News - Je'Kel Foster Will Return to the German Bundesliga for rising club Bayern Munich!!

(Buckeye Star Je'Kel Foster played his fifth season of professional basketball in the Italian Serie A for Vanoli Cremona)

Big News ! Late July 2011 brought us more exciting international transfer news concerning one of our Buckeye Ballers. Rising German club FC Bayern Munich officially announced the addition of Buckeye Je'Kel Foster on July 21 (a day before Foster's 28th Birthday!).

The now veteran of high level European basketball (5 years experience) played his fifth pro season as the starting shooting guard for Vanoli Cremona in Italy (pictured left: 2010/2011 season). According to reports, Je'Kel has agreed to a two year contract with Munich.

Old Territory - The name Je'Kel Foster is very familiar to fans of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL - German League). Foster played his Rookie pro season (2006/2007) in Ludwigsburg where he was named league newcomer of the year. Then after a year in France, he returned to Germany to play for Oldenburg where he helped the Thunderbirds win the 2009 German Championship which earned an automatic entry into the Euroleague ( he also finished 3rd in BBL MVP voting in 2009). Now, after one season in Italy, Foster will return to Germany to play for an ambitious club that aims for top spot in the Bundesliga.

The next German Power? Je'Kel Foster's new team FC Bayern Munich is currently on a meteoric rise in German Basketball. As we understand it, the Bavarian sports club has mainly been known for its football team, but a recent increase in financial support and sponsorship for basketball has catapulted Munich into many hardwood conversations in Germany and Europe.

Munich won the German Pro A (2nd division) championship last season which earned them a promotion to the Bundesliga (1st division). In addition to the Bundesliga entry, they were also shockingly awarded a wild-card position to play in the Eurocup competition! The head coach of Munich is famous German head man Dirk Bauermann who also leads the German National team.

Now with one of the top budgets in German Basketball, Munich has begun to put together a formidable squad in the off-season with a back-court of Notre Dame rookie Ben Hansbrough and Je'Kel Foster to go along with center Sherrod Ford, forward Jan Jagla from Penn State, and young German talent Robin Benzing. This team is definitely poised to make some noise in Germany & Europe!

- Je'Kel Foster's Pro Timeline -

1. -2006/2007 - EnBW Ludwigsburg (German Bundesliga)
2. -2007/2008 - Paris-Levallois (France Pro A)
3. -2008/2009 - Baskets Oldenburg (German Bundesliga)
4. -2009/2010 - Baskets Oldenburg (German Bundesliga)
5. -2010/2011 - Vanoli Cremona (Italy Serie A)