(Elite: Cleveland native David Lighty will play on the highest level of European Basketball next season..a feat which is almost unheard of for an American Rookie)
Lighty Joins Italian Power - The biggest news of the 2011 Summer transfer season hit at the end of the first week of July when former Ohio Star David Lighty reportedly signed with Italian Serie A Club Cantu for his first professional basketball season. David's 'lockout dilemma' was highly publicized some weeks ago where the Cleveland native had to decide between waiting out the NBA lockout in hopes of making a team in vet-camp or accepting a guaranteed contract overseas. The latter (overseas) ended up prevailing and his rookie destination is indeed a great situation.
Serie A - The Italian League aka the Serie A or Lega A (meaning top division) is one of the strongest domestic leagues in European Basketball. We closely followed Italian basketball last season due to the Serie A participation of Buckeyes Je'Kel Foster & Othello Hunter. Balance & parity is the name of the game in this league, every team is relatively strong with the ability to compete and defeat each other on any given night. The Serie A also features great organization (media coverage) and many raucous crowd environments.Moreover, we have also been following the international transfer market this summer, and Italy has notably benefited from the NBA lockout and Greek financial crisis. A lot of top talent has recently transferred to Italian clubs which has only strengthened the Serie A. Italy already had one of the top basketball leagues in Europe, and next season the competition will be oh so serious..and we can't wait!
Cantu - David Lighty's rookie club is called Pallacanestro Cantu aka Bennet Cantu (Bennet is the sponsor) or simply Cantu. Cantu, Italy is located in the Lombardia province near capital city Milan. Bennet Cantu has recently enjoyed a recent rise in the Serie A under Croatian-American head coach Andrea Trinchier. The club finished second in the regular season standings (22-8) and also second in the league playoffs (falling in the finals to perennial power Siena 3-1) Cantu is known for their balanced offensive attack & strong defense which is said to be a great fit for Mr. Lighty. David reportedly signed a two year deal with Cantu with a clause that he can leave for the NBA after one season. (a type of deal like this from a top club wouldn't have been there in the fall)
Euroleague ! Cantu earned a birth into the 2011/2012 Euroleague season due to finishing 2nd in the Italian League last season! As we have noted in the past, the Euroleague is an elite competition, separate from domestic league play, where a collection of the best teams in Europe compete against each other to determine the very best team in Europe.The Euroleague schedule is played concurrently with domestic league
schedules. When the Euroleague schedule hits, Cantu will play an Italian League game on the weekend and then play a Euroleague game during the week. That all means that David Lighty will play on the highest level of basketball outside the NBA, a rare feat for an American Rookie!It will be a great challenge for Dave to adjust to overseas ball in the tough Serie A AND the Euroleague in his rookie season, but if there is one competitor who can do it, it is one David Lighty..and you can bet that we'll be covering his Euroleague games! (more on Cantu's Euroleague group and schedule in a later post)
Columbus Dispatch -Lighty Signs Two Year Deal to Play in Italy
Euroleague - Cantu Inks Lighty
Fox Sports - Italian Coach Says Lighty Can Do It All
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