Sandis Valters

Sandis Valters

No. 10 – BK Ventspils
Position	Shooting guard
League	LBL BBL ULEB Eurocup
Personal information
Born	(1978-08-31) 31 August 1978 Riga, Latvia
Nationality	Latvian
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Listed weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
Pro playing career	1994–present
Career history
BK Brocēni (1994–2001) BK Skonto (2001–2003) TBB Trier (2003–2004) TSK Wuerzburg (2004–2005) BC Azovmash (2005) ASK Rīga (2005–2009) Aget Imola (2009) VEF Rīga (2010–2012) BK Ventspils (2012–present)

Sandis Valters (born 31 August 1978, Riga, Latvia) is a Latvian professional basketball shooting guard, who plays for BK Ventspils. He is member of Latvia national basketball team. His father is a former Soviet basketball star, Valdis Valters, and his younger brother, Kristaps Valters, also plays professional basketball.

Player career

Sandis Valters is known as a great shooter, efficient scorer and ball handler, who can make plays for others as well and be very good defensively. Sandis is great character guy and has excellent work ethic.

He first played professionally in 1994, for BK Brocēni, where he won his first five Latvian league titles. In 2001, after Brocēni disappeared, Valters moved to their successor BK Skonto, where he spent two seasons. In 2003, Sandis signed with Germany's team TBB Trier, where he had great season. Next season he also started in Germany, playing for team from Wuerzburg, but later in 2005 moved to Ukrainie, where he finished season with BC Azovmash.

For 2005–06 season Valters had offers from Greece, Israel and Russia,^[1] but he opted to return to the Riga, where he signed lucrative contract with then up and coming team ASK Rīga. Valters also served as the captain of team. His best season with ASK was in 2006–07 as he led his squad to Latvian league title, while Valters was named finals most valuable player. During that season Valters was selected in every tournament's All-Star game (LBL, BBL and FIBA EuroCup) that his club participated in.^[2]

In July 2008 Lithuanian powerhouse BC Lietuvos Rytas^[3] wanted to sign Valters, but ASK didn't let him go. In early 2009 Valters had to leave ASK as club went through financial problems, so he signed for the remainder of season with Italian team from Imola. Injury during Eurobasket 2009 preparation game with Latvian national team forced Valters to miss the first half of the 2009–10 season. In January 2010 he signed with VEF Rīga, where he played for next two and a half seasons, winning two Latvian league championships. In one of those finals Valters was named as most valuable player. Sandis Valters has won eight Latvian Basketball League championships.^[4]

On 19 September 2012, Valters signed two-year contract with BK Ventspils.^[5]

Valters was a regular member of the Latvia national basketball team and has played in two EuroBasket (2005 and 2007) tournaments. One of his best games with national team was in 2005 against Spain when he erupted for 28 points, hitting six three pointers, including buzzer beating three pointer at the end of regulation.^[6]

References