Ryan Boatright is the new point guard of Cedevita Olimpija

Tuesday, 30. July 2019 at 14:59

Another American player will be playing at the point guard position of Cedevita Olimpija squad. It is Ryan Boatright, who used to play for the Texas Legends and Unicaja last season.

Ryan Boatright (Photo: Cedevita/Marin Susic)

New American player has joined Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana ahead of the new season. It is a player, that is well-known to the ABA League basketball fans, Ryan Boatright, who used to play for Cedevita in the 2016/17 season. The 26-year old point guard has signed a one-year deal with the Ljubljana squad.

Boatright has first made his mark at the Connecticut University and became one of the key players already in his first season. He has been improving his statistics from season to season and in 2014 he won the trophy of the NCAA League. He was selected into the All-tournament team of the Final tournament of the NCAA League, after he scored 13 points, while adding 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 38 minutes spent on court in the final game. In the last season, that he spent in Connecticut, he averaged 17.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

He later put on the jerseys of several NBA teams such as Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons and some of the G-League squads, such as Grand Rapids Drive, Agua Caliente Clippers and Texas Legends. He also played in Europe for Orlandina before his episode at Cedevita.

Boatright began the 2016/17 season in the squad of Guangzhou Long-Lions, and afterwards joined Cedevita in November 2016. He averaged 17.1 points, 3.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game in 18 ABA League games. He won the domestic championship with Cedevita, became Croatian Cup Winner with Cedevita as well and was named the MVP of Croatian National Championship.

Ahead of the 2017/18 season he moved to Besiktas and started the 2018/19 season at Agua Caliente Clippers, moved to Texas Legends in December and finished the season at Unicaja. In 7Days EuroCup his average was 6.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.2 rebounds per game.

Ryan Boatright was satisfied with his arrival to Ljubljana: "I’m very excited to join the club and to be a part of Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana organization. I cannot wait to get down there and get started with the new story. I’m looking forward to the new season and to make it a successful one. Thank you for trusting in me."

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Ryan Boatright novi organizator igre Cedevite Olimpije

Igro članske ekipe Cedevite Olimpije bo na položaju organizatorja igre kreiral še en ameriški košarkar. To je Ryan Boatright, ki je v minuli sezoni nosil dres ekipe Texas Legends in Unicaje.

Cedeviti Olimpiji se je pred začetkom nove tekmovalne sezone pridružil nov košarkar s potnim listom Združenih držav Amerike. Gre za starega znanca parketov v Ligi ABA, Ryana Boatrighta, ki je v tekmovalni sezoni 2016/17 že nosil dres takratne zagrebške Cedevite, z Ljubljančani pa je 26-letni organizator igre podpisal enoletno pogodbo.

Boatright je na svoje košarkarske veščine prvič resneje opozoril v svojem prvem letu na ameriški Univerzi Connecticut, in že v svojem prvem letu postal eden izmed nosilcev igre. Svojo statistiko je izboljševal iz sezone v sezono, leta 2014 pa z UConnom osvojil naslov prvaka študentske Lige NCAA. Imenovan je bil v najboljšo peterko zaključnega turnirja četverice, na finalni tekmi pa je v 38 minutah igre dosegel 13 točk, zbral pa še šest skokov in štiri podaje. V zadnji sezoni, ki jo je preživel na Connecticutu, je v povprečju beležil 17,4 točke, 4,1 skoka in 3,8 podaje na tekmo.

Pozneje je Boatright nastopal za NBA moštva kot so Brooklyn Nets, Detroit Pistons in za nekaj moštev iz razvojne lige, kot so Grand Rapids Drive, Agua Caliente Clippers in Texas Legends. Prav tako je zaigral v Evropi za Orlandino, preden se je pridružil zagrebški Cedeviti.

Naslednjo sezono je Boatright začel v kitajskem moštvu Guangzhou Long-Lions, novembra 2016 pa se je pridružil zagrebški Cedeviti. Tako se je med drugim preizkusil tudi v Ligi ABA in na 18 tekmah v povprečju dosegal 17,1 točko, 3,6 podaje in 2,1 skok na tekmo. S Cedevito je osvojil naslov hrvaškega državnega prvaka, postal je tudi hrvaški pokalni prvak, izbran pa je bil za najkoristnejšega igralca finalnega niza hrvaškega državnega prvenstva.

Pred začetkom sezone 2017/18 se je preselil v turški Bešiktaš, sezono 2018/19 pa začel v ekipi Agua Caliente Clippers, decembra prestopil v Texas Legends, nato pa sezono sklenil v španski Unicaji. V dresu španskega kluba je nastopil tudi v 7Days EuroCupu in na šestih tekmah v povprečju beležil 6,7 točke, 2,2 podaji in 1,2 skoka na tekmo.

Ryan Boatright je izrazil zadovoljstvo ob prihodu v Ljubljano: "Sem zelo vesel, da sem se pridružil temu moštvu in da sem postal del Cedevite Olimpije Ljubljana. Komaj čakam, da prispem v Ljubljano in da začnemo novo zgodbo. Veselim se nove sezone in možnosti, da spišemo zgodbo o uspehu. Zahvaljujem se za zaupanje."

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