TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Stillman Faculty alumnus Londell King has signed his first skilled basketball contract with NTD BK of the Azerbaijan Basketball Tremendous League, a part of FIBA. He’s anticipated to make his skilled debut this week as he begins the eight-month season.
“I’m tremendous excited and grateful. I really feel so blessed and so fortunate. I’ve been via a lot, so for this to have the ability to occur for me, I can cry tears of pleasure,” King mentioned. “I really feel prefer it’s a terrific program. I’ve performed with a variety of guys who’ve performed abroad or within the league. I’m trying to go and show myself and show that I’m capable of play on this degree and expertise issues I’ve by no means seen earlier than.”
King, a 6-foot-7, 240-pound submit participant, was named an NAIA All-America Honorable Point out and First Group All-Convention choice within the Southern States Athletic Convention (SSAC) in 2022. He helped Stillman (21-9) to its fifth-straight NAIA nationwide event look whereas averaging 14.4 factors per sport on 58% capturing. He averaged 19.8 factors within the last 10 video games and 18.8 factors via the final half of the season, together with two 30-point performances. In two video games of the NAIA Opening Spherical, King averaged 27.2 factors per 40 minutes performed.
“I’m very happy with Londell and his achievement of enjoying skilled basketball. It’s all the time been a dream of his. To see a child have the ability to fulfill his dream is all the time a pleasure, particularly somebody who went via hardships and setbacks, and overcame them. It’s actually particular to have the ability to be part of that. I’m very happy with that man. He’s going to make Stillman proud,” mentioned Stillman Faculty head coach John Teasley.
Eurobasket.com lists King because the NTD beginning heart, joined by former College of Cell guard William Stanford Jr as the place to begin guard. Stanford, a 2020 All-SSAC Second Group choice, leads the league in scoring via two video games. The opposite starters are Azerbaijani gamers Ali Hasanov, Elshad Shirzadov and Shirzad Shirzadov. NTD is coached by Tahir Bakhshiyev.
The preliminary announcement got here Sunday evening on social media from Undertaking B Sports activities agent Brandon Wooden, a 2020 graduate of Stillman Faculty. Wooden is the agent for each King and Stanford. King is his first Stillman consumer to signal knowledgeable contract.
“It means absolutely the world to me,” mentioned Wooden of serving to King. “It’s my type of giving again to have the ability to use my platform, my goal and my job to assist a man from my alma mater fulfill his dream.”
King got here to Stillman in 2018 after enjoying at Gulf Coast Faculty and Morehead State College. He started his profession as a redshirt at Southern College earlier than mind surgical procedure reduce quick his time in New Orleans. After serving to Stillman to a SSAC common season title in 2018-19, King took two seasons off earlier than returning to Stillman to finish his diploma. He graduated from Stillman in April 2022.
King would be the fifth former Stillman Faculty males’s basketball participant to play internationally in 2022. Gerard DeVaughn, who final performed at Stillman in 2010, is a beginning heart for Gimnasia in Argentina after beforehand enjoying in Uruguay. He’s averaging 15.0 and 5.5 factors per sport in his first season with the staff. Monyea Pratt, who final performed for the Tigers in 2007, is averaging 18.0 factors, 8.8 rebounds and three.8 assists for staff Focsani in Romania. Leon Hampton, a former teammate of King’s on the 2018-19 Tigers’ staff, performed in Nicaragua this previous spring, whereas Kairo Cannon, a 2017 Tiger, performed within the Caribbean Basketball League.
Cannon and Hampton are additionally amongst a number of former Stillman gamers who’ve performed in both The Basketball League or Skilled Basketball Affiliation in 2022.
Observe the Azerbaijan Basketball League on-line at aze.basketball or EuroBasket.com, Instagram, Fb and YouTube.
