Courtesy of Eurobasket LLC We bring you last week's top former Mustangs players who are currently playing in pro basketball.
#1. In the recent match, the seasoned Senegalese player, Maurice Ndour, standing at 6'9'' and playing as a power forward, was unable to lead Brescia (21-7) to victory. Despite his commendable performance, Brescia suffered a heavy 93-68 defeat on the road against the higher-ranked (#3) Armani Milano. Ndour showcased his skills by scoring 11 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and blocking 3 shots during his 29 minutes on the court. Even though Ndour displayed an outstanding performance against Milano, contributing 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist, his team could not secure a win in the game. Throughout this season, Ndour has been maintaining an average of 9.3 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game, the second-best in the league, across the 36 games he has participated in so far.
#2. Dominican Republic's Jhery Matos, a 6'5'' shooting guard aged 30, known for being a 49ers alumnus from 2021, showcased his skills in a recent game leading Metros to a 92-86 victory over the fifth-ranked Heroes in the Dominican Republic Liga Nacional de Baloncesto. Matos, who previously played for Monroe College between 2017 and 2018, currently plays professionally in the Dominican Republic. Against the Heroes, he exhibited an outstanding performance by contributing 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in 31 minutes of play, ultimately guiding his team to success. Metros de Santiago, with a record of 14-5, holds the second position in the Places 1-6 group, solidifying Matos's reputation as a champion. His consistent performance this season, with an average of 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game in the four games he has played so far, further cements his status as a finalist.
#3. Experienced champion Jeff Early Jr., a 6'3'' guard who is 37 years old, graduated from SIU in 2013. He had a notable stint playing for Monroe College between 2010 and 2011, where he received the NJCAA D1 All-Americans First Team award. Currently, he is playing professionally in Puerto Rico. In a recent game, Early Jr. and his team, Criollos de Caguas, were unable to defeat the Osos, who had a lower ranking. Early Jr. had a challenging game, scoring only 3 points in 10 minutes of play. Despite his efforts, Criollos de Caguas suffered their first loss after a streak of five consecutive victories, falling 89-98 to the Osos in Manati. Despite the loss, Early Jr. showed his skills in a previous game against Manati by contributing 3 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist. Throughout the current season, he has been averaging 5.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 25 appearances. While Thursday's game may not have been one of his best, the champion Jeff Early Jr. continues to showcase his talent and experience on the court for Criollos de Caguas in Puerto Rico.
Other former Monroe College players, who play in pro basketball:
Mouhamadou Gueye (6'9''-F-1998, played in 2016-19) plays for Chicago Bulls in the NBA
Christopher Obekpa (6'9''-PF-1993, played in 2010-12) played for Fujian Sturgeons in Chinese CBA few monts ago
Nehemias Morillo (6'6''-PF-1992, played in 2013-14) played for Indios in Dominican Rep. LNB last year
Nikola Danicic (6'8''-F-2001, played in 2021-23) played for Zdravlje in Serbian 2MLS last year
Zion Styles (6'3''-G-2000, played in 2018-20) plays for LU in Latvian LBL
Julio Pascual (6'8''-F-2000, played in 2019-21) plays for Marineros in Dominican Rep. LNB
Isac Ahnstrand (6'2''-G-2002, played in 2021-23) plays for Umea in Swedish Basketligan
Hampus Ahlin (6'5''-F-1995, played in 2016-17) plays for Djurgarden in Swedish Superettan
Jalil Abdul-Bassit (6'4''-G-1992, played in 2011-12) played for Delikatesas in Lithuanian RKL last year
Dani Koljanin (6'8''-F-1996, played in 2016-17) plays for Hottur in Icelandic Division I
Juan Felix Rodriguez (6'0''-PG, played in 2018-20) played for CDP in Dominican Rep. Santiago League last year
Marc-Antoine Bourgault (6'5''-SG-1990, played in 2010-12) played for Vanves in French NM2 last year
Thomas Binelli (6'10''-C-1999, played in 2017-19) plays for wiha Panthers Schwenningen in German Regionalliga
Luka Ivkovic (6'7''-F-2001, played in 2019-21) plays for Jadran in Serbian 1MRL
Williams Tavares (6'6''-G-1995, played in 2014-16) plays for ASCVD in Senegalese N1M
AJ West (6'8''-C-1991, played in 2012-13) played for Gujarat Stallions in Indian INBL last year
Manuel Peral (5'10''-PG, played in 2023-25) plays for Vall D'uixo in Spanish Tercera FEB
Will Martinez (6'5''-F-1992, played in 2018-19) played for Mount Vernon Power in the MBL last year
Notice: The list above includes only some of alumni playing currently in pro basketball. Check complete list of Monroe College basketball alumni.
Maurice Ndour is last week best Mustangs alumni, who plays professional basketball (Photo: @pallacanestrobrescia)
