Aytor Alberto (188-G-2000, college: Cairn) is a 25 year old 188cm guard that grew up in Curacao that played his second pro season for Snaefell (Iceland-Division I) averaging 20/3/2 stats. He split his rookie season between Breidablik Kopavogur (Iceland-Division 1) averaging 18.0ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.7apg, 2FGP: 39.2%, 3FGP: 39.0%, FT: 80.3%, in Jan.’25 moved to Kufstein Towers (Austria-2.Bundesliga) averaging 11.1ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 36.4%, 3PT: 31.3%, FT: 64.0%. He received early basketball experience at Victory Rock Preparatory School in Florida and then played a season at Clark Summit University (NCAA3). He then balled 3 years at Cairn University (NCAA3) and had his breakout season in his last season averaging : 21.3ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 42.8%, 3PT: 35.9%, FT: 77.3%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball

Your 25 years old and have the Dutch citizenship and played many years in USA, played in Austria last season and this season in Iceland. How blessed do you feel to be able to be a professional player?

I am actually from the Caribbean island called Curacao. I have a Dutch passport due to Holland being a governing body of Curacao. Never lived or been in Holland excluding connection flights. And to answer the question, I feel very blessed to be a professional basketball player and travelling the world and experiencing new countries like Iceland, Austria, and also China last summer. I never take any of it for granted. All of this wouldn’t be possible without my unwavering faith in God.

With everything that you have experienced so far in your young life, what has been the coolest experience for you off the court?

It would have to be last summer when I went to China to play in the Wild ball league over there. Just the fact that I never thought I would’ve gone to Asia, and to see how basketball took me over there and see the difference of culture and way of living was phenomenal. It’s like a different world out there.

Let’s talk a little about your game. You’re a 188cm guard. If you had to compare your game to a NBA or Euroleague player who would best fit the description?
Pretty much everybody gives me the Ja Morant or Russell Westbrook comparison from the NBA. After starting to play in Europe and watching a lot of Euroleague 2 years ago, I see a lot of Matthew Strazel and Sylvain Francisco in my game.

You’re a guy that fills the stat sheet well. Talk a little about your offensive strengths? Your attacking the rim really stands out.

Yes, I feel like my ability to break down defenses from the perimeter and get paint touches have translated at every level that I played at so far in my career. I think that’s because I am very athletic and know how to change pace well. My ability to make floaters in the paint at a highly efficient rate is also a strength of mine, which is a counter whenever teams try to take away my 3 ball and also me getting all the way to the rim.

You really have scored the ball well the last 3 years. The first few years at Cairn, you couldn’t show that. Are you a 3 level scorer yet or still working on that?
I am definitely a 3-level scorer, but I am still working on refining my game to keep making it more polished and efficient as possible as I continue to climb levels.

You also have been a solid 3 point shooter the last few years. Do you see yourself eclipsing the 40% barrier in the future?
That’s definitely a goal of mine and I think with my work ethic I will eventually eclipse that barrier in the future Lord willingly. Last season in Iceland playing for Breidablik I shot 39% so I know it is for sure possible.

What kind of a defender are you at the moment and what kind of defender do you still want to become?
In terms of on-ball defense I feel like I can stay in front and pressure anybody at this point along with my athletic ability allowing me to get chase down blocks. I consider myself very elite at on-ball defense. I think my area of improvement is more so off-ball rotations which I tend to fall asleep sometimes when I get tired during games.

On what areas of your game are you working on most now so you can continue to grow as a player?
My biggest focus is making my 3 point shot as elite as possible and also to continue to watch a lot of film to improve my decision making as a playmaker.

Your playing your first season with Snaefell (Iceland-Division I). What kind of an experience has it been? How has your game progressed?
To be honest it has been very frustrating just because I am very competitive and I hate losing. I have not experienced this much losing in a while so that’s what stresses me out the most. I also was battling UCL strain in my right elbow which is on my shooting arm that I sustained back in November. It is now pretty much healed but early on after the injury I started to struggle shooting the 3 ball because I had to temporarily tweak the way I shot because of the injury, but thankfully I am not dealing with that anymore and this is the best my body has felt in a while.

What has it been like being teammates with Jakorie Smith? How do you guys compliment each other best?
Me and Jakorie compliment each other very well. My game is based on attacking and his is on jump shooting, so he is able to space the floor very well whenever I’m attacking.

