Early Departures - Initial Situations Were Not Meant To Be For Some Buckeyes

(Image - Matt Terwilliger - Joensuu, Finland - Fall 2011)

The Game - Behind & beyond the bright lights of the arena, exposure & publicity of television/media, and the lifestyle and persona of a basketball player, lies normal individuals with the natural work ethic, pride, and integrity that exists within every professional in greater society. Some would say these athletes are fortunate to make a career out of playing a game we all love. Yet as we all know, many of these basketball journeys are not without obstacles, adversity and attrition.

In the right or best situation, The Game at its peak can be the ultimate fulfillment. But that right situation can sometimes be difficult to find in what is a competitive sport & market. The pro game is inevitably a business...clubs/franchises have no reservations about parting ways with a player if they feel the situation is not adequate, and athletes can likewise take their services elsewhere as well. It's all about discovering that dream situation & opportunity.

We've grown accustomed to seeing frequent player movement from following the international pro game. Even with all these scouts, agents, and other liaisons between players and clubs, signing on to a team (from the player perspective) or acquiring a new player (team perspective) can be a hit or miss type of deal.

In late September 2011, class of 2008 Buckeye Matt Terwilliger landed in Joensuu, Finland to play for top Finnish club Kataja Basket, reportedly for a trial run. Terwilliger (pictured left: defending Anthony Brown of Kouvot - Finland 10.2.2011) competed in three official regular season games with Kataja from September 29 to October 5 resulting in an average of 13 points and six rebounds (Boxscores -- Gm1, Gm2, Gm3)

Kataja seems to be in search of a long term big forward. They brought in Matt as a replacement for another import Kenny Walker, but after three games, the club announced that Terwilliger would not be continuing with the team. Matt, now in his fourth year as a pro, brings all of his years of pro experience from the German Bundesliga (Germany's top division and a top ten league in Europe). His first two pro seasons were with Paderborn Baskets before moving to Phoenix Hagen for the 2010/2011 stint. Matt is a capable rebounding forward with a reliable jumpsot that extends to three point range.



Byron's Short Stay in Greece - With the growing list of NBA players heading overseas due to the lockout, we wondered if any NBA Buckeyes would sign with an international club. Well in early September we were indeed elated to hear that Byron Mullens had agreed to play for Panionios B.C of Greece, the same club of Byron's former OSU teammate Jon Diebler! But Byron's career in the Greek League did not last long. Following a couple weeks in Athens, Mullens traveled back to the States after deciding that being away from his Thunder teammates was not an optimal situation for him.

- From NewsOK (Darnell Mayberry 10.9.2011)

Byron Mullens has returned to the states.

"The Oklahoma City Thunder center who last month signed with the Greek basketball club Panionios had a change of heart and decided to come back home.

“Felt out of the loop not being with my team here,” Mullens said via text message after landing in Ohio on Sunday night.

Mullens left for Athens on Sept. 21. But infrequent games in the Greek League, coupled with a desire to participate with his Thunder teammates in organized voluntary workouts, helped lead to his decision to return.

Mullens' contract with Panionios had a termination clause that would have allowed him to return if he NBA lockout was lifted.

“We enjoyed it,” said Mullens, who traveled to Athens with his newlywed wife, Sharissa. “But at the end of the day, it wasn't worth not being here with my crew.”

Because of his obligations to Panionios, Mullens had missed out on Thunder team workouts in Austin, Texas last month and Lexington, Kentucky last week. Several Thunder players, including Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James harden and Nick Collison attended both."(link)

We thought it would have been good for Byron to play in a quality European league during the lockout, and seeing him team up with fellow Buckeye Jon Diebler was highly anticipated (if only for a few weeks). But at the same time, you can not really blame Mullens for leaving. The Greek League is not the most stable of leagues. And if I was a teammate of NBA stars Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook, and James Harden, I would be attempting to be around them as much as possible too!

Say it ain't So - Stockman mulling retirement? We learned in late September that Tony Stockman planned to continue his career with the Halifax Rainmen, a club based in Nova Scotia, Canada. But the veteran of six years quickly determined that Halifax was not a professional situation and voluntarily left Canada after a few days of training camp.

Rick Noland of the Medina-Gazette wrote two very good articles that go into detail about Stockman's status. According to Noland, Stockman is considering retiring from the game of Basketball.

Please read these two articles

9.23.2011 -Medina-Gazette: Tony Stockman Signs With Pro Team in Canada

10.13.2011 - Medina-Gazette: Tony Stockman Leavs Canadian Team

Tony Stockman was an All-Star player in the Brazilian NBB last season (one of the top leagues in South America). He obviously has a lot left in the tank. Don't retire Tony! lol