TORONTO, April 17, 2013 – Slan Sports Management is pleased to announce that Akeem Wright has signed a contract to play the 2013 season with the OceanaGold Nuggets of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NBL).

Wright, a 6’6’’ small forward, played for the Nuggets last summer before making stops in Israel’s National League and the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada) this past winter. In 2012, he was the NBL’s second leading scorer at 22.4 points per game. He was also fifth in the league in rebounding at 9.4 per game, fifth in assists at 4.6 per game, third in steals at 2.2 per game, and fifth in blocks at 1.2 per game. Wright was named to the Australiabasket.com New Zealand NBL All-Imports Team and the Australiabasket.com All-New Zealand NBL Second Team.

Wright finished his season in Israel averaging 21.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.3 steals for Maccabi Kiryat Gat. He then joined the Halifax Rainmen of NBL Canada for their last nine games of the 2012-13 season. There, he averaged 15.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.4 steals. He shot 55.6% from the field and 41.4% from three-point range.

Originally from Philadelphia, Wright played his college career at Kansas State University under coach Bob Huggins. He graduated in 2007, averaging 6.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in his senior season. Since then, he has made stops in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the NBA Development League, and Argentina before ending up in New Zealand for the 2012 season.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to return to Otago for the 2013 season,” said Wright. “We made a great run last year and my goal this season is to help the club win a championship – nothing less.”

For more information and individual box scores for Akeem throughout the season, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/akeem-wright

-30-

SSM currently has 5 players still in season.  Here are their accomplishments from the past week.

Evaldas Zabas – BK Pardubice (Czech Republic)

Pardubice was in action twice last week in stage 2 of the Czech Republic NBL season. On Wednesday, April 3rd, Evaldas produced 18 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds in a loss to BK Decin. Then, on Saturday, April 6th, he scored an impressive 23 points and added a season-high 11 rebounds in a close loss to NH Ostrava. He also went 4-for-9 from three-point range.

Evaldas’ next game is on April 13th against BC Kolin.

You can watch Evaldas play live each week here: http://www.tvcom.cz/

For more on Evaldas, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/evaldas-zabas

Jacob Doerksen – Rasta Vechta (Germany)

Rasta Vechta kicked off their best-of-five quarter-final playoff series against Ehingen last week. On Friday, April 5th, they jumped out to a 1-0 series lead, winning 86-79. Jacob led a balanced scoring attack for Rasta Vechta, scoring a team-high 15 points on 6-for-7 shooting. He also had 10 boards and 2 steals. On Sunday, Rasta Vechta increased their lead to 2-0, winning 76-70. Jacob was 3-for-5 from the field for 11 points and 8 rebounds in this one. He was also a big factor in a strong defensive performance for Rasta Vechta, producing 3 steals.

Game 3 is on April 9th.

For more on Jacob, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/jacob-doerksen

Andrew Wedemire – Glasgow Rocks (United Kingdom)

Glasgow finished up their regular season with games against Newcastle and Mersey last week. On Friday, Andrew had 7 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist in a 93-80 loss to Newcastle. Then, on Sunday, the Rocks concluded their season with an easy 90-57 win over Mersey. Andrew got the start in this one, and he took advantage with an impressive 17 point and 10 rebound performance.

Andrew’s playoff dates will be posted when they become available.

For more on Andrew, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/andrew-wedemire

Brandon Robinson – Summerside Storm (Canada)

Summerside lost two tight games to open their NBL Canada Final series against the top-ranked London Lightning last weekend. On Saturday, the Lightning edged the Storm 105-100. Brandon scored 12 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and dished out 2 assists in his return from a sprained ankle. The next night, Brandon finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds but the Storm fell by a narrow 99-96 margin.

Game 3 is on April 10th.

For more on Brandon, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/brandon-robinson

Simon Farine – Kiryat Tivon (Israel)

Simon tallied 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in a tough loss to Hapoel Afula on Tuesday, April 2nd. Despite a rough night for Kiryat Tivon offensively, Simon still made 2-0f-3 three-pointers and has now hit 13 shots from long distance in his last 5 contests.

