American Rookies in Germany

The German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) is the top professional league in Germany and is home to a plethora of American players. ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla ranked the German BBL as the #5 most competitive international basketball league this past year. I’m sure college basketball fans remember names such as Nick Johnson (Arizona) or Raymar Morgan (Michigan State…and recent BBL MVP), but what type of players are making the jump from college to this foreign league? Let’s take a look at the recent college graduates that made the jump overseas.

Impact Players:

Trey Lewis, Louisville --> Medi Bayreuth

Trey Lewis certainly bounced around during his college career, but the 6’2” guard quickly found a home in Germany. As a senior in college, Lewis started 27 games for Louisville before his career was cut short with the schools self-imposed scandal. As a grad transfer, Lewis averaged 11.3 points per game, while shooting 35% from 3. In Germany, Lewis came out gunning scoring 30 points in his first game and never looked back as he led a top 4 team in scoring at 14.8 points per game finishing 13th in the BBL. Lewis shot 44% from 3 and was named to the BBL Second team for his season long performance (121.6 ORtg). Playing off the ball, Lewis loved the catch-and-shoot 3’s, but he also displayed an ability to get to the rim and finish.

A.J. English, Iona --> Fraport Skyliners

A.J. English was known for his scoring prowess at Iona. As a sophomore, English averaged 17.2 points and he upped that to 20.1 as a junior and 22.6 as a senior. He was also named to the All-MAAC team in three consecutive seasons. English began his post-college career playing in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A league before switching over to the Fraport Skyliners in late December. Despite coming off the bench for the majority of his 17 games, English didn’t waste any time lighting up the scoreboard. He scored a high of 35 points in late March when he went 6-9 from two and 5-12 from three. English was able to get hot in a hurry and averaged 17.6 points per game (#2 in the BBL), while shooting 43% from 3 and adding 4.1 assists per game. English’s quick twitch muscles gave him an advantage on the offensive end with his release from outside or his quick first step that got him into the paint. English sported a 25% usage rate and while the young Fraport team didn’t make the playoffs they were certainly a team that became more competitive when English joined.

Justin Sears, Yale --> Giessen

The 6’8” power forward was a two-time Ivy League Player of the Year while at Yale averaging 15.7 points and 7.5 rebounds a game as a senior. Sears showcased his game during the 2016 NCAA Tournament against Baylor and Duke and his skill-set easily translated immediately in the BBL. At Yale, Sears led the Ivy League in offensive rebounding efficiency two years in a row while finishing #36 overall at a rate of 13.9% per game. In the BBL, Sears came off the bench to start the season, but his athleticism was apparent early on. Sears finished #5 in the league with 2.7 offensive rebounds a game which amounted to a healthy efficiency rate of 14.9% (#5). Sears ended up starting 21 out of 31 games averaging 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 54% from the field. Towards the end of the season, he also turned into match-up problem in iso situations and the pick and roll. Overall, a very productive season for Sears.

Dyshawn Pierre, Dayton --> Braunschweig

The Canadian native averaged double figures for Dayton in his last three seasons while also providing 8 rebounds a game. His size and strength allowed Pierre to contribute immediately in Germany starting throughout the entire BBL season. The 6’7” forward averaged 14.4 points and 7.8 rebounds while finishing #6 in the league in Defensive rebounding % (25.6%). Pierre took advantage of playing the power forward position as he used his quickness on offense and strength on defense. He looked to attack slower players off the dribble and was able to get to the line where the 80% free throw shooter converted those opportunities into points. Pierre also showed off a 15 foot- face up shot and was aggressive attacking the glass.

Role Players:

Geoff Groselle, Creighton --> Braunschweig

Before Justin Patton, there was Geoffrey Groselle. As a senior, the 7’1” center averaged 11.2 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 70% from the field. Groselle was a KenPom darling posting a stellar 124.9 ORtg as a senior while finishing in the Top 10 in the Big East in OR%, Blk %, FD/40, and 2PT%. Playing for Braunchsweig, Groselle brought his post moves to Germany and averaged 10.9 points and 6.2 rebounds while starting 29 games. The left-hander used his go-to hook over the right shoulder to make an impact in his first season overseas on the offensive end, but he was also a defensive presence ranking #4 in Block percentage at 5.4%.

