It's been a slow month of international hoops, with many leagues on a break or playing in their All-Star games, so we decided to broaden our scope for Baller of the Week. This week, the honors go to Jalen Reynolds, who plays for Zenit Saint Petersburg in the VTB United League. Reynolds had a stellar game in league play against VEF Riga, dropping 32 points while shooting a scorching 14-of-16 from the floor to go along with 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Though his effort came up one point short (Riga won the game 102-101), his efforts did not go unnoticed, and a monster game in one of the most competitive leagues in the world was more than enough to earn #BOTW status.
VL Pesaro in Italy have announced the signing of Mark Lyons as the newest addition to their roster. Lyons joins the team after starting the season in Lebanon with Sporting Al Riyadi Beirut, where he averaged 17.7 points, 3.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game, his best numbers since suiting up for Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2017.
Lyons joins a Pesaro team that is sitting in the bottom half of the Lega Basket SerieA standings with a 6-13 record, and is middling in all offensive categories in league play and allowing a fourth-worst 93.1 points per game. This will be the first time the Arizona grad will play in Italy after stops in France, Belgium, Turkey, Israel, China and Russia.
Kauhajoki Karhu Basket in Finland announced the signing of Chris McKnight, who joins the team after starting the season in France with ADA Blois Basket 41. McKnight, an eighth-year pro out of the University of Akron, has been playing in France's LNB Pro B league since 2015, and averaged 9.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in 10 games for ADA Blois this season. He joins a contender in Kauhajoki Karhu, who currently sit in second place in the Korisliiga standings with an 18-9 record. While Karhu currently has two of the top seven scorers in Korisliiga, McKnight will add more depth and scoring to a team that is looking to take the next step.
Michael Dixon is the newest player for Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia after signing with the Italian team February 14. Dixon arrives in Lega Basket SerieA after starting the season in Israel with Bnei Herzeliya in the country's top division. In 17 games, he averaged 12.0 points and 4.3 assists per game in a mostly starting role. While he has played all over Europe since graduating from Memphis in 2014, he has yet to suit up in Italy.
The guard will join a Reggio Emilia team that is in need of a playmaker, because while they currently sit in fifteenth place out of 16 teams in the Lega Basket SerieA standings with a 5-14, they are only four games back of a playoff spot.
We head to Italy for Baller of the Week, where Frank Gaines made his presence felt in Lega Basket SerieA play. The 2014 NBA D-League Most Improved Player helped Red October Cantu to a 99-89 victory over Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia as his team fights for a playoff spot. Gaines scored 29 points while racking up season highs in rebound and assists in the big win. Gaines' ability to elevate his game in such an important win for his team makes him an easy nod for Baller of the Week.
Nick Zeisloft is taking his game to the next level. The shooting guard signed a contract through the end of the season with Delteco GBC in Spain's Liga Endesa, one of the top leagues in Europe and around the world. Zeisloft joins the team after starting his season in Italy with Leonis Roma in Lega Basket SerieA2.
Bnei Herzeliya in Israel added two Americans to the roster after signing veterans D'or Fischer and Jerome Dyson over the weekend. Both players arrive after spending the first part of the season in Asia - Fischer playing Japan, and Dyson in China.
Fischer, a long-time veteran of the international scene, is a 37-year-old center who has played in more than 10 countries since his career began in 2005. He arrives in Israel after spending the past season and a half playing for the Shiga Lakestars in Japan's B League. The West Virginia grad averaged 14.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game for the Japanese side, the best stats he's had in over a decade.
Jerome Dyson arrives in Israel having also spent the first part of the season in Asia. Though he only appeared in six games so far this season, Dyson was averaging 22.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game. The UConn product has had great past success in Israel, most recently when he played for Hapoel Jerusalem during the 2017-2018 season, averaging 16.6 points per game across all competitions.
Herzliya could certainly use help from both these accomplished players as they currently sit at the bottom of the Israeli Winner League standings with a 4-13 record.
|