Travante Williams
Anchorage’s Travante Williams was a model of efficiency in the Portuguese League, pouring in a season-high 37 points on just 21 shots for Sporting in a 95-71 victory over Ovarense in a matchup between top four teams. He drained a career-best nine 3-pointers and added seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. WIlliams (Mt. Edgecumbe) finished 12-of-21 from the field, including a 9-of-16 clip from deep. The 6-foot-6 wing also knocked down 4-of-5 from the foul line. The last time he faced Ovarense he had a career-high 10 assists. His career scoring high of 50 was set in 2017 when he played in Georgia. That is tied with former Aussie star Jason Kaiser of Anchorage for the most points scored by an Alaskan in a pro game.
Ruthy Hebard
In Hungary, Ruthy Hebard of Fairbanks enjoyed her biggest offensive explosion in two years after cashing in for 29 points in 29 minutes for Szekszard. In typical fashion, the 6-foot-4 forward did her thing in the post on 12-of-15 shooting to highlight a 75-70 victory. This was her highest scoring game since going off for 34 points in Turkey in 2021. Hebard (West Valley) is averaging 19.3 points with a .706 FG% in the month of January to lift her season average to 13.4 points in 18 games. She also mixed in a career-high six assists this month. Alaska’s only current WNBA player, Hebard is the first woman from The Last Frontier to play in the EuroLeague since Palmer’s Jessica Moore close to 15 years ago. She is coming off a 16-point effort and before that delivered her third double-double in 11 games with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Jalil Abdul-Bassit
In Qatar, Anchorage’s Jalil Abdul-Bassit appeared in his first game for Al Gharafa and dropped in 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting in a 97-83 loss. He was in attack mode and made 7-of-10 shots from inside the arc. Abdul-Bassit, who starred at Oregon, is now playing alongside former Auburn player Tyler Harris while in this game former Arizona State star Holland Woods scored 37. This is the second stint in Qatar for Abdul-Bassit (East), who 11 months ago drained the game-winning shot to propel Al Rayyan to an 82-81 win over Al Arabi. The 6-foot-4 Alaskan is a veteran of the G League and has played pro ball in Australia, Albania, Mexico and Indonesia in addition to Qatar. Have jumper, will travel.
Mario Chalmers
Former NBA guard Mario Chalmers of Anchorage is headed to the Philippines after signing with Zamboanga of the ABL. The 36-year-old last season played in the G League for Sioux Falls and earned a 10-day callup with the Denver Nuggets. Chalmers (Bartlett) averaged 11.3 points and 5.7 assists in 31 games for Sioux Falls. The two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat a decade ago, the 6-foot-2 point guard has had more recent success overseas. In 2019 he won a Champions League with Virtus Bologna and in 2020 he won the Greek Cup with Aris. His new teammates in Philippines are excited to have a player of Chalmers’ caliber added to the roster. “We need this one,” said leading scorer Antonio Hester, who is from Miami and grew up watching Chalmers. “We’re just happy to have him. He’s going to give these guys a lot of confidence.”