Overseas Hoops: Bailey snags 18 rebounds in UK; Hendrix nets 30 in Portugal; updates on 10 AK international pros

by | Nov 8, 2022 | Basketball, Cover Story

Jeremiah Bailey

Jeremiah Bailey of Fairbanks must have brought his lunch pail with him to the United Kingdom because he’s putting in work in the British Basketball League.

The 6-foot-6 forward with the pro team Caledonia Gladiators ranks second in the league with 9.9 rebounds per game and has reached double figures in five straight games, including one with a career-high 18.

It doesn’t stop there.

Bailey is his last game had five steals and four blocked shots. He’s doing the dirty work; gritty not pretty, but coaches love it, which explains why his playing time has spiked from 25 to 34 minutes over the last four games.

His production is on the rise as well.

Bailey is averaging 9.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocks in eight games.

Caledonia (3-5) sits eighth out of 11 teams, so could you imagine what the team would look like without the Alaskan? Not good.

Take the last game for example: Gladiators lost 77-73 to Cheshire despite Bailey’s bomb stat line: ⬇️

In Portugal, Anchorage’s Vante Hendrix has found his rhythm for Illiabum Clube as the rookie leads his team in scoring through the four games, thanks to his trademark attack game.

The 6-foot-5 guard is shooting 68 percent from 2-point range and averages nearly eight free-throw attempts per game. He’s shooting 71 percent from the line.

Hendrix is averaging 19.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game. He has reached double figures in scoring in all four games, keyed by a career-high 30 points in an 87-84 win over Galomar.

The former Pac-12 player for Utah was hard to guard as he made 9-of-15 field goals, including 1-of-3 from 3-point range. His bread and butter getting to the free-throw line, going 11-of-15.

Staying in Portugal, Travante Williams of Anchorage continues to be a staple for Sporting as the 6-0 team is one of two unbeatens in the league.

The 6-foot-6 forward leads Sporting in minutes (27.0) and ranks second in scoring (14.5) and assists (4.5). He is shooting 76 percent from 2-point range and 42 percent from 3-point range.

Williams started the season with scoring games of 24, 19 and 19 points. Then he turned his attention to his teammates. In a 94-72 win over Ovarense, he equaled his career-high with 10 assists.

A dual citizen, Williams is a member of the Portugal national team and will be on the court later in the week in games against Bulgaria and Romania in qualifying for the European Championships. He’s also playing in the EuroCup.

In Australia, Kelsey Griffin of Eagle River is back in Bendigo and back to her dominating ways. She delivered a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double in her debut and canned 6-of-8 shots from 3-point range.

Griffin turned pro in 2010 and played for Bendigo from 2012 to 2018, twice winning the WNBL championships in 2013 and 2014 and earning Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2015.

Back then she dominated the paint. Today, she’s making it rain from deep. Griffin has started the season knocking down 9-of-13 from 3-point range in two games.

INTERNATIONAL SCORER
Scoring Averages for Alaskans Overseas
19.0 – Vante Hendrix (West) Portugal
18.0 – Kelsey Griffin (Chugiak) Australia
14.5 – Travante Williams (Mt. Edgecumbe) Portugal
12.6 – Ruthy Hebard (West Valley) Hungary
12.0 – Jacob Calloway (Thunder Mountain) Hungary
11.6 – Derrick Wilson (East) Kosovo
11.5 – Brandon Huffman (West) Turkey
10.7 – Justinian Jessup (Nome) Spain
9.8 – Jeremiah Bailey (Monroe) United Kingdom
4.0 – Peter Bullock (East) Norway

In Hungary, Ruthy Hebard of Fairbanks is playing for title contender Szekszard, which is also a Euroleague team.

The 6-foot-4 current WNBA player made an excellent Euroleague debut with a 20-point game. Then she recorded a double-double with 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in a 103-101 OT win over Fenerbahce Beko of Turkey in Group A. The Alaskan was matched up in the game against 2014 WNBA lottery pick Natasha Howard of the New York Liberty.

Hebard is among just a handful of Alaskans to play in the vaunted Euroleague, joining Trajan Langdon, Brad Oleson, Doron Perkins and Jessica Moore.

Three days later in the Hungarian League, Hebard pumped in 16 points in 13 minutes on 7-of-12 shooting. She added two free throws and seven rebounds as her team cruised to a 94-71 win.

Hebard has three double-doubles in 11 games this season. She is averaging 8.0 rebounds per game and shooting 56-of-95 shooting from the floor.

The former NCAA All-American previously played in Turkey in Spain before going to Hungary. She plays in Europe during the WNBA offseason, so she basically grinds all year with next-to-no time off.

Jacob Calloway

Another Alaskan is playing in the central European country in Jacob Calloway of Juneau. The 6-foot-8 forward is playing for early playoff contender OSE.

Calloway buried six 3-pointers on his way to scoring 22 points in a 104-98 win over Kormend. He is averaging 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Last season, Calloway helped Valur win the Icelandic League. He joined the team for the playoff push after starting the season with Tigrillos of the Colombian Basketball League. Before that he played in the Czech Republic and Switzerland.

In Spain, Justinian Jessup of Nome was en furgo against Real Madrid as he scored 28 points to lift Zaragoza to a 94-89 win. He drained 9-of-17 field goals, including 4-of-8 from 3-point land. He also went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.

His offensive explosion helped end a six-game losing streak in La Liga. He was averaging 10.7 points in the first seven games before flirting with his career high.

He scored 29 points last season in Australia. In 2020, Jessup was second-round NBA draft pick of Golden State.

In Kosovo, Derrick Wilson is playing for a new team in a new country. He is a guard for second-place Prishtina, which has won five of its first eight games.

The playmaker has furnished 39 assists compared to just seven turnovers, and he’s had three games with seven or more assists with a high of nine. His best scoring game has been 19 points.

Wilson is also a renowned perimeter defender and is averaging 2.5 steals per game. He has as many as five in one game this year.

Derrick Wilson

Wilson has played previously in Hungary, Denmark, Sweden and Turkey.

Speaking of Turkey, Brandon Huffman of Anchorage is there playing for Bornova and he’s already established himself as the top rebounder in the Turkish Basketball League.

The 6-foot-10 center leads the league at 13.2 per game, two more than the No. 2 guy with 11.2.

Huffman had a 19-point, 16-rebound effort against Final Spor, but his team fell 79-73. He made 8-of-11 shots and had six offensive rebounds.

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDS
Notable Career Highs
23 – Carlos Boozer (Juneau) NBA 2010
20 – Damen Bell-Holter (Ketchikan) Finland 2015
20 – Jacob Calloway (Thunder Mountain) Colombia 2021
19 – Peter Bullock (East) Norway 2014
18 – Jeremiah Bailey (Monroe) England 2022
16 – Ramon Harris (West) G League 2016
16 – Brandon Huffman (West) Turkey 2022

In Norway, Anchorage’s Peter Bullock is beginning his 18th pro season. The career leading scorer in UAA history has played pro ball in Norway since 2009.

One of just seven Alaska men’s players to record 6,000 points at the pro level, Bullock has had one of the most decorated careers for players from The Last Frontier.

In his prime, Bullock was the Karl Malone of Norway.

In the 2010-11 season the 6-foot-6 forward averaged 21.7 points and 13.3 rebounds in 20 games. In 2014-15, he put up 20.9 points and 10.8 rebounds in 17 games.

He made his season debut for Fyllingen in a 107-48 win over the Nidaros Jets, coming off the bench to score four points and grab two rebounds in 11 minutes.

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