A few former Badgers have announced their plans to continue their basketball careers. Sam Dekker (2012-15) and Brevin Pritzl (2015-2020) are headed to Turkey and Serbia respectfully. Dekker will play with Turkish Super League team Turk Telekom SK while Pritzl will play for KK Tamis of the Basketball League of Serbia.
The former Sheybogan Area Lutheran standout found himself in a tough position after being part of three different teams in his last two NBA seasons. He would go on to average 5.5 points and 3 rebounds per game in his NBA career. Dekker then moved to Russian team Lokomotiv Kuban last August where he would go on to almost double his productivity, averaging 11.5 points and 5 rebounds. Turk Telekom SK published the move on Twitter last week.
“I’m so thankful for my story and all the lessons I’ve learned. Last year when I signed to go to Russia, I was almost embarrassed and anxious. Now, I couldn’t be more excited and proud of everything I’ve gotten to see/do. It’s made me grow up so much and I can’t wait for more,” said Dekker on Twitter.
When seasons were cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic, student athletes were left with a feeling of “incomplete”. For Pritzl, he was hoping his dream of playing professionally would come to fruition. He inked his first professional contract last week.
“We’re just waiting and seeing if they are going to offer me a contract,” Pritzl said (via UWBadgers.com). “I’ve been staying in shape for when the opportunity presented itself.”
The De Pere High School standout played in all 31 games and would go on to average 8.0 points per game along with shooting 37% from beyond the arc. Pritzl played a crucial role when Wisconsin went on their late season run of eight consecutive wins. He averaged 10.3 points and hit 13 triples during that time.
As Always
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