EDIT: Jubril Adekoya, Kevin Van Wijk & VASHIL Fernandez signed w/CB Peñas Huesca

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/CBPenasHuesca/status/891613371707121664
https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/891752919669895174

I read the LEB Oro League is the 2nd highest division in the Spanish Basketball League. I wonder if Shane and Jubril will ever run into each other over there in Spain.

[VULB#62]

Fantastic. Love the guy.

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/892059031182946304
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/892058935674499074

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2017-18/17486/adekoya-signs-professional-contract-with-cb-peas-huesca/#.WX9bYP_yuAw

Adekoya Signs Professional Contract With CB Peñas Huesca
Monday, July 31, 2017

[VUGrad1314]

Very happy for Jubril. He deserves this after all the BS he put up with last year.

[FWalum]

While I certainly believe that Jubril certainly deserves this opportunity, I think this shows that having dual (possibly triple - US, UK and Nigerian) citizenship may be a big advantage in playing for the higher level teams in Europe because you can get around the US player restrictions.  Congrats Jubril!

[VU2014]

Kevin Van Wijk has signed with C.B. Peñas Huesca and will be teammates with Jubril Adekoya next season!

Two Valpo Alums on the same team in Spain! Pretty cool.

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/897503713698369536
https://twitter.com/CBPenasHuesca/status/897040393640042497
https://twitter.com/HuescaBasket/status/897078444353257473

[agibson]

read the LEB Oro League is the 2nd highest division in the Spanish Basketball League. I wonder if Shane and Jubril will ever run into each other over there in Spain.

They won't play each other in league this season, but their cities seem just about 3h30 apart by car. Now, in Europe, that could come with a 75 euro toll. (Or looks like an hour by bus and then 4h by train.) But, still, I bet Bilbao on the coast is a nice place to visit. I'd be shocked if Jubril and Shane don't connect in person sometime, and probably KVW comes along for the ride.

Looks like Huesca finished close to the bottom of the Liga Oro (2nd division in Spain) last season, just above the relegation spots.

Bilbao finished middle of the table in the ACB (first division). That's not enough to get them into the league playoffs. But, apparently Spain's league is competitive enough (is it best in Europe these days?) that it _does_ qualify them for European competition. Not the top EuroLeague where Rowdy had his run to the semi-finals or whatever, but at least to the EuroCup. (We're in the second season of a European Champions league now too - I'm not quite sure where that sits in terms of prestige. Bilbao's not in that, it seems.)

[VU2014]

3 Valparaiso Crusaders on 1 Team in Europe!

https://twitter.com/CBPenasHuesca/status/941618975338876928
https://twitter.com/CBPenasHuesca/status/941775018048086016

http://www.cbphuesca.com/news/noticia-vashil-fernandez-se-incorpora-al-levitec-huesca/

Translated to english by google: Vashil Fernandez, Jamaican player, will play at Levitec Huesca until the end of the season. It is a center of 208 cms and 118 kilos that will help in the internal game of the team.

Last season he was in the Sioux Falls Skyforce as an affiliate player of the Miami Heat, having had a contract in the preseason with the NBA team, and in Greensboro Swarm. Both teams of the NBA G-League.

During his university career the Jamaican trained in Valparaiso, where he averaged 4.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. In the last two years at the American University he was elected Defender of the Year in the Horizon League as he was in the defensive quintet of his conference and in 2016 he was awarded as the best defender of the competition thanks to his 3.3 blocks per match in the Division I of the NCAA.
Likewise, he has also debuted with the Jamaica national team, reaching the 2014 Centrobasket.

Welcome Vashil!

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/941783726152912896

[VUGrad1314]

This is fantastic news! That team's got some real good players in the frontcourt now who are tough as nails and bring a diverse range of skills. Furthermore, they should do all right on the glass most nights.  With Hammink also playing in the country it may be time to make a trip to Spain to watch some basketball (or at least figure out how I can watch the games). You guys think maybe the alumni association can organize a trip over there? 

[valpotx]

Very odd, but good for him!  What happened with his Romanian team?

[agibson]

Crazy.

Looks like it's KVW's team. He leads in MPG, PPG, and RPG (31, 16, 8.5). But Jubril's contributing (16, 6, 3) and they're both hitting some threes.

Fascinating.

[historyman]

While I certainly believe that Jubril certainly deserves this opportunity, I think this shows that having dual (possibly triple - US, UK and Nigerian) citizenship may be a big advantage in playing for the higher level teams in Europe because you can get around the US player restrictions.  Congrats Jubril!

