By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The latest Basketball Champions League newcomer is former Wisconsin standout, Vitto Brown.
Brown, 27, made his way to Pinar Karsiyaka. He spent the last season in Spain’s Liga Endesa playing for Coosur Real Betis and the 2020-21 season at France’s Le Mans. As an undrafted free agent, he turned pro in 2017 signing a contract with the Wisconsin Herd. More G League teams in the form of the Maine Red Claws, Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario, and Erie BayHawks, prior to using overseas options and expanding his career into the Old Continent.
Emerging among the early contenders for the BCL title, the team based in Izmir has been active through the offseason picking up Thomas Akyazili, Jaylon Brown, Dusan Cantekin, Mert Celep, Angel Delgado, Skyler Flatten, Deniz Kilicli, Errick McCollum, and Kenan Sipahi. Besides the newcomers, Turkish power forward Berkan Durmaz penned a two-year contract extension.
Elsewhere, Senegalese Biram Faye signed a three-year contract to join Bnei Ofek Dist Herzeliya. The 22-year-old big man became the second summer signing following the recent addition of Robert Carter. An earlier flurry of contract extensions retained Chris Babb, Sandy Cohen, Quinton Hooker, Maurice Kemp, Yair Kravitz, Dori Sahar, and Andy Van Vliet.
Coming out of Nebraska, Indianapolis-born shooting guard Kobe Webster jumped to Heroes Den Bosch on a one-year contract. Prepping to compete in the Malaga Qualifying Group, the Dutch champions added Jito Kok, Chris-Ebou Ndow, Emmett Naar, and Donte Thomas, and re-signed Thomas van der Mars and Austin Price.
Photo Credit: ACB