Overview: Belgian Players Abroad (2020-’21)

Traditionally we at TIB publish a little overview at the start of each season discussing the Belgian Players who will be playing abroad. We do this in three seperate categories:

• Belgian Players Abroad in which we discuss the Belgian professional players abroad.
• Belgian Youngsters Abroad in wich we discuss the Belgian youngsters (born in 1999 or later).
• Belgian Student-Athletes in the USA in wich we discuss the Belgian youngsters who have decided to continue their development in the US education system.

With the global pandemic causing havoc for all basketball competitions this season the regular schedules have been blown to bits and we have some competitions that have already started, while others are only now beginning their preparations. Because of this it is quite possible that we will miss some players in these early overviews. But rest assured, we will correct those during the season.

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With that said, let’s get this overview of the Belgian Players Abroad started.

Spain:

• Sam Van Rossom (Valencia – D1). Van Rossom really needs no introduction. The 34 yeard old Point Guard has been a pro since 2005 and is now in his 13th season playing abroad (his 8th season at Valencia). Last season Van Rossom played a total of 34 games for Valencia and averaged 7.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg & 4.3 apg.
• Quentin Serron (Bilbao – D1). The 30 year old Shooting Guard left Belgium in 2016 and has played 3 and a half seasons in France before he joined Bilbao in March 2020 to finish out the season. With Bilbao he played in 7 games and averaged 5.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg & 1.6 apg. Enough to get his contract extended to the current season.
• Jonathan Tabu (Manresa – D1). The 34 year old Point Guard enters his 17th season as a pro of which the last 11 have been abroad. Going from Italy, Spain, Germany and France, Tabu has now returned back to Spain. Tabu comes off a strong season at Le Portel in which he played 19 games and averaged 9.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 3.4 apg & 0.9 spg.
• Benjamin Janssens (Avila – D4). The 22 year old swingman is looking to carve out a solid career and has left Belgium to join the renowned Canarias Basketball Academy, after which he signed with Avila in the Spanish EBA where he has remained. Last season at Avila he played a total of 20 games and averaged 5.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.4 apg & 0.9 spg.

France:

• Hans Vanwijn (Dijon – D1). After three seasons at Antwerp the 25 year old Forward and reigning Belgian Player of the Year has now taken his logical first steps abroad as he signed with Dijon. Last season he played a total of 29 games for Antwerp and averaged 11.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg & 3.0 apg.
• Ismael Bako (Asvel – D1). Vanwijn’s former teammate and good friend, 24 year old Center Bako, preceded him by a year and joined Asvel last season where he ended up playing in a total of 45 games to average 5.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg & 1.0 bpg. A solid performance on which he hopes to build this season.
• Thomas Creppy (Stade Rochelais – D3). The 30 year old Guard/Forward moved back to France after 3 seasons in the Belgian First Division. He previously played in France for Le Puy & Aubenas. He has now received a 3 month deal with Stade Rochelais to replace an injured player on their roster. Hopefully he can show his skills and will manage to find a team to complete out the rest of the season.

Germany:

• Jean Salumu (Rasta Vechta – D1). 30 year old Shooting Guard Salumu left Belgium in 2018 and went from Turkey to Italy where last season he played for Pistoia. In a total of 20 games he averaged 13.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg & 2.0 apg. For his third season abroad Salumu will now get to know the German Bundesliga as he has signed with Rasta Vechta.

Greece:

• Kevin Tumba (Kolossos Rodou – D1). The 29 year old Center left Belgium during the 2016-’17 season when he traded in Spirou Charleroi for Murcia in the Spanish Liga Endesa. He has remained at Murcia since then and last season played a total of 19 games in which he averaged 2.2 ppg & 3.3 rpg. This season he moved to the Greek competition as he signed with Kolossos.
• Matthew Lojeski (AEK Athens – D1). The 35 year old American/Belgian Guard/Forward who started his professional career with Okapi Aalst back in 2007 is now in his 8th season abroad. After 6 seasons in Greece (with Olympiacos and Panathinaikos) Lojeski then moved to Turkey last season where he competed for Tofas. In a total of 34 games he averaged 10.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg & 2.5 apg. This season Lojeski is back in Greece as he signed with AEK.

Lithuania:

• Andy Van Vliet (Siauliai – D1). The 25 year old Forward/Center Van Vliet just graduated from US college (William & Mary) and will start his professional career in Lithuania with Siauliai. He’s the first Belgian player to compete in the Lithuanian LKL. In his senior year in college Van Vliet averaged 13.2 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.5 apg & 1.3 bpg.

Poland:

• Maxime De Zeeuw (Stelmet Zielona Gora – D1). The 33 year old Power Forward initially left Belgium back in 2014 and has passed through Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany and these past 2 seasons played for Obradoiro in Spain. Last season he played in a total of 21 games and averaged 3.5 ppg & 2.0 rpg. This season De Zeeuw will get acquainted with a new league as he has signed with Stelmet Zielona Gora in Poland.