Maodo Lo, Columbia --> Brose Bamburg

German fans were well aware of Maodo Lo when he came back to his homeland after a stellar career with Columbia as the Berlin born Lo previously spent time playing for the German national team. At Columbia, Lo was a high scoring guard netting 14.7 ppg as a sophomore, followed by 18.4 ppg as a junior and finally 16.9 ppg as a senior where he was a 1^st team All-Ivy league selection. In college, Lo ranked highly in eFG% and assist rate, but exceled with a steal rate of 4.2%. Lo’s quickness and shooting ability allowed him to step in from Day 1 for the BBL champs. Lo played just under 20 minutes a game starting 16 out of 31. He averaged 7.3 points and 2.6 assists per game in a crowded back-court while ultimately bringing a change of pace to the methodical and efficient Bamburg squad (think UVA).

Shaq Goodwin, Memphis --> Science City Jena

After a four-year career at Memphis, Shaq Goodwin ended up playing for Science City Jena, a non-playoff team. He averaged 14.7 points as a senior in Memphis and in 22 games in the BBL he averaged 9 points and 4.9 rebounds coming off the bench. Goodwin shot 57% from the field, but similarly to his time in college, he was not overly efficient on the offensive end (107 ORtg as a senior vs. 99.0 in Germany).

Those That Left Germany Early:

Shavon Shields, Nebraska --> Fraport Sky

Shavon Shields was an impact player for ¾ of the BBL season. The 6’7” forward from Nebraska settled into a stretch 4 position early on for Fraport and was averaging 14 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in a starting role. Shields was able to create his own shots attacking from 15 feet, but managed to shoot over 50% from inside the arc and 37.5% from 3. With Fraport out of the playoff race, Shields bolted out of Germany in April to join the Italian league.

Wes Washpun, Northern Iowa --> Ludwigsburg

After a stellar senior season that saw Wes Washpun average 14 points a game and hit buzzer-beaters on command, the 6’1” guard began his year with Ludwigsburg as the starting point guard. He scored 15 points in his first game and was able to create shots for himself with ease. Washpun experienced some early season high’s and low’s as Ludwigsburg started off 5-1 before a three game losing streak. In mid-November the team signed international veteran Clifford Hammonds who took over the starting point guard role. After one game coming off the bench, Washpun was back to the D-League in the U.S. suiting up for the Iowa Energy where he averaged 6.7 points per game.

Trevor Cooney, Syracuse --> Rasta Vechta

Trevor Cooney was a Bob Sura All-Star in college as he spent a total of five years at Syracuse,  red-shirting his freshman season. Cooney was a 3-point marksman in the ACC and scored double figures his last three years while making 281 3’s in his Cuse career. Cooney bounced around in his first year outside of New York and ended up with Rasta Vechta, a struggling team that was promoted from Pro A this season. Cooney signed with the team in early November and played eight games. He failed to get going averaging just 3.4 points per game having to play both guard spots. Cooney left in January and was picked up with the Long Island Nets in the D-League. 

Chris Hass, Bucknell --> Phoenix Hagan

It was a short lived BBL season for the high scoring guard from Bucknell. After being named All-Patriot league as a junior and senior (17 ppg), Hass signed Hagan, who was a team moving up from Pro A under the promotion / relegation system. In 11 games, Hass started eight averaging 11.2 points while shooting 39% from 3. Hagan had their membership revoked from the BBL for a failure to pay players in a timely manner and Hass finished the rest of the season in the Czech NBL.

Kazembe Abif, Drexel --> Rasta Vechta

Kazembe Abif is a 6’7” forward that had a limited stint in Germany. At Drexel he averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds as a senior and ranked in the top 10 in the CAA in defensive rebounding efficiency. In the BBL, he was limited to just three games as a replacement player seeing just 6 minutes of action per game.