Olaseni inks deal with German team

NORTH LIBERTY - In what he calls 'the best situation for me”, former Iowa center Gabe Olaseni signed to play pro basketball with Brose Baskets of the EuroLeague next season.

'I really thought this was a great opportunity for me,” he said Thursday night while watching Prime Time League action. 'It's the second-best league in the world. For them to offer a rookie a deal, it very rarely happens. My agent was commenting that a lot of the NBA teams said I definitely need to go for this opportunity. It's a no-brainer, just to get a year of experience and come back and hopefully try the NBA again.”

Olaseni, who stands 6-foot-10, was named the Big Ten's Sixth Man of the Year this season. He was third on the Hawkeyes in scoring (8.1) and fourth in rebounding (4.8).

Olaseni, a London native, was undrafted but signed with the Miami Heat for the NBA's summer league. He started six of eight games, averaged 21.4 minutes, 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks a game. Three times he scored in double figures and he became close with Heat assistant and former Michigan Fab Five star Juwan Howard.

'I just tried to take advantage of it,” Olaseni said. 'It was a great experience on and off the court, just picking all the assistant coaches brains, trying to learn a lot. I think I had more questions than they could answer. It's just a great overall experience.”

Brose Baskets is based in Bamberg, Bavaria. Olaseni is the second Iowa player agreeing to terms with a German squad this week. Forward Aaron White will play for Telekom Baskets Bonn in North Rhine-Westphalia, The Gazette confirmed this week. White was drafted by the Washington Wizards, who still will retain his rights.

Olaseni said team officials flew to Las Vegas to see him play and want to help him improve and develop. He had other opportunities such as the D-League, but playing in the same time zone as his family made the signing 'a no-brainer.”

It was a trying senior year for Olaseni, whose father died last November. Olaseni attended a memorial service in London a few weeks later and dedicated his senior year to his father. Signing a pro basketball contract was emotional for the family, and Olaseni said his father remains with him.

'I wish my dad would have been there,” he said. 'Like everything since he's passed away, he's there with me in spirit. I can't wait until the day I see him again and talk about all this stuff. But I speak to him every night. He's here, he's still cheering me on. I'm happy.”

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com