Supporters of ESSM Le Portel could have two good surprises for the price of a weekend. There has already been the convincing victory for Portelo in Strasbourg (76-75) at the opening of the 8th day of Betclic ÉLITE this Friday, November 8. And there should also be an arrival very soon, with the upcoming signing of the American point guard Deondre Burns (1.88m, 27 years old) according to our information.
After five seasons in the American university fold, Deondre Burns entered Europe through the back door. He first averaged over 20 points during his first two professional seasons in second-tier championships (Switzerland and Cyprus). Last season, after reigning over the Cypriot league (All-Star and champion), the Mississippi native reached a new level by knowing the Bundesliga and the Winner League. Starting the season in Göttingen (12 points on average at over 50% on shots), he finished it at Hapoël Holon, including the opportunity to discover the Champions League (7 points at 44%, 2.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 6 games).
The exit door open for CJ Kelly
But the arrival of Deondre Burns at Le Portel will inevitably create traffic jams at Le Portel, which already has the Strasbourg hero, Christer Zorickas well as Gaëtan Meyniel et C.J. Kelly. But if he was able to stretch his legs in Hungary this week during the FIBA Europe Cup meeting (13th rating in 24 minutes), the latter makes a negligible contribution in Betclic ELITE. Used only 2 minutes and 15 seconds at Rhénus, the one who arrived from a club relegated to Italian D3 averages 1.9 points and 1.1 assists.
“If he likes this role, he will stay since he has a contract”indicates Éric Girard. “Unlike 90% of the teams in the championship, we don’t have the means to say: “We don’t like you”. He's a good boy, he works well but we were expecting a 2-1 and it can't be 2… So we can't say to him: “You're leaving, how much do we owe you?! “If he wants to stay, he will stay, if he likes being there, in that role…” Way, nonetheless, to say that the door is wide open to find elsewhere, like the departure of DeAndre Pinckney to Maccabi Haifa.
With Alexandre Lacoste in Strasbourg.