Simon’s next game is on April 9th against Maccabi Kiryat Bialik.

For more on Simon, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/simon-farine

Willy Manigat – Summerside Storm (Canada)

Summerside is currently down 2-0 to the London Lightning in their NBL Canada Final series. The rookie did not see time in either game last week.

Game 3 is on April 9th.

For more on Willy, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/willy-manigat

TORONTO, April 3, 2013 – Slan Sports Management (SSM) is pleased to announce that Alex Murphy has re-signed with Team FOG Naestved of the Denmark Basket Ligaen for the 2013-14 season.

Murphy, a 6’2’’ point guard from Vancouver, British Columbia, is coming off of his first professional season, in which he averaged 12.0 points, 4.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.  His 4.8 assists were fifth best in the Denmark Basket Ligaen; he accomplished this while only turning the ball over 2.4 times per game.

Murphy also finished the season shooting 44.6% from two-point field goal range, 38.6% from three-point field goal range, and 86.2% from the free throw line.

“I have truly enjoyed my first year playing in Denmark for Team FOG Naestved and have had the opportunity to learn a lot from coach Geof Kotila,” said Murphy. “I certainly look forward to playing there again next year and improving our team’s standing in the league.”

Murphy graduated from St. George’s High School in Vancouver before attending the University of British Columbia (UBC). In his senior season at UBC, he averaged 10.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. He also led the Thunderbirds to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport National Semifinal, averaging 19.9 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds during the playoff run.

After graduating from UBC, Alex made a brief stop in Germany before eventually ending up in Naestved for the start of the 2012-13 season.

Naestved finished with 13 wins and 14 losses this season, tied for fifth in the Denmark Basket Ligaen.  The team hopes to build on a solid season and aims to be a championship contender in 2013-2014.

Matt Slan, SSM’s founder and president is “incredibly happy” for his newest client.  “We believe that Alex has a bright future ahead of him,” said Slan. “Re-signing with Naestved reinforces the fact that he is the type of player and person who is coveted by teams throughout Europe and by our agency.”

For more information and individual box scores for Alex throughout the season, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/alex-murphy

-30-

Jacob Doerksen – Rasta Vechta (Germany)

Jacob had a pair of excellent games for Rasta Vechta last week. He scored 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting in a rout of Leipzig on Thursday, March 28th. Jacob also rounded out his stat line with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks. Then, on Saturday, he notched 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and pulled down 4 boards in an 87-78 win over Ehingen. Jacob is now shooting a ridiculous 64.9% from the field this season.

Jacob’s regular season has concluded and playoff dates will be posted when they become available.

For more on Jacob, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/jacob-doerksen

Andrew Wedemire – Glasgow Rocks (United Kingdom)

Andrew played very well in two Rocks’ wins last week. He produced 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists against Surrey on Friday, March 29th, then poured in 15 and 7 on Sunday against Worcester. Andrew has heated up from three-point range of late, hitting 6-of-10 over his last 5 games.

Andrew’s next game is on April 5th against Newcastle.

For more on Andrew, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/andrew-wedemire

Brandon Robinson – Summerside Storm (Canada)

After dropping game 1 of their semi-final series with Windsor, Summerside won 2 of 3 last week to even the series at 2, forcing a deciding game 5. In game 2 on Tuesday night, Brandon posted 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, leading the storm to a 114-98 victory. Then, on Thursday, Summerside took a 2-1 series lead, winning 112-84. Brandon finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists in this one. Finally, Windsor evened the series with a thrilling 124-122 double-overtime victory on Saturday night. Unfortunately, Brandon was forced to leave the game early after turning his ankle. He scored 12 points and grabbed 7 boards before his departure.

Game 5 is on April 2nd.

