Mickey McConnell is the newest player at Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez after signing with the French team October 10 afterJerel Blassingame went down with an injury.
McConnell comes to Pau-Lacq-Orthez from Germany, where he spent last season with EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the Basketball Bundesliga, averaging 10.9 points per game across all competitions which included playing in the Basketball Champions League. Pau-Lacq-Orthez started this season off 1-3, and could certainly use McConnell's veteran experience going forward this season. McConnell last played in France during the 2015-2016 season with Champagne Chalons-Reims Basket.
Petrol Olimpija in Slovenia has signed Scottie Reynolds to a new deal according to Eurobasket and several outlets. Reynolds joins Olimpija from Russia, where he spent last season with Zenit Saint Petersburg in the VTB United League. He averaged 4.2 points and 5.3 assists per game across all competitions, which included playing in the EuroCup, as he helped lead Zenit to a 16-8 record and a berth in the semifinals of the VTB Playoffs.
This is not the former Villanova guard's first experience in the Adriatic League; he played for Cibona Zagreb during the 2016-2017 season and averaged a fair 10.8 points and 6.6 assists per game across all competitions for Cibona. This upcoming season will be Reynolds' ninth as a pro, and he has played nine different countries on three different continents.
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CEZ Nymburk landed an experienced American in the form of Bracey Wright after signing the veteran guard October 8. Nymburk made this signing only days after releasing A.J. English, who left the team without playing a game. Wright joins the team from Turkey, where he spent last season with Demir Insaat Buyukcekmece in the Turkish Basketball Super League and has played in Turkey since 2015.
The former Indiana guard averaged 16.1 points and 3.9 assists per game across all competitions for Buyukcekmece as the team finished toward the bottom of the standings with a 10-20 record. He joins a long-time power in the Czech Republic with CEZ Nymburk, a team that won the NBL championship last season and is off to a 2-0 start this season.
A.J. English has parted ways with CEZ Nymburk in the Czech Republic, Sportando and other outlets are reporting. English leaves Nymburk without appearing in a game for the team, which is off to a 1-0 start after winning the NBL championship last season.
English played in three countries last season, starting with Limoges CSP in France's LNB Pro A league before moving to Germany in December to suit up for Fraport Skyliners in the Basketball Bundesliga. He finished the season by playing for Rosa Radom in Poland, the team he played the most games for during the season, averaging 17.5 points per game in 15 games played for the team. Nymburk now has three Americans remaining on the roster: Eugene Lawrence, Alex Davis and Kendall Smith.
Luke Harangody will continue his pro career in Spain after signing with Divina Seguro Joventut in Liga Endesa. The former NBA player spent last season in Germany, where he played for ratiopharm Ulm in the Basketball Bundesliga. Harangody averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game across all competitions, including an 11.1 points per game clip in the FIBA Europe Cup, as ratiopharm Ulm went 16-18 and narrowly missed out on a playoff berth.
He joins a Joventut team that finished in the bottom half of the Liga Edesa standings with a 12-22 record. This is the second time in his career that he'll be playing in Spain after suiting up for Valencia Basket during the 2014-2015 season.
Frank Hassell will once again play in France this season after signing a one-year contract with Cholet Basket in the LNB Pro A. Hassell spent last season with ESSM Le Portel, where he averaged 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per games across all competitions, including the FIBA Europe Cup, as Le Portel finished with a 16-18 record domestically, missing the Pro A playoffs.
The big man will join a Cholet team that will be looking to rebound from a similarly poor season, as they went 14-20 in Pro A play and also missed out on the league playoffs. They could certainly use Hassell in the immediate future, as the team has started 0-3 in league play. Hassell's contract also contains an option for a midseason out. |