Arturs Zagars rewrote the FIBA Basketball World Cup history books by helping Latvia finish fifth in its maiden campaign in the global tournament on Saturday night.
At just 23 years old, the 6-foot-3 playmaker shattered the tournament’s all-time single-game assists record with 17 as he orchestrated a masterful 98-63 victory over neighboring Lithuania in the final game of the classification rounds.
He surpassed the previous record of 15 assists, jointly held by Croatian icon Toni Kukoc and Carlik Jones, which was achieved during South Sudan’s 101-78 triumph over Angola in their World Cup debut on September 2 last year.
Zagars had already tied the record with approximately four minutes remaining in the third quarter when he assisted Rodions Kurucs for a lay-up plus the foul. The record-breaking moment occurred with about 3:11 left in the final frame after Anžejs Pasečņiks converted his pass into a floater.
His last assist came with less than a minute left in the game when Rolands Smits sank a three-pointer to put the finishing touches on the win.
Zagars expressed gratitude for achieving such a remarkable feat but emphasized that Latvia finishing fifth in its inaugural World Cup appearance meant even more to him.
“I mean, I was just passing the ball and my teammates made the shots early in the first half as well. That’s that. It’s that simple,” he said in the postgame presser at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
“I just passed the ball, and they made the shots. Obviously I’m grateful and thankful. It means more that we finished top five than the record, though.”
Zagars acknowledged that luck also played a factor in the record-breaking night since his teammates were exceptionally accurate offensively, shooting 50.7 percent from the floor.
“I just try to read and trust my instincts,” said the young pro, who also contributed four points and six rebounds. “If I see an open man, I try to dish it. If he makes the shot, that’s an assist. But, I don’t think it’s something special.
“Maybe, it was just a bit lucky today. ‘Cause every time I passed the ball, like I said before, they made the shot. Nothing much else to add.”
Latvia’s head coach, Luca Banchi, expressed satisfaction with Zagars’ performance throughout the tournament and hopes to see him maintain that level of energy in future competitions, where the youngster undoubtedly plays a significant role.
Moreover, Banchi hopes that his campaign in the Worlds leads to Zagars signing with a team for the upcoming season.
“The team is on a good path to continue improving and keeping Latvia at a high level. I wish that Arturs will stay healthy, focused, and continue to show enthusiasm in leading this country’s team,” he said.
“The next step is to find a job for this guy because he deserves it. This guy is young and he needs to play. So let us hope that he will find a job.”
