CLARKSVILLE—Former Austin Peay State University men's basketball standout Averyl Ugba has signed with Pully Lausanne Foxes in the Swiss Basketball League (Ligue Nationale de Basket A).
Located about an hour northeast of Geneva on the shores of Lac Léman, Pully Lausanne was founded in 1951 as Pully Basket, winning four Swiss League titles and five Swiss Cups from 1985-92. Ugba joins a team which qualified for the SBL playoffs last season before succumbing to eventual champion Fribourg—the former team of legendary Austin Peay standout Derek Wright, now in Bulgaria.
No doubt Ugba will go right to work for a team that had only one player average more than five rebounds per game a season ago. He'll slot in alongside former All-MEAC standout Jonathan Wade of Norfolk State and former Texas and Maryland big man Shaq Cleare to add some much-needed height to a team whose current roster averages out at 6-3.
In his lone season in Clarksville, Ugba proved to be an absolute beast, averaging 15.7 points and 8.0 rebounds as Austin Peay advanced to the OVC Tournament semifinals and CIT quarterfinals. The Silver Spring, Maryland native was named first-team All-OVC for his efforts and earned a league-record eight OVC Newcomer of the Week honors. His 17 made field goals against Jacksonville State, Jan. 13, remains the second-highest total in a Division I game this season, and he was named MVP of the John McClendon Classic to open Austin Peay's stay in the CIT with a game-high 27 points against ULM. He concluded his Austin Peay career with 10 double-doubles, 273 rebounds (tied for 13th-most in a single season in school history) and a 14-game streak of double-figure scoring nights, averaging 18.7 points over that span.
After the season ended, Ugba was invited to represent Austin Peay and the OVC in the Dos Equis 3X3U National Championship in San Antonio. He remained in Clarksville for much of the summer to work out and entertain offers before choosing his new home in Switzerland.
"I couldn't do it without my teammates, especially my point guard (Tre' Ivory), because the success we had this year really put me on the radar and I am forever grateful," Ugba said. "The key to success is having self-discipline on and off the court, and Austin Peay certainly helped me with that.
"I had offers but I just felt that Pully was going to be the best place to start off my career. It reminds me of Austin Peay a little bit and because of that, I already like them. And I couldn't do anything without my agent (Adam Godes) putting me in a great situation."
