The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

SOME of the country’s top pro basketball players throughout the European, Asian and Middle Eastern circuit began their seasons on a high note.

Former Bahamian senior national team players are active in leagues in Japan, France, Finland, Argentina, Greece, Spain, Brazil, Turkey and several others.

Kadeem Coleby returned to the Akita Happinets in the Japanese B-League and continues his role as the top shot blocker in the league.

Coleby finished with a team high 22 points and tied a season high with six blocked shots in the Happinets’ 78-71 loss to Okinawa in the East Group.

On the season, the veteran forward is averaging 13.2 points, five rebounds and a league leading 3.2 blocks per game.

At the conclusion of last season, Coleby was honoured among the top players in the B-League at its annual awards show. He took home the trophy for the league lead in blocked shots (2.4 per game) at the Roppongi Hills Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

In his second season with the Happinets, Coleby appeared in 52 games and averaged 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds in just over 30 minutes per game. He shot 54 per cent from the field and also added 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

Kino Burrows has averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Aix-Maurienne Savoie in the French LNB Pro League. He scored 16 points and finished with eight rebounds in his team’s 80-79 loss to JA Vinchy in their latest contest.

Burrows signed with Aix after he spent the previous two seasons in France with Fos-Sue-Mer Byers.In an injury plagued season, he averaged 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last year for the Byers.

LJ Rose is in his first season in Finland’s Korisliiga. He finished with 15 points, five rebounds and six assists in an 86-73 win over Pyrinto Tampere.

Through eight games, Rose is averaging 9.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He spent his first pro season last year with BC Valga-Valka in the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.

Shaquille Cleare and Michael Carey are both in their first season with Actel Forca Lleida in Spain’s Liga Española de Baloncesto – Gold, the second division in the country’s basketball system.

Cleare leads the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game on 61 per cent shooting from the field, but Carey has struggled thus far at 3.8 points in just under 15 minutes per game.

David Nesbitt was on the move for the third time in as many years in Brazil’s pro basketball league, the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB).

This season with Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, Nesbitt is averaging 7.4 points and a team high six rebounds through five games this season.

In 37 games for Flamengo Basketball Club last season, Nesbitt averaged 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds in just over 17 minutes per game en route to the team claiming the league title in a five game series over Sesi Franca BC in May. He shot 56 per cent from the field, 33 per cent from three-point range and 83 per cent from the free throw line.

It was the second consecutive NBB championship for Nesbitt. In 2018, he won his first NBB title with Paulistano Sao Paulo.

Zane Knowles is looking to make an immediate impact in his adjustment to a new club, a powerhouse in the Greek Champions League. Knowles averaged 8.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game for PAOK Thessaloniki this season.

Dwight Coleby is with his third team in as many seasons and is averaging 1.5 points and a team leading 8.5 rebounds for Sigortam.net ITU in Turkey’s BSL League.

Coleby recorded a double-double by scoring 16 points and getting 15 rebounds bu lost his club lost 105-67 in their latest outing against Pinar Karisyaka. He spent a portion of last season alongside his brothern Kadeem with the Happinets following a short stint in Belgium with Liege Basket in Belgium’s Pro Basketball League (PBL). Dwight returned to Leige Basket and the PBL following his stint in Japan.

Tavario Miller is in Argentina’s La Liga with Quimsa Del Estero, and is averaging 11 points and a team high 9.1 rebounds per game. He recently led Quimsa to a 95-74 win over Libertad Sunchales with 11 points and seven rebounds in a mere 17 minutes on the court.

Miller played last season at Grupo Eleyco Baskonia and in 33 games with the club, he averaged 11.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game.

In the previous season, Miller’s team made it to the Norwegian BLNO Semifinals in 2018. He was also voted Eurobasket.com All-Norwegian BLNO 2nd Team in 2018.