Neemias Queta

Neemias Esdras Barbosa Queta (born 13 July 1999) is a Portuguese college basketball player for the Utah State Aggies of the Mountain West Conference (MWC).

Neemias Queta
No. 23 – Utah State Aggies
PositionCenter
LeagueMountain West Conference
Personal information
Born (1999-07-13) 13 July 1999
Lisbon, Portugal
NationalityPortuguese
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
CollegeUtah State (2018–present)
Career highlights and awards
  • 2x Second-team All-Mountain West (2019, 2020)
  • Mountain West Freshman of the Year (2019)
  • Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year (2019)
Medals
Men's Basketball
Representing  Portugal
FIBA U20 European Championship Division B
2019 Portugal

Early life and career

Queta was born in Lisbon, Portugal to Guinean parents Mica and Dyaneuba Queta.[1][2] He began playing basketball at age 10 in the youth sections of F.C. Barreirense after following his older sister to a tryout in Barreiro.[2][3] In the 2017–18 season, Queta played two games for S.L. Benfica in the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol.[4] On 31 August 2018, he officially parted ways with Benfica.[5]

College career

On 29 August 2018, Queta signed to play college basketball for the Utah State Aggies, despite gaining interest from Texas Tech and Creighton.[6][7] Head coach Craig Smith called him a "very talented player and a fantastic person."[6] Queta made an immediate impact for the Aggies, prompting the Deseret News to label him "arguably the best rim protector the Utah State basketball program has ever had."[8] On 19 November 2018, he recorded a game-high 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks in an 80–63 win over Saint Mary's at the MGM Resorts Main Event.[9] Queta posted 11 points and a season-best 19 rebounds on 1 December versus UC Irvine.[10] At the conclusion of the season, Queta was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.[11] He averaged 11.8 points and 8.9 rebounds as a freshman. Queta missed the first nine games of his sophomore season with a knee injury, but returned on 7 December 2019 against Fresno State.[12] At the conclusion of the regular season, Queta was named to the Second Team All-Mountain West as well as conference Defensive Team.[13]

National team career

Queta joined the Portuguese national under-18 team at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B. Through eight games, he averaged 10.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.[4] His success at the 2018 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship Division B in Sofia, in which he averaged 14.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game, drew attention from National Basketball Association (NBA) teams.[7] Queta led Portugal to a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B in Matosinhos, Portugal, averaging 14.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and two blocks per game and making the tournament All-Star Five. In the semifinals, he suffered a left knee injury that sidelined him for the final.[14]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018-19 Utah State 353527.1.614.400.5658.91.6.72.411.8
2019-20 Utah State 222026.7.6241.000.6707.81.9.41.713.0
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References
  1. "Neemias Queta". Utah State University Athletics. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. "Neemias Queta, o português que pode fazer história nos Estados Unidos". Record (in Portuguese). 1 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  3. Kamrani, Christopher (27 December 2018). "Utah State went all the way to Portugal to find center Neemias Queta. He was worth the trip". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  4. "Neemias Queta Game Logs". RealGM. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  5. "Neemias Queta Ruma Aos Estados Unidos" (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 31 August 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  6. "Utah State Basketball Signs Neemias Queta for 2018-19 Season". Utah State University Athletics. 29 August 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  7. Woo, Jeremy (10 January 2019). "Five Mid-Major NBA Draft Prospects to Watch". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  8. Hunter, Jeff (19 February 2019). "Utah State's Neemias Queta coming up big for upstart Aggies". Deseret News. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  9. Denniston, Wade (19 November 2018). "Utah State Cruises Into MGM Main Event Championship Game With 80-63 Victory Over Saint Mary's". Utah State University Athletics. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  10. "Utah State beats UC Irvine 89-65". Fox Sports. Associated Press. 2 December 2018. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  11. "Three Aggies take home four MWC awards". usustatesman.com. 12 March 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  12. "Merrill, Porter lead No. 25 Utah State past Fresno State". ESPN. Associated Press. 7 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  13. "Mountain West Announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  14. Harrison, Shawn (July 24, 2019). "Utah State's Neemias Queta injures knee at FIBA U20 tournament". Idaho State Journal. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
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