The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Byron Ferguson Jr continues to shine in his pro volleyball career in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The 29-year-old, 6-foot, 6-inch middle blocker is back with the Iraklis, who are currently 1-1 since they resumed play in October to sit in fourth place in Greece’s A1 standings with a 13-9 win-loss record.

Iraklis split their first two games of the season, winning 25-14, 25-21 and 25-17 over the fifth ranked Kifisia, who are 13-9, on October 20 before losing to the No.2 ranked Paok 25-20, 25-17 and 25-19 on Saturday.

They will be back in action on Saturday when they take on the front running Olympiacos, who are still undefeated at 22-0.

“We played two games so far, winning one and losing the other and we play again on Saturday against Olympiacos, which should be a good game,” Ferguson Jr said.

“I’ve had a good season so far individually too, so I just hope that I can improve and so will our team. I know we can play much better than we are right now.”

To his credit, Ferguson Jr was named to the Dream Team, selected every two weeks. He was named as the first middle blocker on the latest team.

“That was very good for me,” said Ferguson Jr on his individual performance so far. “A few games I hit over 90 per cent in blocks and I’m second in the league in aces too.”

The 11-year pro attributed his early success to playing on the men’s national team as he returned to Greece a little more motivated to perform.

“I’ve been working really hard since I got here,” Ferguson Jr stated. “For me, I think our team should be better than we are, but we are in fourth place in the league.

“So I believe it’s only going to be an improvement for us from here.”

During his initial season last year, Iraklis finished fourth, but Ferguson Jr said they are looking to surpass that feat, especially with the additional games they will get playing in China and Portugal.

“In my first year in Greece, I played in the final, so because I already been there, I want to go back because it’s a good atmosphere,” recalled Ferguson Jr when he played with another team.

“So it’s to win obviously. I want to get back there, but I would love it even more if we can go all the way and win the championship title. The Greek league is always competitive because we have a lot of Olympians and top-ranked players.”

For Ferguson Jr, who has been a key factor on the national team, the transition back to the professional one is one that he’s taking in strides. “With the national team, there’s a lot of pressure on me. They expect for me to do a lot more,” Ferguson Jr stated. “Here, I have a big responsibility too, but it becomes so easy when you have a high calibre of players and coaches around you.”

Whether he wins or loses, Ferguson Jr said he just wants to continue to represent the Bahamas to the best of his ability. “As a professional player over here, I try to make the best of my opportunity here and then come home and help out the players there,” he said.

“So when I come home, I always try to get better and hopefully I can inspire some more players to do the same thing that I am doing.”

Ferguson Jr, the son of former veteran female volleyball player Margaret ‘Muggy’ Albury, said he will have about three weeks break in December, so he intends to return home to enjoy the Christmas festivities.

In total, Ferguson Jr said they should end up playing about 40 games during the season, including the Challenge Cup matches throughout Europe.

Ferguson Jr said he remembers how he was approached by an agent, who decided to work with him. He was then invited to try out for his first team, Gentofte in Denmark in 2011, and as they say, the rest is history.

He has been the first Bahamian to play in the professional league in Europe and was followed by Shonari Hepburn, who played in Greece as well the past two years before he signed a deal to play with AKAA-Volley in Finland.