Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (EFE).- Dreamland Gran Canaria closed this Thursday its first signing for the 2023-24 season, the American center Ethan Happ, 27 years old and 2.08 meters tall, who has signed with the team for one year, as reported by the club
From the Breogán River, Happ was one of the revelations of last season in the Endesa League, in which he was debuting.
In 34 games played, he averaged 12.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists for a PIR of 17.3. His numbers placed him as the third most valued player in the league, the top rebounder and the best in ball recoveries (1.9), as well as being the player who made the most shots of two, 5.5 per game.
His best game was against Real Madrid, against whom he had 37 PIR credits with 21 points and 19 rebounds.
He was also named MVP for the month of March in the Endesa League with a PIR of 20.8 in the four games he played that month.
Ethan Happ was trained in the Wisconsin Badgers (USA), where he is the university’s all-time top rebounder and accumulated multiple awards at the regional and national level.
The most important, recalls Gran Canaria, came to him in his senior year, when he won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award for best center, thanks to his 17.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
Happ is one of six players in NCAA Division I history to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 400 assists, joining Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Danny Ferry, Stacey Augmon and John Konchar.
After finishing his university tour, he was not selected by any NBA franchise, so he began his career in Europe in the 2019-20 campaign.
After a brief stint at Olympiacos, the Illinois state player was at Vanoli Cremona, Fortitudo Bologna, Dinamo Sassari and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg before joining the Endesa League last season with the Río Breogán jersey.
“It was very difficult for me to make the decision between returning to Lugo or signing for Dreamland Gran Canaria. I spoke to John Shurna to see what the club and life in Gran Canaria was like, which was reassuring. I am excited by the challenge of fitting into a team that has been so successful recently, ”says Happ, in a statement released by his new team. EFE