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BASKETBALL

Jessup nets 27, Williams wins, Bailey loses as all three Alaskans take court in EuroCup

by | Oct 10, 2024 | Basketball, Cover Story

Former NBA draft pick Justinian Jessup is averaging 18.7 points in the EuroCup.

Justinian Jessup is lighting up the EuroCup by playing the best basketball of his five-year pro career, which is saying something for the former NBA draft pick.

The 6-foot-6 sharpshooter out of Nome is averaging 18.7 points on 56% shooting along with 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists to key his German team’s 3-0 start in the tournament.

Jessup, 26, kept Ulm unbeaten after pumping in 27 points to propel Tuesday’s 94-76 road win over Lithuanian power Vilnius. The former Boise State star was lights out from the field, making 9-of-12 shots including five of seven from downtown. He also hit all four free throws.

The Alaskan didn’t just provide offense as he collected three rebounds and two assists before taking his first shot, which he made, to extend his team’s lead to 19-15. In the second quarter, he scored five points in 12 seconds. He had 10 points in the third quarter, including a 3 that made it 65-61.

Thanks to Jessup, Ulm is one of four unbeaten clubs among the 20 teams in the EuroCup, which runs through April’s title game. The 2020 Golden State Warriors’ second round draft pick leads the EuroCup in 3s on 12-of-21 shooting.

He arrived in Germany with a nice resume that included stops in the Australian NBL, where he averaged 13.2 points and hit 135 3s in 68 games before going to the famed ACB league in Spain, where he played for Zaragoza and averaged 11.6 points in 28 games.

Jessup’s 27 points are the most for a player from Alaska in the EuroCup since Anchorage’s Travante Williams also had 27 in 2021 for Portugal power Sporting.

Williams, who is now playing for Oradea of Romania, played in his first EuroCup game with his new team this week.

The former UAF standout leads all Alaskans when it comes to career games (24) and points (349) in EuroCup play.

This season’s EuroCup features a third Alaskan in Jeremiah Bailey of Fairbanks. The third-year pro player is in his first season with Sporting after spending his first two seasons in the United Kingdom.

In his tournament debut, he produced two points, three rebounds and three assists in a loss to Sassari of Italy. He averaged 13.5 points in two qualifying games to help the Portuguese team punch its ticket.

Bailey’s older brother, Kyle, played in the EuroCup in 2011 for Germany’s Gottingen.

In all, seven Alaskans have laced ’em up in the EuroCup.

MOST EUROCUP GAMES
24 – Travante Williams, Anchorage
15 – Doron Perkins, Anchorage
6 – Jacob Calloway, Juneau
6 – Ramon Harris, Anchorage
4 – Kyle Bailey, Fairbanks
3 – Justinian Jessup, Nome
1 – Jeremiah Bailey, Fairbanks

Story made possible by:

Family of Sponsors

Alaska Airlines | Nicole Johnston | Richard Mize | Advanced Diagnostics, INC | Aktive Soles | Alaska Oil and Gas Association | Aspen Endodontics | Black-Smith, Bethard & Carlson, LLC. | BOSCO's | Coho Financial Group | Continental Auto Group | Don Clary & Judy Besh | Glen Bailey | Invisalign-Ben Ward | JL Properties | Joey Caterinichio & Ja Dorris| Kathleen Navarre | Midas Alaska | Moose's Tooth, Bear Tooth and Broken Tooth Brewing | Perkins Coie - Sarah & A.J. Schirack | R&M Consultants, Inc. | Dave & DeAnne Rand | RE/MAX Dynamic Properties Kevin Taylor | Scott Taylor |Residential Mortgage | Seth Wickersham & Alison Overholt | Taylored Restoration | Korndrop Family Foundation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation | Replacement Glass | Zareena and Allen Clendaniel | Foley & Pearson | UAA Seawolves | Tony and Carla Slaton Barker | Sportclips Haircuts | Alliance for Support of American Legion Baseball in Alaska | Alice & Gunnar Knapp | Amy and Jason Miller | Burgerfi | Charles Fedullo | Dan Rufner | Darren Lieb | In Honor of James Libby | Seawolf 5th Line | Deb Essex | Don Winchester | Donley Family | Dr. Justin Libby, DDS | Firetap | Harlow Robinson | Jason & Shannon Metrokin | Jim & Michelle Hajdukovich | Joe Alston | Kathie Bethard | Krispy Kreme | Kristopher Knauss | Loren Kroon | Mark and Jamie Johnson | Mark Silverman | On the Border | Pete Robinson | Rick Mystrom | Team Heat | Team Moriarty | The Conway Family | Todd Whited | Moria Smith | In memory of Drs. John & Elizabeth Tower | Peter Pounds | Pete Robinson | Skinny Raven | Multisport Training of Alaska/Lisa Keller | RSA Engineering

Family of Sponsors

Alaska Airlines | Nicole Johnston | Richard Mize | Advanced Diagnostics, INC | Aktive Soles | Alaska Oil and Gas Association | Aspen Endodontics | Black-Smith, Bethard & Carlson, LLC. | BOSCO's | Coho Financial Group | Continental Auto Group | Don Clary & Judy Besh | Glen Bailey | Invisalign-Ben Ward | JL Properties | Joey Caterinichio & Ja Dorris| Kathleen Navarre | Midas Alaska | Moose's Tooth, Bear Tooth and Broken Tooth Brewing | Perkins Coie - Sarah & A.J. Schirack | R&M Consultants, Inc. | Dave & DeAnne Rand | RE/MAX Dynamic Properties Kevin Taylor | Scott Taylor |Residential Mortgage | Seth Wickersham & Alison Overholt | Taylored Restoration | Korndrop Family Foundation | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation | Replacement Glass | Zareena and Allen Clendaniel | Foley & Pearson | UAA Seawolves | Tony and Carla Slaton Barker | Sportclips Haircuts | Alliance for Support of American Legion Baseball in Alaska | Alice & Gunnar Knapp | Amy and Jason Miller | Burgerfi | Charles Fedullo | Dan Rufner | Darren Lieb | In Honor of James Libby | Seawolf 5th Line | Deb Essex | Don Winchester | Donley Family | Dr. Justin Libby, DDS | Firetap | Harlow Robinson | Jason & Shannon Metrokin | Jim & Michelle Hajdukovich | Joe Alston | Kathie Bethard | Krispy Kreme | Kristopher Knauss | Loren Kroon | Mark and Jamie Johnson | Mark Silverman | On the Border | Pete Robinson | Rick Mystrom | Team Heat | Team Moriarty | The Conway Family | Todd Whited | Moria Smith | In memory of Drs. John & Elizabeth Tower | Peter Pounds | Pete Robinson | Skinny Raven | Multisport Training of Alaska/Lisa Keller | RSA Engineering

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