By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Following Regular Season Round 1 of the 2022-23 Basketball Champions League, Bahcesehir Koleji brought in reinforcements in the form of explosive guard, Kasey Shepherd.
Shepherd, 28, is a new player of the Istanbul outfit, the team announced Thursday.
Following four years of NCAA basketball at Louisiana, he began his career as a professional overseas. From the rookie season split between Hungary and Georgia, he switched to Kyiv-Basket and debuted in the Basketball Champions League but did not make out of the Qualifiers. Moving to Nizhny Novgorod, he had a breakout season including being named to the 2020-21 Star Lineup. With last season’s stint at Tofas, Shepherd upped his total of BCL games to 28 BCL.
The next step in the Champions League will be with Bahcesehir Koleji. The Turkish club entered the participating field as the 2021-22 FIBA Europe Cup champion and went up to 1-0 with a narrow win at home opposite Igokea m:tel this week. A solid start with Surne Bilbao and ERA Nymburk shaping the rest of the competition for a spot in the next round. At the domestic level, a loss to Turkish Airlines EuroLeague powerhouse Fenerbahce Beko is responsible for the 0-1 record early in the 2022-23 BSL Regular Season.
The team coached by Erhan Ernak carries the experience of Jamar Smith and Oguz Savas along with Yigit Arslan, Vladimir Brodziansky, Jerry Boutsiele, and more on the strong roster. However, Jaka Blazic and Langston Hall on the injury list likely prompted an addition to the squad.
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League