Surne Bilbao Basket announced the signing “for two seasons with the option of a third” of Belgian Thijs de Ridder, a 20-year-old international power forward who is 2.03 meters tall who comes to the Basque team from the Telenet Giants of Antwerp. De Ridder thus becomes the fifth incorporation of the ‘men in black’ after those of the Icelandic center Hlinason, the American center with a British passport Killeya-Jones, the Estonian guard Kullamae and the Swedish point guard Plantzar.
In addition, Bilbao Basket also made public in recent weeks the renewals of Smith, Rigo, Rabaseda, Reyes, Andersson and Tsampouris, so the squad that Jaume Ponsarnau will once again lead already has eleven confirmed players for the 2023-2024 academic year. De Ridder, who is currently playing in the U20 European Championship with his team, averaged 11 points and 6.1 rebounds in the Belgian league with a 44.4% success rate on three-point shots. In addition, the Bilbao club stands out, he was chosen in the ideal quintet and received the awards “for the best young man and the best sixth man in the competition”. All that remains to be confirmed is the signing of the veteran Renfroe, who arrives from Granada.
“He will give us a lot of energy, activity, ambition and fight. A player with Bilbao Basket DNA, one of those who like the oil slick”, emphasizes the sports director, Rafa Pueyo, for whom De Ridder “in attack is a player who runs the court well and who can score on the counterattack.” ”He is very aggressive in offensive rebounding, with the ability to play one-on-one facing the basket and with good effectiveness from the line of three. In defense he plays with a lot of intensity. He likes contact and is hard to beat one on one. In attack he is very strong in rebounding, ”adds Pueyo. Now the club is waiting to receive the passport for the FIBA Europe Cup, which would allow it to be one of the few clubs with a presence in all European tournaments after stepping on the Euroleague, Eurocup and Champions League.