| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1981-05-21)21 May 1981 Keflavík, Iceland |
| Died | 16 January 2000(2000-01-16) (aged 18) Njarðvík, Iceland |
| Career information | |
| High school | Charlotte Christian (Charlotte, North Carolina) |
| Playing career | 1997–2000 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Career history | |
| 1997–1998 | Njarðvík |
| 1999–2000 | Njarðvík |
| 1999 | → ÍRB |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| CareerÚrvalsdeild karla statistics | |
| Points | 286 (10.6 ppg) |
| Assists | 114 (4.2 apg) |
| Steals | 72 (2.7 spg) |
Örlygur Aron Sturluson (21 May 1981 – 16 January 2000) was an Icelandicbasketball player, who played forNjarðvík in the IcelandicÚrvalsdeild where he won the national championship in 1998.[1] He started playing for theIcelandic national team in 1999 and was considered one of the most promising prospects in Icelandic basketball at the time of his death.[2][3]
Örlygur started playing basketball at the age of 8 withUngmennafélag Njarðvíkur. He broke into the starting lineup of Úrvalsdeild powerhouseNjarðvík in 1997 at the age of 16.[4][5] His first game came againstÍA where he had 10 points and 7 assists.[6] He was a key player in Njarðvík's1998 Icelandic championship run, averaging 15.0 points and 5.0 assists in the three game sweep ofKR in the finals,[7][8][3] including a 20 points, 9 assists and 6 steals performance in game two of the series.[9]
Örlygur spent the 1998-1999 season playing forCharlotte Christian Knights under coachBobby Jones[10] where he set the school single season record for assists and steals.[11][12]
He rejoined Njarðvík in the summer of 1999 while also playing for ÍRB, a joint team of Njarðvík andKeflavík in theKorać Cup. He helped the joint ÍRB team to advance to the second round of the Korać Cup before bowing out while also helping Njarðvík achieve a 10-3 record in the Úrvalsdeild before the all star break.[13][14] He was selected for the 2000Icelandic All-Star game, scoring seven points in what would prove to be his last game.[15]
Örlygur played three games with theIcelandic men's national basketball team and five games for the U21 national team in 1999.[16][17] He had previously played for the junior national teams.[18][19]
Örlygur died in the early morning of January 16, 2000, after an accidental fall.[20][3]
Örlygur was the son of Særún Lúðvíksdóttir and formerIcelandic national team player Sturla Örlygsson, and the brother ofwomen's national team playerMargrét Kara Sturludóttir andÚrvalsdeild karla player Sigurður Dagur Sturluson. He was also nephew of former Úrvalsdeild karla playersTeitur Örlygsson, who won the Icelandic championship a record 10 times,[21] Gunnar Örn Örlygsson, a former Althing member, and Stefán Örlygsson.[4][6]