Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Palace of Versailles, the garden [The Jar- din du Luxembourg]. I touched up on the history of the city and did some shopping, too. I experienced some of the nightlife. "I spent a lot of time walking, which was one of the best things I did. I drove in, parked by the Eiffel Tower and I just walked. I walked alongside the Seine River. It was beautiful. … People were taking pictures. It was cool to experience the region. You sit outside, go to a coffee shop. That was my joy those four days." Frazier split the 2023-24 season be- tween clubs in Greece and France then ended the 2024-25 campaign with a team in Israel, averaging 12.9 points and 5.8 as- sists in 13 outings. Happy Valley Reunion Several players from the 2024-25 Penn State roster have signed pro contracts. Point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. played in the NBA Summer League for Memphis, and Swiss native Yanic Konan Nieder- hauser made his NBA debut as part of the Los Angeles Clippers' frontcourt in late October. Also, guard Nick Kern Jr. is playing for a club in Sheffield, England, forward D'Marco Dunn was averaging about 11 points per outing as of mid- November for his team in Finland, and forward Zach Hicks had 11 points in just 14 minutes in early November for Span- ish club Murcia in FIBA Euro Cup action. "I'm excited to sign in Sheffield and begin my profes- sional career in the UK. The Sharks are a team with a lot of great history, and I hope we can add to that history this season," Kern said on the team website. Other former Penn State players, ac- cording to Eurobasket.com, who are playing overseas this season include DJ Newbill (Japan), Qudus Wahab (France), Andrew Funk (Belgium), Jamari Wheeler (Croatia), John Harrar (Japan), Izaiah Brockington (Australia) and Jeff Brooks, who has played several years in Italy since his Penn State career ended in 2011. Penn State's current coaching staff also has overseas ties. Assistant coach Brent Scott played in Spain, Greece and Italy, while fellow assistant and former Penn State guard Joe Crispin played pro- fessionally in Poland, Turkey and Italy. This year's roster features players from Slovenia (freshman forward Tibor Mirtič and junior forward Saša Ciani), Croatia (freshman forward Ivan Jurić) and Tur- key (freshman guard Melih Tunca). Several players who have gone over- seas have reconnected the past three summers while playing for a Penn State alumni squad that has taken part in The Basketball Tournament, a $1 million made-for-TV event. Dubbed the Happy Valley Hoopers, the alumni team has in- cluded Josh Reaves, who played in Turkey, the G League and with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks in 2019-20; Curtis Jones, who played in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Bulgaria; and Lee, who is now in France. Lee was able to talk this summer to current Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades, who was still at Virginia Com- monwealth when Lee played in Happy Valley. Now, Lee is among the many former Nittany Lions playing for pay overseas. He has been to Budapest and Prague and has seen the Eiffel Tower in Paris. "The first year was very difficult," he said. "It depends where you are. To be in France, it's easier since a lot of people speak English." And the language of basketball goes a long way as well for the former Penn State players making a living overseas. ■ Virginia native David Driver lived three years in Hungary, now lives in Poland and is the author of "Hoop Dreams in Europe: American Basketball Players Building Ca- reers Overseas," available at Amazon and daytondavid.com. He has interviewed American men and women basketball players in nearly 20 countries and is the former sports editor of papers in Baltimore and Harrisonburg, Va. Guard Tony Carr spent the 2019-20 season with BC Parma, a professional team based in Perm, Russia. He has since played in Canada, Denmark, Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain and Lebanon. PHOTO COURTESY BC PARMA "It's been great. I've embraced the experience of going overseas. Obviously, it's nothing like the NBA." F O R M E R N I T T A N Y L I O N G U A R D T I M F R A Z I E R ( V I A A N D S C A P E . C O M )