Need to Know: Dominican Republic National Select Team
Tonight at 7 p.m., your University of Kentucky Wildcats play the Dominican Republic National Select Team at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas. Last night, we finally got our hands on a roster for the DR squad. In lieu of a full scouting report, here are some things you need to know about tonight’s opponent. Fittingly, Orlando Antigua, who coached the DR National Team from 2013-15, will serve as Kentucky’s coach in tonight’s game, which will air live on SEC Network.
Dominican Republic National Select Team Roster
This is the DR Select Team, not the U-22 squad, so the roster includes older players. Their head coach is Melvyn Lopez, who coaches the DR National Team.
| # | Name | Height | Weight | Latest College / Club |
| 2 | Anyeuris Castillo | 6′ 7″ | 205 lbs | University South Carolina Aiken |
| 7 | Brayan Martinez | 6′ 8″ | 195 lbs | Cañeros Del Este LNB |
| 11 | Adonis De La Rosa | 7’1″ | 258 lbs | University of Illinois / Titanes LNB |
| 30 | Yassel Perez | 6′ 5″ | 185 lbs | Titanes Distrito LNB |
| 13 | Jose Familia | 6′ 8″ | 232 lbs | Soles Santo Domingo / LNB |
| 12 | Justin Minaya | 6′ 6″ | 215 lbs | Providence Friars/Charlotte Hornets / Summer League |
| 5 | Raimer Mercedes | 5’11” | 185 lbs | Cañeros Del Este LNB |
| 17 | Andres Feliz | 6’1″ | 205 lbs | University of Illinois / Joventut Badalona / Spain |
| 35 | Yaxel Okari Lendeborg | 6’8″ | 210 lbs | Arizona Western College / NJCAA |
| 3 | Yeison Colome | 6′ 3″ | 183 lbs | Cañeros Del Este LNB |
| 44 | Yerri Flores | 6′ 2″ | 175 lbs | Reales La Vega LNB |
Players with NCAA experience
The DR squad features four players with NCAA Division I experience, including Justin Minaya, who played four years at South Carolina under Frank Martin before transferring to Providence for a graduate year. Andres Feliz, who played for Illinois, now plays for Badalona in Spain in La Liga (Derek Willis was his teammate last season).
#12 Justin Minaya
- Forward, 6’6″, 215 lbs.
- Draft Year: 2022 (Undrafted Free Agent)
- Played for the Charlotte Hornets in the Summer League
- 2021-22 (Providence): 6.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.6 APG
- Helped lead the Friars to the Sweet 16 and Big East regular season title
- Also played at South Carolina (2017-21), averaging 7.0 PPG, 6.3 RPG, and 1.8 APG as a senior in 2020-21
- vs. Kentucky (3 games): 7.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.0 BPG
#2 Anyeuri Castillo
- Forward, 6’7″, 205 lbs.
- Draft Year: 2022 (Undrafted Free Agent)
- 2020-21 (USC Aiken): 13.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG
- Also played at Kent State (2019-20) and Central Georgia Technical College (2017-19)
#11 Adonis De La Rosa
- Center, 7’0″, 260 lbs.
- Draft Year: 2019 (Undrafted Free Agent)
- Plays for Titanes (Dominican Republic)
- 2018-19 (Illinois): 2.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG
- Also played at Kent State (2016-18)
#17 Andres Feliz
- Guard, 6’2″, 195 lbs.
- Draft Year: 2020 (Undrafted Free Agent)
- Plays for Joventut Badalona in La Liga (Spain)
- 2019-20 (Illinois): 11.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.9 APG
- 2018-19 (Illinois): 8.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.2 APG
They beat Arkansas State on Sunday
Before coming to the Bahamas, the DR team — or at least, some members of it — played Arkansas State in the Dominican Republic as part of the Wolves’ foreign trip. The Dominicans won 96-78. Seven of the players on the Bahamas roster participated, including all five starters:
- Anyeuri Castillo – 12 points, 1 rebound
- Brayan Martinez – 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists (Starter)
- Yeison Colome – 9 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists (Starter)
- Jose Familia – 8 points, 2 rebounds (Starter)
- Yerri Flores – 6 points, 2 assists, 1 rebound
- Yassel Perez – 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists (Starter)
- Andres Feliz – 4 points, 4 assists 2 rebounds (Starter)
Some highlights:
If you really want to do a deep dive, you can watch the entire game below:
They are also enjoying the Baha Mar
Like the Cats, the DR squad made visiting the water park a priority upon arrival at Baha Mar. Based on social media, they’ve been enjoying all the resort has to offer.
They also spent some time with John Calipari, who coached the DR National Team in 2011 and 2012.
Whoever is in charge of their social media has been putting in work, so enjoy footage from their practice below.
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