By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Experienced Nigerian center Tonye Jekiri officially parted ways with Fenerbahce Beko.
Jekiri, 28, was released from his contract, the team announced Friday.
The two-year contract signed last June included an option for the second season. Logging a fourth campaign in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, the Lagos native and former standout of the Miami Hurricanes made 30 appearances, including ten starts, and put up 4.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks per contest. Fener ended up in the Playoffs as the eighth seed and fell to top-seeded Olympiacos in five games.
Limited to ten appearances at the domestic level by injuries and restrictions regarding foreign players on the lineup, Jekiri averaged 5.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.1 blocks per contest. The team coached by Dimitris Itoudis entered the Playoffs as the second seed and was knocked out by crosstown rival Anadolu Efes in the Semifinals.
The veteran of 111 games played in Europe’s premier club continental competition would be a nice fit for most teams in the league seeking an additional player in the paint. Besides the most recent games played with Fenerbahce, previous EuroLeague experience stretches to UNICS, TD Systems Baskonia, and LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne.
Coming out of Miami, earlier former teams are Gaziantep, Filou Oostende, and Bandirma Kirmizi. The spell with the Belgium club featured 13 games played in the 2017-18 edition of the Basketball Champions League and two more in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net