The video panned across a mostly white landscape, a chilling wind howling into the camera's microphone.
"Gameday,"
Hansel Atencia captioned his Instagram Story. "… maybe."
Atencia says harsh weather has been the biggest challenge in adjusting to life in Iceland, where the former Master's point guard now plays in the country's top professional basketball league.
"I'm not used to the snow and cold so that has been hard for me," said Atencia, a native of Colombia.
But even a recent snowstorm that Atencia said was Iceland's worst since 2012 hasn't been able to keep the speedy guard from compiling a hot start in his first stint as a pro.
Through 11 games, Atencia is averaging
18.8 points and 5.8 assists for Thor AK, the team for which he starts at point guard and plays close to 30 minutes each night.
Thor AK, based in Akureyri, Iceland, is off to a 2-9 start, but Atencia has been encouraged by his team's trajectory.
"The team is getting better every day," said Atencia,
the 23rd former Mustang to play professional basketball, "and that has shown in the last couple of games. Our record is not good, but we're still in the fight to make the playoffs, and I think if we keep playing how we have recently, we'll make it."
After arriving in Iceland on Sept. 1 for a season that will run through March, Atencia is making it on a diet that doesn't sound drastically different from what he would have experienced during his time at Master's: "Mexican food, seafood, burgers, subs and salads."
"The food has been pretty good so far," he said.
Atencia's daily routine consists of lifting weights in the morning, followed by afternoon practice. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, he also trains a group of youth basketball players.
As far as living arrangements, Atencia shares a house with three of his teammates, and he says most of Thor AK's roster speaks English so there hasn't been any language barrier to speak of.
Weather has been the bigger challenge. The low in Akureyri – a city of close to 19,000 people in northern Iceland – was expected to be 21 degrees with a chance of snow Thursday.
That was, to say the least, not the kind of climate Atencia experienced in Southern California while playing for Master's, where he led the Mustangs to three NAIA national tournament appearances and was a second-team All-American as a senior in 2019.
Atencia averaged 15.1 points and 4.6 assists in his college career, and he picked up in Iceland right where he left off.
To date, the highlight came on Oct. 17 when he scored a season-high 36 points with five assists against Thor Thorl. In the game, Atencia made 5-of-8 three-point shots and 7-of-7 at the free throw line.
He has scored in double figures in 10 of his 11 games, and it has come as no surprise to Master's senior
Tim Soares, Atencia's college teammate.
"It's super fun to see he's doing well," Soares said. "I know as a friend, he enjoys playing basketball and to be able to start his pro career doing well is awesome to see. He's a hard worker so I'm glad all his hard work is paying off."
