by Eurohoops Team / info@eurohoops.net
After a great season with SIG Strasbourg, Marcus Keene will continue his career with Prometey, as officially announced by the Ukrainian club.
The 28-year-old US point guard averaged 20.2 points per game in the BetClic Elite and 18.1 points in the Basketball Champions League.
Keene started his professional career in Italy, then played in Thailand before spending half a season with the Memphis Hustle in the G League.
He then tried his luck in South Korea and Taiwan before returning to Europe to play for Estonian club Kalev in the 2020-21 season. After that, Keene briefly played for Cedevita Olimpija and then joined Varese in November 2021.
Projected to play another season in the 7Days EuroCup, Prometey previously signed former Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce center Jehyve Floyd.
Iisalo takes over at Paris
After winning the Basketball Champions League and reaching the German Finals with Telekom Baskets Bonn, Finnish coach Tuomas Iisalo has moved to Paris Basketball.
The deal has been officially confirmed by the French club, as Iisalo will succeed Will Weaver, who led the Parisian club during the 2022-23 season, where they made their EuroCup debut and reached the quarterfinals.
“On behalf of everyone at Paris Basketball, including our main owner Eric Schwartz, we are proud to have recruited a coach who is considered by many to be the best young coach in all of Europe. Tuomas Iisalo has demonstrated in recent seasons that he is capable of winning at the highest level in the German domestic league and in Europe’s top competition, the BCL. Coach Iisalo is impressive in every way: smart, strategic, disciplined, and innovative. He is an outstanding communicator. But one quality stands out from all the others: Coach Iisalo wins,” said David Kahn, President and Co-Owner of Paris Basketball.
Iisalo had a memorable season, winning the BCL trophy and setting a record in the German BBL with 32 wins and just two losses in the regular season. However, Bonn was eventually stopped by Ratiopharm Ulm in the quest for the historic title.
Le communique de presse officiel 📝https://t.co/sIWoU6IRtR
— Paris Basketball (@ParisBasketball) June 29, 2023
The 40-year-old coach began his career as an assistant with the Finnish national team in 2014. He worked at Tapiolan Honka before joining Crailsheim Merlins, where he spent five seasons.
During his time with Bonn, Iisalo won two Bundesliga Coach of the Year awards (2022, 2023) and was also named Champions League Coach of the previous season.
“I am really excited about joining this unique project embodied by Paris Basketball. As a man of challenges, the ambitions of the club really speak to me. The management, previous staff, and players have done an impressive job of growing the club in such a short time. There is enormous potential around basketball in the Paris region, and this is what drives me to want to help the club take a new step. My biggest goals will be to create a great work environment and help the team grow. I will also work to develop a special connection between the team, the club, and its fans. The ambition will be to make people want to identify with Paris Basketball and be proud of it,” said Tuomas Iisalo, who will be moving to Paris with his family in August.
Alimpijevic announced as the new head coach of Besiktas
Just as EuroCup announced that Besiktas would be participating in the 2023-24 season, the Istanbul club confirmed the report from Eurohoops that Dusan Alimpijevic will be taking the head coaching position at the team.
“The position of Head Coach of our Men’s Basketball Team has been given to Serbian coach Dusan Alimpijevic, who was selected as the “Coach of the Year” in EuroCup in 2022.
We wish Dusan Alimpijevic great success in contributing significantly to our club, and we present him to the public with our utmost respect,” according to the official statement.
Dušan Alimpijević, Erkek Basketbol Takımımızın yeni başantrenörü oldu. 🦅
Takımımıza önemli hizmetlerde bulunacağına inandığımız Dušan Alimpijević’e başarılar dileriz. 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/4VxQLuJfbe
— Beşiktaş Basketbol (@BJK_Basketbol) June 29, 2023
Alimpijevic concluded his tenure as Bursa’s coach after two years. He led the Turkish club to the EuroCup final in 2022, where he was named the Coach of the Year. Under his leadership, Bursa also reached the BSL Playoffs in the previous two seasons.
Before his time in Turkey, the Serbian coach worked at Vojvodina, Spartak Subotica, FMP, Crvena Zvezda, and Avtodor.
Former Fairfield standout Derek Needham was announced as a newcomer later Thursday. He actually played under Alimpijevic over the last two seasons at Frutti Extra Bursaspor. Previous offseason additions to the Istanbul outfit were Egehan Arna and Berk Ugurlu.
Ethan Happ joined Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria, the defending EuroCup champions, have made their first summer signing with the addition of Ethan Happ to their roster. The club has officially announced the deal, securing the American center for the 2023-24 season.
Happ made his ACB League debut last season with Rio Breogan, averaging 12,6 points and 7,9 rebounds per game, with an average PIR of 17,3 across 34 games played.
After playing four years of college basketball at Wisconsin, Happ joined Olympiacos in 2019. However, after just one appearance, he moved to Vanoli Cremona for the remainder of the season. He subsequently played for Fortitudo Bologna and Dinamo Sassari in Italy, as well as Riesen Ludwigsburg in Germany, before joining Breogan in the summer of 2022.
📝 OFICIAL | Ethan Happ refuerza el juego interior del Dreamland Gran Canaria.
▪ Estrella universitaria, tercero en valoración en la pasada Liga Endesa, máximo reboteador de la competición y el mejor en robos de balón. Firma por una temporada.
👀 https://t.co/ujplqhmV2S pic.twitter.com/PLB0StReRW
— Dreamland Gran Canaria (@GranCanariaCB) June 29, 2023
Dimitris Katsivelis will continue his career at Aris
Aris has bolstered its team with the addition of Dimitris Katsivelis, as both parties have reached an agreement for the upcoming season.
This signing holds great significance for Ioannis Kastritis’ team as they make a return to European competitions after a hiatus since 2019 and a comeback to the EuroCup since 2016.
Katsivelis, a 32-year-old point guard, brings valuable experience from his previous stints in the EuroCup with AEK (2015-16) and Promitheas (2019-20), as well as his participation in the EuroLeague with Olympiacos (2010-15).
In the recently concluded season, Katsivelis played a crucial role in Kolossos’ journey to the playoffs in the Basket League with averages of 7.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 2.5 turnovers in 22 games. He also contributed to the qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup, recording 6 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 2 games.
Turk Telekom adds James Palmer Jr.
Busy days for Turk Telekom with a huge effort of rebuilding the squad, following the run to the championship game of the 2022-23 edition of EuroCup.
Among the most recent moves, James Palmer Jr. inked a deal for the 2023-24 season. The 26-year-old shooting guard carries the experience of 19 appearances in the EuroCup with JL Bourg last season.
Also joining last season’s runner-ups was 24-year-old forward Yigitcan Saybir. In turn, veteran guard Mehmet Yagmur penned a one-year contract extension.
Other confirmed players for the team guided by new head coach Nenad Canak are Jalen Adams, Metehan Akyel, Markis McDuffie, Troy Selim Sav, and Okben Ulubay.