Posted: Aug 22, 2013
Rocky Mount, N.C. - Former North Carolina Wesleyan men's basketball standout Brandon Givens has signed to play professionally with Basket Esch, a Eurobasket Total League affiliate and National Basketball Club located in southwestern Luxembourg. He joins fellow American Jibril Hodges from Long Beach State, who has previously played in the NBA Development League and is entering his second year with Basket Esch.
"I am excited for this opportunity, and I want to give God all the praise and honor for me being able to continue playing basketball at the professional level," said Givens. "I want to thank all the staff at North Carolina Wesleyan who helped me during my time there. First and foremost, I want to thank Coach John Thompson, who helped me learn so much on and off the court to prepare me for this opportunity. I also want to thank Coach David Doino, Mrs. Stephanie Battle, Mrs. Martha Proctor and all my teammates."
A pro contract was inevitable for Givens, who captured the nation's scoring title and set a new program record for scoring average at 26.8 points per game last season. A First Team All-American and the reigning USA South Player of the Year, the Ruffin, S.C. native becomes the second Wesleyan player in the past six months to sign a professional contract, joining former Bishop Matt Dougherty who is currently playing in Australia.
Said Thompson, "We are obviously very proud of Brandon. He is very deserving of this opportunity and I am certain Basket Esch will be pleased with him. He is a tremendous talent and a good person. We are glad that he is part of our basketball family, and I look forward to following what I believe will be a long and successful career."
Givens added, "Practices at North Carolina Wesleyan and learning from my coaching staff and teammates, in addition to a lot of hard work and dedication, have prepared me well. I look forward to the challenges ahead, and I am honored to be here in Luxembourg with Basket Esch."
Basket Esch kicks off its season in late September/early October. Please visit the team's Eurobasket website for updated schedules, rosters and stats via http://basketball.eurobasket.com/team/Basket_Esch/5248.