Portugal:

• Thomas De Thaey (Oliveirense – D1). The 29 year old Power Forward last played in Belgium during the 2016-’17 season (Okapi Aalst) and has since then tested the waters abroad. After passages in Romania and France, De Thaey landed up in Portugal for the 2018-’19 season where he put down stellar numbers and helped his team Oliveirense to the Portuguese title. Last season De Thaey then moved to the Spanish second division with Breogan where he played 7 games in which he averaged 8.6 ppg & 6.0 rpg. This season De Thaey is back in Oliveirense in hopes to put in a repeat performance similar to his first season with the Portuguese club.

Turkey:

• Thomas Akyazili (Bahcesehir – D1). The 23 year old Guard had his first experience abroad as a pro last season when he left the Antwerp Giants to sign with Bahcesehir in Turkey. He played in a total of 18 games and averaged 2.7 ppg & 1.3 rpg in his first season there and is now looking to increase his input this season.

Netherlands:

• Ordane Kanda-Kanyinda (Feyenoord Rotterdam – D1). 24 year old Guard Kanda is back at Rotterdam where he already played during the 2017-’18 season and finished that season as the league’s top-scorer (18.6 ppg). He then returned back to Belgium and played with the Kangoeroes and last season with Spirou Charleroi but was unable to find his place on the team now that he was no longer the leader on the floor. With a return to Rotterdam Kanda hopes to regain his role as a go-to-guy.
• Alhassan Barrie (The Hague – D1). 25 year old Forward Barrie spent his rookie season as a pro split between Löwen (D3 Germany) and Melilla (D4 Spain). In Spain he averaged 12.1 ppg & 5.0 rpg in a total of 8 games. This season he has signed with the newcomers in the Dutch Basketball League The Hague.
• Killian Van Den Langenbergh (Den Helder – D1). 22 year old Guard/Forward Van Den Langenbergh will get his first experience abroad this season after he spent last season with Mons-Hainaut. At Mons he mainly played with their second team and only played in 4 games in the EMBL in which he averaged 1.8 ppg.
• Rikkert De Maertelaere (Aris Leeuwarden – D1). 23 year old Guard De Maertelaere will start his professional career in the Dutch Basketball League after graduating from Simpson (USA – NAIA). At Leeuwarden he will team-up with another Belgian youngster Cedric Dedecker (who will be included in our Belgian Youngsters Abroad overview).

Switzerland:

• Jonathan Dubas (Vevey – D1). The 29 year old Power Forward with the Swiss and Belgian nationality returns to the club where he started his career. Dubas has spent the majority of his career in Switzerland (other than 1 and a half seasons in Belgium) with Vevey, Monthey, Lugano and last season with Geneva. For Geneva he appeared in 20 games and averaged 8.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.5 apg & 1.0 spg.

Morocco:

• Yassine El Mahsini (AS Sale – D1). The Belgian/Moroccan 26 year old Guard has left Belgium in 2016 when he signed with ASS Sale in Morocco where he has played ever since.

Luxembourg:

• Nicolas Hittelet (AB Contern – D1). The 22 year old Forward with the Belgian and Luxembourger nationality last played in Belgium in the 2015-’16 season (Gistel-Oostende) and has since been playing in the Total League in Luxembourg. After 3 seasons with Sparta Bertrange he will now enter his second season with AB Contern. Last season he played 20 games for them and averaged 5.1 ppg & 2.5 rpg.
• Xavier-Robert François (Residence – D1). After 4 seasons in the Belgian EMBL (Kangoeroes & Mons-Hainaut) 26 year old Center François moved to Luxembourg last season where he joined Residence who were then playing in the second division. François has remained at Residence for this season and will this time compete in the first division with them.

Notable Free-Agents:

• Retin Obasohan. Despite another strong season in Germany the 27 year old athletic Guard Obasohan still remains without a club for the current season. This season will be his 5th season as a pro since graduating from Alabama. In 37 games played for Bamberg last season Obasohan averaged 8.4 ppg, 1.8 rpg & 2.6 apg. At TIB we can only hope that the very talented Obasohan will quickly get picked up by a team.
• Manu Lecomte. Another extremely talented Belgian Guard that is still available for this season is 25 year old Manu Lecomte who split last season between Murcia and Gran Canarias in the Spanish Liga Endesa. This season will be his 3rd season as a pro after he graduated from Baylor in 2018.
• Elias Lasisi. The 28 year old Shooting Guard is also still looking for a new club this season after he spent last season with Göttingen in the German Bundesliga. At Göttingen he played in a total of 17 games and averaged 8.1 ppg, 2.1 rpg & 1.2 apg.

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This concludes my overview of the Belgian Players Abroad. My Overview of Belgian Youngsters Abroad and Belgian Student-Athletes in the USA are coming up soon. If I have missed anyone in this overview please let me know so that I can add him to our ‘To watch’ list.