By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
After 15 appearances in the Basketball Champions League with Ironi Hai Motors Ness Ziona, MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, Besiktas Icrypex, and Mornar Bar, 29-year-old Isaiah Whitehead is back. He penned a one-year contract with Slask Wroclaw, the team announced on Tuesday.
From Seton Hall, he was selected with the 42nd pick of the 2016 draft by the Utah Jazz and then traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Following 89 NBA games with the Nets, his career went overseas. Besides BCL action, he was featured in the 22 games of the 7DAYS EuroCup. Last season with Ness Ziona, he averaged 13.9 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
The next challenge for the experienced guard meets head coach Miodrag Rajkovic alongside new teammates Kenan Blackshear, Adrian Bogucki, Daniel Golebiowski, Blazej Kulikowski, Henri-Soprano Mboungolo-Mounanga, Angel Nunez, Ajdin Penava, and Marcel Ponitka, and Aleksander Wisniewski.
The Polish club was drawn in Group F of the BCL Regular Season to face Rytas, Falco Szombathely, and UnaHotels Reggio Emilia in a double-legged round-robin schedule.
Moves for Karsiyaka and Kolossos
Elsewhere in the Champions League, Karsiyaka re-signed 29-year-old Mert Celep for the next season. The Turkish big played in 16 games of FIBA Europe’s top-tier club continental competition between his two latest stints with the Izmir outfit. Thomas Akyazili, Jerry Boutsiele, Damien Jefferson, Errick McCollum, Sean McDermott, Fatts Russell, Hakan Sayili, Kenan Sipahi, Ergi Tirpanci, James Webb III, and Muhsin Yasar are the remaining players for team coached by Ufuk Sarica.
Adding a local youngster, Kolossos H Hotels placed 18-year-old Pavlos Giakai on the roster. Sotiris Billis, Giannis Chatzinikolas, Paulius Danusevicius, Gabriel Galvanini, Andrew Goudelock, Nikos Kamarianos, Iosif Koloveros, Francis Okoro, London Perrantes, Andreas Petropoulos, Diamantis Slaftsakis, Au’Diese Toney, and Michalis Tsairelis were already in for head coach Giorgos Sigalas.
The Turkish and Greek clubs will collide in Group C of the BCL Regular Season. La Laguna Tenerife and Saint-Quentin are the other opponents.