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Insider: Drechsel joins Serbian club
8/9/2019 3:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU guard to join KK Mladost Admiral Zemun for 2019-20
Proving that he could play at another level has allowed Trey Drechsel to reach yet another level.
Drechsel translated his game from Division II to Division I last season to be a key player whose results and skills landed a pro career. Drechsel signed this month with KK Mladost Admiral Zemun, a club in the top Serbian league that is a developmental squad for EuroCup mainstay KK Partizan Belgrade.
Drechsel was close to signing with a club in Slovakia before he drew more interest following a strong performance last month at a showcase in Las Vegas, where Lopes teammate Michael Finke also found his pro home in Warsaw.
"It's a perfect situation," Drechsel said before leaving for the club base in Belgrade later this month. "I'm able to learn the European game and be with an organization that sees a lot of potential in me and wants to develop me."
Drechsel played three seasons for Western Washington before finishing his career as a graduate transfer last season at GCU. He started 25 games when he was not playing the role of sixth man. As a big guard at 6 feet 6, Drechsel led the Lopes in rebounds per game (5.8) and ranked second in assists per game (2.4), third in minutes per game (25.9) and fifth in points per game (8.1).
During conference play, Drechsel led the WAC with 6.3 defensive rebounds per game and ranked third with 7.3 total rebounds per game. His top game was a 15-point, 14-rebound effort in a home win against Seattle.
"It's always been a dream to play professionally and that's why I came to GCU, because I thought it would help my opportunities and especially with overseas," Drechsel said. "They put a lot of value in Division I over Division II in Europe. It gives you credibility.
"The best part about me in any system in Europe is they love versatility. I could be the 1 (point guard) through the 4 (power forward). It's even more positionless than basketball is here."
Drechsel will be the only American on the KK Mladost roster but the club has talked about the long-range possibility of him developing into a backcourt mate for former North Carolina star Marcus Paige on KK Partizan.
"It's a little crazy because Serbia is known for being ridiculously intense about their basketball," Drechsel said. "It's no joke. Their coaches are loud and aggressive and they practice six hours a day.
"I wanted to be able to support myself but it was more about setting the foundation for my career. This spot is about be continually getting better and less about the instant bigtime results. It's more about the obvious progression."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
Drechsel translated his game from Division II to Division I last season to be a key player whose results and skills landed a pro career. Drechsel signed this month with KK Mladost Admiral Zemun, a club in the top Serbian league that is a developmental squad for EuroCup mainstay KK Partizan Belgrade.
Drechsel was close to signing with a club in Slovakia before he drew more interest following a strong performance last month at a showcase in Las Vegas, where Lopes teammate Michael Finke also found his pro home in Warsaw.
"It's a perfect situation," Drechsel said before leaving for the club base in Belgrade later this month. "I'm able to learn the European game and be with an organization that sees a lot of potential in me and wants to develop me."
Drechsel played three seasons for Western Washington before finishing his career as a graduate transfer last season at GCU. He started 25 games when he was not playing the role of sixth man. As a big guard at 6 feet 6, Drechsel led the Lopes in rebounds per game (5.8) and ranked second in assists per game (2.4), third in minutes per game (25.9) and fifth in points per game (8.1).
During conference play, Drechsel led the WAC with 6.3 defensive rebounds per game and ranked third with 7.3 total rebounds per game. His top game was a 15-point, 14-rebound effort in a home win against Seattle.
"It's always been a dream to play professionally and that's why I came to GCU, because I thought it would help my opportunities and especially with overseas," Drechsel said. "They put a lot of value in Division I over Division II in Europe. It gives you credibility.
"The best part about me in any system in Europe is they love versatility. I could be the 1 (point guard) through the 4 (power forward). It's even more positionless than basketball is here."
Drechsel will be the only American on the KK Mladost roster but the club has talked about the long-range possibility of him developing into a backcourt mate for former North Carolina star Marcus Paige on KK Partizan.
"It's a little crazy because Serbia is known for being ridiculously intense about their basketball," Drechsel said. "It's no joke. Their coaches are loud and aggressive and they practice six hours a day.
"I wanted to be able to support myself but it was more about setting the foundation for my career. This spot is about be continually getting better and less about the instant bigtime results. It's more about the obvious progression."
Follow Paul Coro on Twitter: @paulcoro.
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