By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Dropping a couple of additions late Thursday, Besiktas welcomed both Angel Delgado and Matt Mitchell to strengthen the BKT EuroCup.
Mitchell, 24, played two seasons with SIG Strasbourg, after coming out of San Diego State in 2021. With the team based in the Alsace region, he logged 20 games played in the Basketball Champions League, including 20.2 points per contest over five appearances in the 2022-23 season of FIBA Europe’s top-tier club continental competition.
Delgado, 28, made two appearances with the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2018-19 NBA season, before eventually focusing his efforts in Europe. Another Champions League veteran heading to a debut in EuroCup, he played 12 BCL games stemming from stints in 2022-23 at Pinar Karsiyaka and 2019-20 at Hapoel UNET Holon.
Impressive transactions since the start of the offseason also secured the services of Egehan Arna, Berkan Durmaz, Jonah Mathews, Derek Needham, and Berk Ugurlu along with the new head coach Dusan Alimpijevic.
Michael Kessens follows Tuomas Iisalo
Reuniting with head coach Tuomas Iisalo, the reigning champion of the BCL with Telekom Baskets Bonn, Michael Kessens joined Paris. His contribution in the championship run amounted to 4.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game over 14 appearances. Young upstart Nadir Hifi is also confirmed on the 2023-24 roster of the team of France’s capital.
Elsewhere, Ismail Cem Ulusoy emerged as the latest completed transfer for Turk Telekom. The 26-year-old point guard joined Jalen Adams, Metehan Akyel, Steven Enoch, Boran Guler, Markis McDuffie, James Palmer Jr., Troy Selim Sav, Yigitcan Saybir, Okben Ulubay, Tyrone Wallace, and Mehmet Yagmur on the roster for the team coached by Nenad Canak.
Running it back with Hapoel Vegan-Friendly Tel Aviv, Xavier Munford took it a step beyond the upcoming season and signed a two-year contract extension. Earlier in the offseason, Gil Beni and Idan Zalmanson both also penned contract extensions. Also, Tarik Phillip extended his contract with the London Lions.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League