Nick Weiler-Babb Rumors

International Notes: Germany, Italy, FAs, Carmelo, NBL, J. Parker

June 4th, 2024 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

The German national team, winner of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, has officially announced a 16-man preliminary roster for the 2024 Olympics, as Eurohoops relays.

The 16-man group features all 12 players who were part of the World Cup roster, including veteran NBAers like Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, and Daniel Theis. Four additional players will also be competing for spots on the 12-man Olympic squad: Oscar Da Silva (Barcelona), Leon Kratzer (Paris), Louis Olinde (ALBA Berlin), and Nick Weiler-Babb (Bayern Munich).

Meanwhile, the Italian national team has announced a far more expansive preliminary roster, identifying 30 players who will be in the mix for spots on the 12-man squad that will compete in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico this summer.

As previously reported, Pistons forward Simone Fontecchio won’t be part of Italy’s 2024 roster since he’s recovering from toe surgery. However, as Eurohoops notes, the 30-man group features a handful of names that will be familiar to NBA fans, including Bucks forward Danilo Gallinari and former NBA players such as Nico Mannion and Nicolo Melli.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the international basketball world:

Could Gallinari or Furkan Korkmaz end up signing with a European team when their NBA contracts expire this summer? Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops identifies 10 NBA free agents, including Gallinari and Korkmaz, who are potential candidates to make their way overseas in the coming weeks or months.
Carmelo Anthony has been named the Global Ambassador for the National Basketball League’s Next Stars program, Australia’s top basketball league announced on Monday in a press release. Like TNT analyst Kenny Smith, who was named the head of the Next Stars initiative back in April, Anthony will also join the ownership group of an NBL expansion team. The 10-time NBA All-Star spoke to Marc J. Spears of Andscape about his decision to get involved with the NBL and his goal of eventually owning a stake in an NBA franchise.
Former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker, who last played in the NBA in January 2022 and spent the 2023/24 season with FC Barcelona, teared up when asked in a media session about his first year playing outside of the U.S. (Twitter video link via BasketNews). As Marc Mundet relays (via Twitter), the former NBA forward explained later why he became overcome with emotion. “It was all happiness,” Parker said. “It was gratitude for this organization for giving me an opportunity. … Because of this place, I found my love for the game again. I wasn’t sure if I would play basketball again, but because of FC Barcelona, the fans, my teammates, my coaches, my friends here, I’ve found that love again and that passion.”

Heat Signing Jeremiah Martin To Exhibit 10 Deal

June 21st, 2019 at 11:40am CST by Arthur Hill

Jeremiah Martin of Memphis will sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Heat, tweets Jonathan Givony of ESPN.

The 6’3″ guard averaged 19.7 points and 4.4 assists per game as a senior and helped the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.

Under an Exhibit 10 deal, Martin will receive a bonus ranging from $5K to $50K if he attends training camp with Miami and spends at least 60 days with the Heat’s G League affiliate.

Nick Weiler-Babb of Iowa State has committed to play for Miami during Summer League and may also receive an Exhibit 10 contract, Givony adds (Twitter link). The 6’5″ guard posted a 9.1/5.0/4.0 line as a senior.

Southeast Draft Notes: Hornets, Heat, Magic, Hawks

June 12th, 2019 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hornets have looked into the possibility of moving up in the draft from their current spot in the lottery at No. 12, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Bonnell acknowledges that it may be difficult for Charlotte to put together the sort of trade capital necessary to make a deal happen, but says GM Mitch Kupchak is active.

Meanwhile, the Hornets will continue to explore their draft options by bringing in six more prospects for workouts tomorrow, according to the team. Marques Bolden (Duke), Tacko Fall (UCF), Jaylen Hoard (Wake Forest), Jalen Hudson (Florida), and Luka Asceric (Mega Bemax) are among the players set to participate.

Here are a few more draft-related items from around the Southeast:

In addition to bringing in Kevin Porter Jr. (USC) on Thursday, as was previously reported, the Heat will also have Nassir Little (UNC) in town for a workout, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Amir Hinton (Shaw) also worked out for Miami this week (Twitter link via The Preparation).
The Magic worked out Aubrey Dawkins (UCF), Talen Horton-Tucker (Iowa State), Jalen Hudson (Florida), Nick Mayo (Eastern Kentucky), Markis McDuffie (Wichita State), and Dererk Pardon (Northwestern) today, tweets Josh Robbins of The Athletic.
The Hawks, who hold six of the top 44 selections in the draft, continue to be very active in the pre-draft process, bringing in Oshae Brissett (Syracuse), Kevarrius Hayes (Florida), Adam Mokoka (Mega Bemax), Nick Weiler-Babb (Iowa State), Jordon Varnado (Troy), and Kenny Wooten (Oregon) for a look today. Tomorrow’s Hawks workout will feature Goga Bitadze (Mega Bemax), Jonathan Galloway (UC Irvine), Rayjon Tucker (Arkansas Little Rock), and Lindell Wigginton (Iowa State), according to the team.

Draft Updates: Early Entrants, Zion, Culver, Little

May 24th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The NCAA’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the 2019 draft and retain their college eligibility is May 29, so more updates on final draft decisions are beginning to trickle in.

A pair of prospects with alliterative names have opted to remain in the 2019 draft class, with Vanderbilt freshman forward Simisola Shittu announcing (via Twitter) that he’ll forgo his remaining NCAA eligibility, while Jon Rothstein of SI.com reports (via Twitter) that Tulane junior forward Samir Sehic will also keep his name in the draft.

Markell Johnson, a junior guard out of North Carolina State, will go in the other direction. Johnson announced today (via Twitter) that after gathering feedback on his stock, he has elected to withdraw his name from the 2019 draft pool and return to N.C. State for his senior season.

Here are a few more draft-related updates:

A source tells Sean Deveney of Sporting News that Zion Williamson and his family are nearing a decision on his agent, and could decide on representation as early as next week. According to Deveney, the future No. 1 pick had originally intended to be repped by his advisor – and former NBA agent – Chubby Wells, but a plan to have Wells recertify as an NBA agent fell through.
Within that same article, Deveney examines Jarrett Culver‘s draft stock, citing sources around the league who say that the Texas Tech swingman won’t drop further than No. 7. UNC’s Nassir Little has also moved up several teams’ draft boards, per Deveney.
UCF center Tacko Fall was among the players to work out for the Kings on Thursday, per a team release. Sacramento also took a closer look at Myles Powell (Seton Hall), Amir Hinton (Shaw), Jalen Hudson (Florida), Nick Weiler-Babb (Iowa State), and Marques Bolden (Duke).
Purdue Fort Wayne guard John Konchar has worked out for the Celtics, Hawks, Clippers, and Nets so far during the pre-draft process, tweets Jordan Schultz of ESPN. A workout with Toronto for Konchar was also previously reported.