Andrés Rafael Feliz Sarita (born July 7, 1997) is a Dominican

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 (appro ...

player for

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

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. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the Northwest Florida State Raiders and the

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the College athletics, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's Varsity team, varsity sports. The university op ...

. He has represented the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...

-sanctioned international youth and senior level competitions and was the top scorer at the

2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship The 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship (Greek: Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα FIBA Under-19 2015) was the 12th edition of the FIBA U19 World Championship, the biennial international men's youth basketball championship contested by t ...

Early life

Feliz grew up in Guachupita, one of the poorest and most dangerous areas of

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

in the Dominican Republic. His neighborhood received limited access to water and electricity. Because his family could not afford basketball shoes, he played in his school shoes or borrowed them from a friend.

High school career

While at West Oaks Academy in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, Feliz helped lead his varsity basketball team to consecutive Sunshine Independent Athletic Association state titles and was a two-time tournament MVP. During his junior season, he was teammates with

Corey Sanders Corey Sanders (born March 7, 1975) is an American boxing trainer and former professional boxer. Known as "T-Rex", Sanders' most notable victory came in an upset knockout against future WBC world champion Oleg Maskaev in 2002, which temporari ...

. As a high school senior, Feliz was named to the World Team in the 2016

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, Inc., Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demons ...

that took place at the

Moda Center Moda Center, formerly known as the Rose Garden, is the primary indoor sports arena in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is used for basketball, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts, and dramatic productions. The arena has a capa ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. During the summer of 2015, Feliz verbally committed to play for then head coach

Orlando Antigua Orlando Radhames Antigua Fernández (born February 20, 1973), nicknamed "Hurricane", is a Dominican-American basketball coach and former player who is currently the associate head coach at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was also an ...

and the

South Florida Bulls The South Florida Bulls (also known as the USF Bulls) are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Florida. USF competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the American Athletic Conference for all sports besides sailing, a n ...

. He received interest from

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, and

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

during his recruitment.

College career

As a freshman at the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and other campuses in St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, ...

, Feliz left school a few days into the semester and immediately enrolled at

Northwest Florida State College Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) is a public university, public college with its main campus in Niceville, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, offering a ...

Niceville, Florida Niceville is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States, located near Eglin Air Force Base on Boggy Bayou that opens into Choctawhatchee Bay. It is part of the Crestview- Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

. As a freshman at Northwest Florida, Feliz averaged 11.6 points per game, 4.7 assists per game, and 3.2 rebounds per game while averaging 57.3 percent from the field. As a sophomore, Feliz led Northwest Florida to a Florida State Title an elite eight appearance in the

NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships is held annually in March at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, KS. The first official NJCAA National Championship was in 1948 in Springfield, MO at the Southwest State College Fieldhouse. The ...

while averaging 20.0 points, 6.1 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game and becoming Northwest Florida State's all-time assists leader. Feliz was named a NJCAA DI First Team All-American and to the 2018 NJCAA DI All-Tournament Team. As the top rated junior college point guard in the United States, Feliz committed to continue his college career playing for head coach

Brad Underwood Bradley Cole Underwood (born December 14, 1963) is the current head coach for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team. Previously, he served as head coach at Oklahoma State Cowgirls basketball, Oklahoma State, Stephen F. Austin Lumber ...

, his former coach Orlando Antigua, and the

. As a junior, Feliz was a spark plug coming off the bench, averaging 8.3 points, 2.2 assist, and 2.9 rebounds per game and shot 45-percent from the field and 27-percent from three-point range. He averaged 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game as a senior.

Professional career

The Basketball Tournament (2021)

Feliz joined House of 'Paign, a team composed primarily of Illinois alumni in

The Basketball Tournament 2020 The Basketball Tournament 2020 was the seventh edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament. The tournament, involving 24 teams, started on July 4 and continued through the championship game on Jul ...

. He scored 20 points and had seven rebounds in a 76–53 win over War Tampa in the first round.

CB Prat Juventud (2021)

On February 13, 2021, Feliz signed with

CB Prat Club Bàsquet Prat is a basketball team based in El Prat de Llobregat, Catalonia (Spain). The team currently plays in league LEB Plata. History Basketball arrived to El Prat de Llobregat in 1932 with the constitution of the ''Esplai Grupo 49'' in ...

of the

Primera FEB The Primera FEB, formerly known as LEB or LEB Oro, is the second basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system after the Liga ACB. It is run by the Spanish Basketball Federation, FEB. The FEB leagues are divided into three categorie ...

