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Photo by: HAKRO Merlins
Insider: Russell joins German club
10/12/2018 10:09:00 AM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
Former GCU star signs in Crailsheim, rises to higher league
Former Grand Canyon star DeWayne Russell made the most of a chance to prove himself in his first year as a pro, and the basketball world took note.
Russell's court work in France last season earned a spot this season with HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, a club in top German league Basketball Bundesliga.
The 24-year-old guard joined the Merlins on Tuesday after the team lost this season's first two games. He will wear No. 0, his number while averaging 21.2 points and 5.4 assists as a GCU senior.
Last year, Russell signed a short-term contract with SLUC Nancy in the French Pro B league, but his play earned a starting job and a full-season contract. He averaged 13.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals with 47 percent shooting to be an All-France ProB honorable mention with Eurobasket.com.
"He played a very good season there and is now ready for the next step," Merlins coach Thomas Iisalo said in German on the club's website.
The Merlins expect Russell to be a court magician.
"A small and fast guard with a lot of energy," Merlins sporting director Ingo Enskat told basketball.de in German. "He will strengthen us in the build-up position and close the gap there in the team."
Russell could make his Merlins debut today when the Merlins play at Alba Berlin.
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Russell's court work in France last season earned a spot this season with HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, a club in top German league Basketball Bundesliga.
The 24-year-old guard joined the Merlins on Tuesday after the team lost this season's first two games. He will wear No. 0, his number while averaging 21.2 points and 5.4 assists as a GCU senior.
Last year, Russell signed a short-term contract with SLUC Nancy in the French Pro B league, but his play earned a starting job and a full-season contract. He averaged 13.6 points, 5.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals with 47 percent shooting to be an All-France ProB honorable mention with Eurobasket.com.
"He played a very good season there and is now ready for the next step," Merlins coach Thomas Iisalo said in German on the club's website.
The Merlins expect Russell to be a court magician.
"A small and fast guard with a lot of energy," Merlins sporting director Ingo Enskat told basketball.de in German. "He will strengthen us in the build-up position and close the gap there in the team."
Russell could make his Merlins debut today when the Merlins play at Alba Berlin.
Mehr zu unserem Neuzugang @weezyRussell00 jetzt auf unserer Homepage 👉https://t.co/XruL5QQifl und heute um 19.00 Uhr auf unserer facebook-Seite 👀📲 https://t.co/GdwFgRA38r pic.twitter.com/qWYQrHMGYA
— HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim (@cr_merlins) October 9, 2018
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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