Turkish Delight For Bradshaw
Tagged in: Tall Blacks
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Toby Robson, Dominion Post
Craig Bradshaw has signed with Turkish division one club Efes Pilsen, ending speculation that the Tall Blacks forward might play in this year’s National Basketball League.
It is the first big European league contract for Bradshaw, who played for the Brisbane Bullets in the Australian national league in his first season as a professional after leaving Winthrop University.
Bradshaw, from Hutt Valley, will make his first appearance in the Turkish National League for Efes Pilsen tonight against Alpella, the start of a planned two-month stint in Istanbul.
“It was one of those last-minute contracts for Turkey’s division one competition,” Bradshaw’s Sydney-based agent Brett Hollitt said yesterday. “We expect him to see out the season there for the next two months.
“He’d been exploring his options when the Brisbane Bullets finished up and this was just what he was looking for. He’s pretty excited.” Bradshaw’s move is great news for the Tall Blacks too, with his game sure to develop in the tough Turkish league ahead of July’s Olympic qualifying series.
Efes, the most successful club in Turkish basketball, are currently second on the national league table with an 18-6 record.
However, the club has been in crisis in recent months after four American players refused to travel to Serbia for a Euroleague match because of security concerns. The club released the players.
Bradshaw’s Turkish stint ends any hopes the Hawke’s Bay Hawks had of signing the Wellingtonian.
Club general manager Michael Barbour told The Dominion Post in February that Bradshaw had agreed to play for the club if he missed out on a contract in Europe.
However, Hollitt said that was a misunderstanding, with Bradshaw never committing to any New Zealand club.
“All I can really say is there was interest from the Hawke’s Bay club and interest from the Wellington club. He didn’t pledge to signing a contract or anything. The Europe team was always the first preference for him.
“We were always looking at Europe.”