. He played in 15 games and finished the season with 18.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

Club Joventut Badalona (2021–2024)

On July 13, 2021, Feliz signed a two-year contract with

Joventut Badalona Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two team ...

. In June 2022, Feliz extended his contract with the team until June 2025. In February 2024, Feliz reached an agreement with the team to extend his contract until June 2026. In March 2024, Feliz was named the best player in Round 16 of the Eurocup basketball for his performance in the match in which his team won 79–88 against

Ratiopharm Ulm Ratiopharm Ulm, officially stylized as ratiopharm ulm, is a professional basketball club based in Ulm, Germany. The club has two teams, one professional team, which plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the major German professional league an ...

. This was the first MVP award for Feliz who scored a career-high of 28 points. In June 2024, Feliz received the award for the best international player in the Spanish league during the 5th Spanish Basketball gala. On July 3, 2024, the team exercised a release clause on Feliz.

Real Madrid (2024–present)

In July 2024, Feliz signed with

Real Madrid Baloncesto Real Madrid Baloncesto (English: Royal Madrid Basketball) is a Spanish professional basketball club that was founded in 1931, as a division of Real Madrid CF. They play domestically in the Liga ACB, and internationally in the EuroLeague. They a ...

. He had originally signed with a contract extension with his previous club until 2026, but it included a termination clause of 500,000 euros. He joined the team as a European citizen as he has a

Cotonou Cotonou (; ) is the largest city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies ...

passport. He signed a contract until 2027. In October 2024, Feliz was sidelined with a foot injury. Following tests, he was diagnosed with a rupture of the plantar fascia in his right foot.

National team career

Feliz made his international debut for the

Dominican Republic national basketball team The Dominican Republic national basketball team () represents the Dominican Republic in men's international basketball competitions. In 2011 and 2012, John Calipari, the head coach of the University of Arkansas men's basketball team, served as ...

during the 2013 Centrobasket U17 Championship for Men. In 2014, he won a bronze medal playing for the Dominican Republic national team in the

2014 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship Standings Group A ---- ---- ---- Group B ---- ---- ---- Final round * denotes overtime period Classification 5–8 ---- Semifinals ---- Final classification games Seventh place game Fifth place game Bronze me ...

. In 2015, Feliz was the leading scorer in the

, averaging 18.9 points and 3.7 assists in seven games. He also played for the Dominican Republic national team during the

2015 Pan American Games The 2015 Pan American Games (), officially the XVII Pan American Games () and commonly known as the Toronto 2015 Pan-Am Games (Toronto 2015), were a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Pan American Games, ...

Career statistics

College

NCAA Division I

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

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, 33 , , 5 , , 22.3 , , .453 , , .270 , , .755 , , 2.9 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 31 , , 15 , , 26.8 , , .460 , , .274 , , .769 , , 5.0 , , 2.9 , , .7 , , .0 , , 11.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 20 , , 24.5 , , .457 , , .273 , , .763 , , 3.9 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , .0 , , 9.6

JUCO

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", Northwest Florida State , 28 , , 28 , , 25.0 , , .573 , , .184 , , .702 , , 3.2 , , 4.7 , , 1.5 , , .0 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Northwest Florida State , 34 , , 33 , , 31.0 , , .611 , , .418 , , .772 , , 5.7 , , 6.1 , , 2.1 , , .1 , , 20.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 62 , , 61 , , 28.3 , , .597 , , .349 , , .750 , , 4.6 , , 5.5 , , 1.8 , , .1 , , 16.2

References

External links

Illinois Fighting Illini bioNorthwest Florida State Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feliz, Andres 1997 births Living people 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players Basketball players at the 2015 Pan American Games Basketball players from Orlando, Florida CB Prat players Dominican Republic expatriate basketball people in Spain Dominican Republic expatriate basketball people in the United States Dominican Republic men's basketball players Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players Joventut Badalona players Liga ACB players Northwest Florida State Raiders men's basketball players Pan American Games competitors for the Dominican Republic Real Madrid Baloncesto players Shooting guards Basketball players from Santo Domingo 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen