The highlight of Hansel Atencia's first season of professional basketball in Iceland came in a game his team desperately needed to win.
Thor AK hosted perennial title contender KR Reykjavik in late January, needing a victory to keep its hopes of a berth in the Dominos League playoffs alive. And Atencia delivered.
The former Master's University point guard scored 31 points in 31 minutes, making a trio of three-pointers and dishing out four assists. Thor AK won 102-100, temporarily breathing life into a playoff push that ultimately fell short.
"It was one of those games where the team couldn't miss a shot," Atencia says. "So it was fun to be a part of."
Next season, Atencia will be part of a new team. After his one-year contract expired with Thor AK, he recently signed with Haukar Hafnarfjordur, another member of the Dominos League, Iceland's top pro circuit.
Haukar finished with the league's sixth best record last season, at 11-10, five games ahead of Thor AK.
Atencia scored 17 and 14 points respectively in two matchups against Haukar — evidently leaving a strong impression.
"(They said they) want me to play a big role on this team," Atencia said. "And I think we can win a lot of games."
Atencia ended 2019-2020 averaging 18.2 points and 5.6 assists per game. He scored a season-high 36 points on Oct. 17, one of three times he finished with at least 30 points. In another game, he scored 26 points and added a season-high 15 assists.
In the season finale, Atencia scored 28 points, on 5-of-10 shooting from behind the arc, and dished out seven assists.
When he signed with Thor AK, Atencia became the 24th former Mustang to agree to a pro contract. The number has since grown to 26 after Tim Soares (Turkey) and Brock Gardner (Portugal) inked pro deals this summer.
Atencia was must-see entertainment during a three-year career at Master's, knifing into the paint at will and scoring with creative flair.
He averaged career highs of 17.5 points and 5.3 assists as a senior, becoming a second team NAIA All-American and helping Master's win its third consecutive Golden State Athletic Conference tournament title. He was also key to two GSAC regular season titles and three trips to the NAIA national tournament.
For his career, Atencia averaged 15.1 points and 4.6 assists.
He says one of the things he most enjoyed about his first foray into professional basketball was how competitive the Dominos League was. He also appreciated the fans and the "beautiful country."
"The views were amazing. Iceland has a lot of waterfalls and mountains everywhere, and during the winter I was able to see the northern lights," he said.
Atencia said the biggest lesson he learned centered on physicality.
"I learned to be tougher on both ends of the court," he said. "The refs there let you play and be more physical."
For a full list of former Master's men's basketball players who have gone pro, check out our Mustangs in Pro Basketball page.
