BC Rytas Vilnius in Lithuania has signed D.J. Seeley to a new contract for next season. Seeley, a 28-year-old shooting guard from Cal State Fullerton, played in Spain last season for Herbalife Gran Canaria. In 37 games Seeley averaged 9.8 points and 2.3 assists per game, leading Gran Canaria to the Lige Endesa semifinals and the quarterfinals of the EuroCup. Entering his sixth season playing hoops overseas, Seeley has also played Germany, Turkey, Serbia and Israel. He joins a Rytas team that went 30-6 last year in the Lithuanian Basketball League and advanced to the finals of the LBL playoffs. The team will also be competing in the EuroCup one again after advancing to the Top 16 in the competition last season.
Sidigas Avellino has signed big man Caleb Green to a new contract, Ballers Abroad has learned. Green comes to Italy after spending the past two seasons in Turkey with Trabzonspor Medical Park in the Turkish Basketball Super League. Green averaged 18.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in league play, though Trabzonspor struggled through the season, finishing in the bottom half of the standings with a 10-20 record.
He joins an Avellino team that will look to build off their success of last season, where they finished in fourth place in the regular season standings with a record of 20-10, losing in the quarterfinals of the Serie A playoffs. The Oral Roberts grad has played in Italy once before, suiting up for Banco di Sardegna Sassari during the 2013-2014 season. Green is an experienced veteran of the international game, having also made stops in Germany, Belgium, France and Spain during his career.
Small forward Demitrius Conger has signed in France with Le Mans Sarthe Basket, per Sportando and other outlets. Conger inks with the Pro A champions after a stellar 2017-2018 season split between Australia and Spain. The former St. Bonaventure player first played in Australia for the Illawarra Hawks where he was named All-NBL First Team and finished second in MVP voting in the National Basketball League, averaging 19.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Hawks. He then moved to Divina Seguro Joventut where he averaged 9.9 points per game in what is regarded as the second-best league in the world behind the NBA.
Conger joins a Le Mans side that went 21-13 in the LNB Pro A regular season and caught fire in the Pro A playoffs, defeating AS Monaco Basket in the Pro A Finals.
Tony Gaffney is going to Italy for the first time in his career after signing with Happy Casa Brindisi earlier today. Gaffney spent last season in two countries, starting in Japan with Chiba Jets Funabashi before moving to Hapoel Tel Aviv in December 2017. Gaffney had a season to remember in Israel, being named to the 2018 Israeli League All-Star team as a starter and helping Hapoel Tel Aviv reach the Winner League semifinals for the first time in 13 years. The UMass grad averaged 10.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in his half-season in Israel.
He joins a Brindisi team that barely escaped relegation last season, finishing in fourteenth place out of sixteen teams with a 9-21 record. Gaffney has spent the majority of his career in Germany in Israel, with stops in Spain and Turkey as well.
By Ryan Beltran
After two years at Baylor, Isaiah Austin declared for the 2014 NBA draft. Sadly, days before his dreams could come true, he was diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. He was told by a doctor that his disorder would not allow him to be able to pursue his dream of playing professional basketball, and unfortunately he had to drop out of the NBA draft.
Two years later, he was luckily cleared to play basketball again. He signed his first professional contract with Serbian club KK FMP Beograd. In 12 KLS (Serbian League) games, he averaged 7.6 points and 3.9 rebounds a game. In 2017 Austin would play in the Adriatic League with FMP and play with two teams in China (Guangxi Rhinos and Yulon Luxgen Dinos). Also, in September 2017, he participated for the Philippines national team at the 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup. The team finished the tournament in fifth place and Austin recorded 37 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and six blocks in the final game of the tournament. Austin is still 24 years old and looks to be continuing his basketball career. He last signed for Lebanese club Champville SC on January 20, 2018. It is unclear if he can ever make or get a chance at an NBA team, but being able to play basketball professionally must be something he can be very proud of.
AS Monaco Basket has announced that it has signed Ian Hummer to a new contract for next season. Hummer arrives in France after spending last season in Russia with Avtodor Saratov. The team welcomed him on Twitter earlier today:
The Princeton grad averaged 9.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game as Avtodor Saratov went 14-10 in the VTB United League and advanced to the quarterfinals of the VTB playoffs. Hummer joins a Monaco side that finished the French LNB Pro A regular season in first place but came up short in the playoffs, losing to Le Mans Sarthe Basket in the Pro A Finals. Monaco also lost in the Finals of the Basketball Champions League as well. Hummer has never played in France so far during his career, and this will be the fifth different country he's played in as he goes into his sixth season as a pro.
Landon Milbourne is the newest player for Maccabi Ashdod after signing with the Israeli team earlier today. Milbourne arrives after spending last season in Italy with Vanoli Cremona as well as playing in Puerto Rico during the summer. For Vanoli Cremona, Milbourne averaged 8.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in Serie A play as Vanoli went 15-1-5, narrowly missing out on a playoff spot.
The Maryland grad joins an Ashdod team that went 20-13 in the Winner League last season and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Winner League playoffs. This will be Milbourne's second stint in Israel, having played for Hapoel Eilat during the 2016-2017 season. |