By John Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
Jericole Hellems, a former North Carolina State standout with plenty of European stops across his ensuing professional career, was released from his contract with Zalakerámia ZTE after punching a fan in the stands on Friday.
Per the press release: “After today’s game against Kaposvari, one of our players, Jericole Hellems, hit a fan. This is an unsportsmanlike act that our club cannot ignore. Therefore, we are terminating the player’s contract with immediate effect today.”
With frustration boiling from the majority of the team supporters in attendance to the player himself, Hellems confronted and eventually attacked a fan after a home loss to Kometa-KVGY Kaposvari. He was forced off the court by his teammates to avoid further escalation.
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The 26-year-old small forward has also displayed his talents in the G League, besides mostly focusing on challenges in Europe, including two spells in Greece with Lavrio Aegean Cargo and Promitheas. He joined ZTE at the top of the 2025-26 season, and averaged 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 0.3 steals per contest over six appearances, with only one win.
The losing effort, adding to a disappointing start in the top-tier division of Hungary, also prompted a head-coaching adjustment with Kostas Mexas taking over from Sebastjan Krasovec on Sunday.
“We are trying to understand how we can do things differently, together with the players. Hopefully, day by day, practice by practice, we can start to improve,” the 49-year-old Greek tactician described the approach to his new job.
The next game is on the road opposite SZTE-Szedeak on Wednesday.