Ekene Ibekwe In Israel

Ekene Ibekwe (2003-07) has started his first pro season by playing for two teams in in Israel's Premier League. He started the season with Hapoel Galil Elyon, but was then traded to Hapoel Gilboa/Afula before the first game of the Premier League schedule. Here is his player stats page.

Travis Garrison in South Korea

I haven't been able to find any news reports about his signing, but Travis Garrison (2002-06) is on the roster of South Korea's SK Knights. Here is a Google translation of his player profile. (Warning! Their website will try to resize your browser window, and a lot of what's there is displayed in Flash animations and images of Korean text, so Google translation doesn't work very well.)

Wizards Cut Tony Massenburg

The Tony Massenburg (1986-90) era is over in Washington, as the Wizards cut him from their preseason roster yesterday:

Earlier in the month, when Massenburg was invited to try for a comeback, he was just happy to be around.

"Just to get to this point, just to get the invite ... is a tremendous accomplishment," he said then.

But he averaged just two points, 1.8 rebounds and only 8.3 minutes in four preseason games, well short even of his modest career numbers.

The same story can be found in the "Notes" sections of many fine sports sections. Congratulations to The Louisville Courier-Journal, which gets the link above and a thumbs up for at least punching up the story with some quotes and commentary instead of just re-printing it verbatim like every other paper in the country.

Terrence Morris Featured in the Baltimore Sun

Today's Baltimore Sun has a very good feature article about Terrence Morris (1997-2001). I posted back in July about Morris signing with Maccabi Tel Aviv. The Baltimore Sun piece talks about what this means for Terrence's career:

For Morris, 28, this year is huge in terms of how his basketball career will play out, his agent said. After being cut in January 2006 by the Orlando Magic, the NBA market had dried up.

"Step one was putting him in a good situation with a decent team in Europe where he could get some minutes," Kneisley said. "He parlayed that. Step two is doing well with Maccabi. They are a powerhouse team. People pay attention to big teams in the EuroLeague."

Step three is next year. Morris has just a one-year deal in the "high six figures" according to The Neustadt Group, so his play this year will dictate whether he goes backward or forward, whether he can make the jump back to the NBA or sign with Macabbi or another big-time European club. If he plays below expectations, he could find himself looking for a job again.

Byron Mouton To Play for CBA's Albany Patroons

Byron Mouton (2000-02) has signed with the CBA's Albany Patroons. OSC News has a bio of Mouton in their brief story:

Byron Mouton is a 6'6", Guard/Forward and 2002 graduate of Maryland University. Mouton began his college career at Tulane, where he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team as he led Tulane in scoring with 15.3 ppg. As a sophmore he was named Honorable Mention All-ACC. He then transferred to Maryland, where he helped the Terrapins reach the NCAA Final Four in his junior and senior year. Mouton was a starter on the 2002 National Championship Team. Since he started for Maryland during its 2002 title run, Mouton has played for 13 professional teams in nine leagues. Mouton has played in the CBA (Idaho Stampede), Germany, France, Dominican Republic, China, the NBA-DL and the ABA. Prior to signing with the Patroons, Byron Mouton played with the Wilmington Sea Dawgs of the PBL.

Rodney Elliott Joins Agricola in Italy

Rodney Elliott (1994-98) signed with Agricola Gloria Montecatini, an Italian 2nd Division team. Here's the news release in Italian, and the Google translation into semi-English:

Agricola Gloria Montecatini Terme announced that he had reached an agreement with the annual American athlete Rodney Elliott, 31 years old, strong wing 202 cm. Elliott is a long-very technical, with great shot from distance and can be dangerous even near basket. He knows the Italian basketball having played three excellent seasons in the top flight with Mabo Livorno and Scavolini Pesaro, closing with excellent percentages.

After the bureaucracy for a visa, the player Baltimore reach Montecatini Terme, where found Phil Melillo, coach with whom he shared the Italian experience in Pesaro.

Nik Caner-Medley Released by Kings

Nik Caner-Medley (2002-06) was released by the Sacremento Kings yesterday. The Sacremento Bee says:

The Kings made their first cuts Sunday, waiving centers Rashid Byrd and Adam Parada and forwards Nik Caner-Medley and Brandon Robinson to bring the roster to 15.

The moves were not surprises. None of the four played in both exhibition games last week and Caner-Medley was the only one to get double-digit minutes, with 10.

Tony Massenburg Attempts a Comeback with the Wizards

Out of action since winning an NBA Championship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005, Tony Massenburg (1986-90) is attempting to make a comeback. He has been invited to the Washington Wizards training camp this month:

Massenburg signed with the Washington Wizards on Monday, a day before training camp opens, and if he makes the roster at the end of the month, he would have a chance to play for a league-record 13th franchise.

"I'm happy to be here, there's no question about that. I'm definitely enthused about the opportunity," the 6-foot-9 forward said. "It's not easy to roll the dice on a guy who's 40."

The Richmond Times-Dispatch also has a good feature story on Tony's comeback from off-the-court injuries at age 40:

Two years ago, Tony Massenburg highlighted his 13-year NBA career by winning his first title as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. He'd come all the way from Sussex Central High School to basketball's highest level.

Just two weeks later, he'd all but dropped from sight. [...]

On a summer night in 2005, Massenburg fell asleep behind the wheel of his Mercedes sedan. By the time he woke up, he'd driven it into a concrete wall. One of his ankles was pretty well crushed, necessitating three weeks of confinement to a bed, eight more weeks in a cast and eight months of rehab. [...]

"I'd never been a star player, and I'd done some bouncing around," Massenburg said, "but I had not intended to retire before the accident. I had planned on playing two or three more years and I still want at least one more season."

The full story of Tony Massenburg's career is too long for me to post here, so I'll instead just direct you to his Wikipedia bio for all the details.

Nik Caner-Medley Invited to Kings Training Camp

In a development that has been rumored on NBA message boards since the end of the Vegas Summer League, Nik Caner-Medley (2002-06) has been invited to training camp with the Sacramento Kings (full roster here). According to the Sacramento Bee:

For players such as Nik Caner-Medley, the most crucial of times begins now.

The rookie forward out of Maryland will wear a Kings jersey starting today at the team's practice facility, where the annual affair known as media day will reveal little about this team other than its personality. There will be smile and sizzle, the hot lights of cameras and notepad-scribbling reporters chronicling the views and vibe of the upcoming campaign before a ball has been officially bounced.

But for Caner-Medley -- whose solid play in July's Las Vegas summer league earned him an invitation -- there is a chance, albeit small, of making an NBA regular-season roster. He's not the only long shot, either.