Iverson Latrell Molinar Jones (born December 3, 1999) is a Panamanian professional basketball player for the Ostioneros de Guaymas of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA). He played college basketball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Molinar with Mississippi State in 2022 | |
No. 1 – Ostioneros de Guaymas | |
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Position | Shooting guard / point guard |
League | CIBACOPA |
Personal information | |
Born | Panama City, Panama | December 3, 1999
Listed height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) |
Listed weight | 86 kg (190 lb) |
Career information | |
High school |
|
College | Mississippi State (2019–2022) |
NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
Playing career | 2022–present |
Career history | |
2022–2023 | Wisconsin Herd |
2023–2024 | Capitanes de Ciudad de México |
2024–present | Ostioneros de Guaymas |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life and high school career
editMolinar grew up in Panama City, Panama.[1] He moved to the United States at age 15 to play for Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, California.[2] As a junior at Covenant Christian Ministries Academy in Marietta, Georgia, Molinar averaged 21.5 points, six rebounds and five assists per game.[3] He played for Veritas National Prep School as a senior. Molinar also competed for Team Why Not, an Amateur Athletic Union program founded by NBA player Russell Westbrook.[4] He committed to playing college basketball for Mississippi State over offers from Arizona and Arizona State, among others.[1]
College career
editOn November 21, 2019, Molinar scored a freshman season-high 21 points in an 80–66 win over Tulane.[5] As a freshman, he averaged 5.9 points per game. He missed the first three games of his sophomore season after testing positive for COVID-19.[6] On January 9, 2021, Molinar recorded 24 points, eight rebounds and four steals in an 84–81 victory over Vanderbilt. He was subsequently named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Player of the Week.[7] As a sophomore, Molinar averaged 16.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game.[8] On January 12, 2022, Molinar scored 28 points in a 88–72 win against Georgia.[9] On January 25, 2022, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 82–74 overtime loss against Kentucky.[10] Molinar was named to the First Team All-SEC as a junior.[11] As a junior, he averaged 17.5 points, 3.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. On March 25, 2022, Molinar declared for the 2022 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[12] He later signed with an agent, forgoing his remaining eligibility.[13]
Professional career
editWisconsin Herd (2022–2023)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, Molinar joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2022 NBA Summer League and on September 19, 2022, he signed with them.[14] However, he was waived the next day[15] and subsequently joined the Wisconsin Herd, making the opening day roster.[16]
After rejoining Milwaukee for the 2023 NBA Summer League, Molinar re-signed with the Bucks on September 2, 2023. However, he was waived on the same day.[17] On October 30, Molinar rejoined the Wisconsin Herd.[18]
Capitanes de Ciudad de México (2023–2024)
editOn December 8, 2023, Molinar was traded to the Capitanes de Ciudad de México.[19]
Ostioneros de Guaymas (2024–present)
editOn April 26, 2024, Molinar signed with the Ostioneros de Guaymas of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico.[20]
National team career
editMolinar played for Panama's junior national teams from the age of 10.[1] He made his debut with the senior national team at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup, averaging three points per game.[21]
Career statistics
editGP | 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
editYear | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | Mississippi State | 31 | 8 | 15.4 | .489 | .371 | .768 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .3 | .1 | 5.9 |
2020–21 | Mississippi State | 30 | 29 | 32.6 | .478 | .436 | .804 | 3.7 | 2.3 | .9 | .1 | 16.7 |
2021–22 | Mississippi State | 34 | 34 | 34.1 | .454 | .252 | .868 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 1.2 | .4 | 17.5 |
Career | 95 | 71 | 27.5 | .468 | .346 | .831 | 2.6 | 2.4 | .8 | .2 | 13.5 |
Personal life
editMolinar is the son of Leyza Jones and Manuel Molinar.[1] He is named after Hall of Fame basketball player Allen Iverson. He speaks English, Spanish and Italian.[22]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Horka, Tyler (December 13, 2019). "'Panamanian Prince': How Iverson Molinar made it to Mississippi State". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Zaldivar, Gabe (July 8, 2020). "Veritas Prep Is Reshaping American Basketball With Latino Flavor". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Lowery, Logan (October 23, 2018). "MSU adds commitment from Molinar". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Lowery, Logan (February 7, 2020). "Molinar made his own way to MSU". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ "Iverson Molinar, Mississippi State cruise past Tulane; Villanova is next in Myrtle Beach Invitational". The Clarion-Ledger. Associated Press. November 21, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Coleman, Joel (December 3, 2020). "Iverson Molinar's return expected to boost Bulldogs as Mississippi State gets set to host North Texas". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Middleton, Dalton (January 11, 2021). "MSU's Molinar named SEC Player of the Week". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ O'Connell, Robert (May 6, 2021). "Panamanians Division 1 players stats last season". Latinbasket. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Molinar scores 28, MSU hands Georgia 5th loss in row 88-72". ESPN. Associated Press. January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
- ^ "No. 12 Kentucky needs OT to give Calipari his 800th win". ESPN. Associated Press. January 25, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "Men's Basketball All-SEC Teams & Awards Announced" (Press release). Southeastern Conference. March 8, 2022. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ Thompson, Khari (March 25, 2022). "Mississippi State basketball's Iverson Molinar declares for 2022 NBA Draft". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Krajisnik, Stefan (April 26, 2022). "Mississippi State basketball's Iverson Molinar signs with agent, foregoes eligibility". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Foglio, James (September 19, 2022). "Bucks sign guard Iverson Molinar to one-year, $1.02 million deal". BasketballInsiders.com. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Adams, Luke (September 20, 2022). "Bucks Waive Iverson Molinar". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "Wisconsin Herd Announces 2022-23 Opening Day Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ Adams, Luke (September 3, 2023). "Bucks Sign, Waive Iverson Molinar". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ "WISCONSIN HERD ANNOUNCE 2023 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER". NBA.com. October 30, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "WISCONSIN HERD RECEIVE RETURNING PLAYER RIGHTS TO THREE PLAYERS IN TRADE". NBA.com. December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
- ^ "2023-2024 Ostioneros de Guaymas Transactions". RealGM.com. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
- ^ "Iverson Molinar (PAN)'s profile - FIBA Americup 2017". FIBA. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
- ^ Andrade, Jonathan (January 14, 2016). "Iverson is the answer, too". The Acorn. Retrieved January 13, 2021.