Brandon was named to the starting lineup of the Atlantic Conference All Star Team:

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/NBL-Canada-All-Stars-Announced-.html?soid=1101896013653&aid=TSsgLVv673k

For more on Brandon, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/brandon-robinson

Simon Farine – Kiryat Tivon (Israel)

Simon notched 25 points,  4 rebounds, and  5 assists in an impressive win over Maccabi Beer Yaakov on Thursday, March 28th. He also disrupted the other team’s offense all night, finishing with a season-high 6 steals. This was Simon’s 4th straight 20-point game, as he continues to light up the stat sheet down the stretch for Kiryat Tivon.

Simon’s next game is on April 2nd against Hapoel Afula.

For more on Simon, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/simon-farine

Evaldas Zabas – BK Pardubice (Czech Republic)

Pardubice battled Euro Cup and VTB League team CEZ Nymburk on Wednesday, March 27th. It was a highly contested game but Nymburk pulled away late, winning by an 84-75 final. Evaldas had 9 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds but his playing time was limited due to early foul trouble. Pardubice was in action again on Sunday against BK Prostejov. They won 84-74, with Evaldas scoring an incredibly efficient 15 points in only 19 minutes. He went 5-for-6 from the field and added 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

Evaldas’ next game is on April 3rd against BK Decin.

You can watch Evaldas play live each week here: http://www.tvcom.cz/

For more on Evaldas, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/evaldas-zabas

Willy Manigat – Summerside Storm (Canada)

Willy played only a minute in each of the Storm’s playoff games this week. The rookie gives way to veteran players in Summerside’s playoff run.

Game 5 of the best-of-five against Windsor series is on April 5th.

For more on Willy, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/willy-manigat

Matteke Hutzler – Sandhausen (Germany)

Matteke’s season has concluded. She averaged 14.1 points, 11.2 rebounds (6th in the league) and 2.2 steals (8th in the league).

For more on Matteke, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/matteke-hutzler

Eric Kibi – Halstenbek/Pinneberg (Germany)

Eric’s season has concluded. He finished the season averaging 19.9 points (7th in the league), 9.4 rebounds (6th in the league), 1.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks.

For more on Eric, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/eric-kibi-.

Yannick Anzuluni – BBC  Solarto Eagles Magdeburg (Germany)

Yannick’s season has concluded. His final averages were 17.5 points (10th in the league), 11.0 rebounds (2nd in the league), 4.2 assists (4th in the league), 3.0 steals (2nd in the league), and 1.2 blocks (4th in the league).

For more on Yannick, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/yannick-anzuluni

Julie Seabrook – Bellinzona (Switzerland)

Julie’s season has concluded. She finished her first pro season 10th in the league in scoring at 16.7 points per game, 4th in rebounding with 12.3 per game, and 5th in blocks at 1.5 per game.

For more on Julie, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/julie-seabrook

Alex Murphy – Naestved (Denmark)

Alex’s season has concluded. Naestved went 13-14 this season and Alex finished with averages of 12.0 points, 4.8 assists (5th in Denmark), and 3.0 rebounds per game.

For more on Alex, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/alex-murphy

Akeem Wright – Halifax Rainmen (Canada)

Akeem’s season has concluded.  He finished the season averaging 15.1 points and 8.0 rebounds for Halifax. He shot an impressive 55.6% from the field and 41.4% from three-point range.

For more on Akeem, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/akeem-wright

Tut Ruach – Nassjo (Sweden)

Tut’s season has concluded. He finished 8th in the league in scoring (17.3 PPG) and 1st in steals (2.0 SPG). Tut also averaged 3.9 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.

For more on Tut, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/tut-ruach

Jamelle Barrett – SAM Massagno (Switzerland)

Jamelle is day-to-day with a bruised hip.

Sandhausen’s next game is on April 6th against Neuchatel.

For more on Jamelle, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/jamelle-barrett

Brandon Hassel – Summerside Storm (Canada)

Brandon remained on the injured reserve for games 3 and 4 of Summerside’s semi-final series against Windsor.

Game 5 is on April 2nd.

For more on Brandon, visit: http://slansportsmanagement.com/brandon-hassell

Orane Chin – Bakken Bears (Denmark)