By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul announced the signing of EuroCup standout big man Johnathan Motley Monday, with a two-year deal.
Motley, who landed in Europe this past season for the first time ever with Russian side Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, quickly became a sensation both in EuroCup and the VTB League.
Prior to the suspension of Russian clubs from EuroLeague Basketball competitions, Motley set sights to compete for the top scorer award in EuroCup, averaging 21.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 9 games (all starts). In VTB, he averaged 18.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists across 15 games.
Earlier in the day, the Turkish club announced it has parted ways with forward Danilo Barthel and big man Ahmet Duverioglu. Barthel, 30, finished his second season with Fenerbahce with an average of 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 11 minutes across 8 EuroLeague games. Duverioglu, 29, ended a six-year tenure in Fener with season averages of 3.6 points, 2.4 rebounds in a little over 8 minutes per EuroLeague contest.