Pretty impressive for a kid from Tinley Park where Jubril is still a legend at Andrew HS. Just go there and mention his name.

[VU2014]

A article about Vashil, Kevin and Jubril all being on the same team.

https://twitter.com/sporthuesca/status/945597030541484033

https://www.sporthuesca.com/valparaiso-la-universidad-de-levitec-huesca/

Google Translate:


Valparaiso: the university of Levitec Huesca

It is the circumstance that with the arrival of Vashil Fernandez, there are 3 Levitec Huesca players trained in the American university of Valparaiso, joining the Jamaican to Jubril Adekoya and Kevin Van Wijk, players with whom he shared costumes in different times, given that between the Dutch and the American there was no coincidence in the university.

Kevin Van Wijk (2010-2013), Vashil Fernández (2011-2016) and Jubril Adekoya (2013-2017), have a common bond, and it is their varsity team within the NCAA , Valparaiso , nicknamed the crusaders, shirt they wore in different times with the coincidence during some period of the last to arrive, Vashil Fernandez, with both players, although in different periods.

With the large number of American universities divided into several divisions, it is very coincidental that 2 players come from the same university team, as happened in the 2014/2015 season where in Huesca, also in LEB Gold, the 2 players of Elon University agreed. , Lucas Troutman and Sebastian Koch, but that this number rises to 3 as in the current season, is almost unlikely to occur.

Of the 3 Levitec Huesca players trained at the University of Valparaiso, up to 2 of them, Kevin Van Wijk and Vashil Fernández, are considered among the 10 best that have worn the yellow shirt for the last 25 years, in what would be a hypothetical squad with illustrious names such as former ACB and LEB Gold Lubos Barton, former NBA Bryce Drew and currently NBA Alec Peters.

Statistically Kevin Van Wijk was the best of the 3 in his journey as a crusader, signing in his best season 14,1 points and 5,2 rebounds, giving the curious circumstance that in his time at the university of 3 years, he just launched on 7 occasions from the triple, a facet that today exploits successfully in their matches.

Vashil Fernandez can be considered the best defensive player of the university, since he became the best defender of the entire NCAA, something that can be presumed by very few players and almost all of great importance. His best campaign of this defensive specialist ended with 5.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and an incredible 3.3 blocks.

Finally Jubril Adekoya , was always as a man of rotation, his best campaign was the last one that was truncated by academic issues, something for which the NCAA is very strict, signing numbers of 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds, with a spectacular 50% from the triple.

Three players who today defend the interests of Levitec Huesca , but who once played for the University of the State of Indiana, Valparaiso Crusaders , 2 teams separated by many kilometers that this season have a common bond difficult to repeat.

[bbtds]

Finally Jubril Adekoya , was always as a man of rotation, his best campaign was the last one that was truncated by academic issues, something for which the NCAA is very strict, signing numbers of 8.5 points and 5.1 rebounds, with a spectacular 50% from the triple.

If I was Spanish and knew of the history of the NCAA and of players from large universities getting away with academic fraud how would the idea that the NCAA was "very strict" with Adekoya yet almost no punishment was given to UNC athletes after not attending "fake" classes  make my mind explode. How do Americans justify this unfair treatment of different athletes?

[valpotx]

For those of you that enjoy doing a lot of research, does Valpo have an inordinate amount of professional basketball players in the last 25 years, specific to non-Power 5 programs?  It seems like we graduate at least 2 players each season that end up playing professionally.

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/CBPenasHuesca/status/946761934736707584

[valpo84]

For those of you that enjoy doing a lot of research, does Valpo have an inordinate amount of professional basketball players in the last 25 years, specific to non-Power 5 programs?  It seems like we graduate at least 2 players each season that end up playing professionally.

Tx, I haven't done the numerical data review of this, but we do seem to have lots of guys playing overseas.  We start with a higher percentage of foreign born players.  We have developed a number of these players over their 3-4 years.  They return to overseas teams with in some cases foreign citizenship requirements met.  We have successes from the Olympic level to the Euro club levels.  From Kikas and Rowdy to the Shawn Huffs and Luboses.  Not mention the networks we now have over there - Ensminger coaching in Germany. The reputation from guys like Casey Schmidt, Raitis and again Lobos.  It has been a process, with AIA trips, etc. The groundwork has been done many years ago and are players have that well-rounded, global education that emphasize a broader perspective and hence ability to adapt quicker and easier to new countries and cultures.