexican descent Basketball players from California Centers (basketball) Halcones de Xalapa players Libertadores de Querétaro players Mexican men's basketball players People from Huntington Park, California People from South Gate, California Pioneros de Quintana Roo players Piratas de Quebradillas players Soles de Mexicali players Sportspeople from Los Angeles County, California Toros de Nuevo Laredo players UCLA Bruins men's basketball players