Iceland is a dream. What have you enjoyed besides the swimming pool culture? What have you discovered while exploring the nature there?
I love seeing the northern lights. It’s an experience I honestly will never get tired of.

Last season you split time with Breidablik Kopavogur (Iceland-Division 1) averaging 18.0ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.7apg, 2FGP: 39.2%, 3FGP: 39.0%, FT: 80.3%, in Jan.’25 moved to Kufstein Towers (Austria-2.Bundesliga) averaging 11.1ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 36.4%, 3PT: 31.3%, FT: 64.0%. What do you remember being your wake up call to being overseas where you knew that you were far away from home?
I think my wake up call came the first day I landed in Iceland and I was dropped off at my apartment by my coach. I think it was because that was my first time ever being in Europe so it hit me hard.

In Austria you lost a tough 3 game playoff series to the Mustangs where the team scored only 41 points in game 3. What did you learn from that series?
I learned how hard it is to win a championship at any level. Playing in Austria and also specifically in that series I learned how tactical and strategic basketball can be. That whole series felt like we were playing chess rather than checkers as the saying goes.

Before playing in the States, you trained and lived in Curacao. I guess that was like paradise living in the Caribbean. How vital was this special experience for your game and person?
It was definitely a good experience especially off the court. I think for my game it helped me develop all areas of my game since the playing style over there is very free flowing so I was able to have a lot of freedom early to figure out what my game is, and ultimately expand on that as my career progressed.

You began your college career in USA at Clark Summit University (NCAA3) averaging 6.4ppg, 1.9rpg, FGP: 45.0%, 3PT: 22.2%, FT: 79.2% in your last season. How vital was this first NCAA season under Brian Deschaine? What could your game gain from this season?
I think my fit at Clarks Summit University was not a good fit all honestly, which is why I ended up transferring from there.

You then moved to Cairn University (NCAA3) in 2021. How tough were the first 2 years there where you averaged 11 minutes your first season and in your second season your minutes dipped to 7. What kind of a player did you become mentally in those 2 years?
Mentally I was always the same confident player, it was more so me just dealing with injuries those first two years at Cairn that a lot of people from the outside looking in did not know of. I had broken my right foot in a pre season game in my first year at Cairn which caused me to miss most of the season, and I was dealing with an inflamed patella the following year which never really allowed me to fully be on the court and do what I do. Mentally I stayed confident just because I knew what I can do and I knew the circumstances then was not because of my skills or ability.

You had many great games at Cairn like hitting Gwynedd Mercy for 34 points and also Notre Dame (MD) for 29 points and the University of the Valley Forge for 28 points. What was your fondest moment as a senior there on the court?
3 moments that come to mind immediately that I consider my fondest were when the month of January where I averaged somewhere close to 30 ppg while winning games, receiving national attention after the season becoming a D3data All-star which I was considered one of the best D3 players in nation, and also scoring 23 points against University of Maryland-Eastern Shore, which solidified to me that I could compete at all levels.

How did head coach Jason Connell groom and prepare you best for a professional career?
He taught me the importance of being a professional in all areas of life, not just the basketball court. His championship pedigree taught me that whatever I want to achieve in life requires discipline, hard work, and an unwavering faith in God.

Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Josh Forker?
I did. Josh Forker was an exceptional defender, probably one of the best in Cairn history, but even he would tell you that nobody could stop me one on one. This also contributed to my confidence heading into real games, because if the best defender in our conference struggles to guard me (which he was considered as at the time), then I have nothing to worry about.

Who was the best player that you ever battled in the NCAA that reached the NBA?
Nobody I ever played in the NCAA reached the NBA, but I have faced Scottie Barnes back in high school who currently plays for the Toronto Raptors.

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?
In no particular order I would say Niven Hart, Jamal Mccoy, Jonathan Mulmore, Derian Bradford, and Jakorie Smith.

Please list your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of 4 best players of all-time for you?

My NBA Mount Rushmore is Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry.
Who is your GOAT?
My GOAT is Michael Jordan.

Did you see the sequel to the classic Coming To America? Shouldn’t they have left it alone?
I actually have not seen the classic Coming To America or the sequel.

Thanks Aytor for the chat.