Transfer watch: New name, new logo, same old Dijon
One of the most successful teams in BCL history, JDA Dijon changed its name to JDA Bourgogne Dijon and updated their club logo for the upcoming season. But on the court, the changes were just upgrades.
MIES (Switzerland) - One of the most successful teams in BCL history, JDA Dijon changed its name to JDA Bourgogne Dijon and updated their club logo for the upcoming season. But on the court, the changes were just upgrades to an already existent, well-oiled machine.
David Holston, Gavin Ware, Chase Simon, Robin Ducote, Abdoulaye Loum, Jacques Alingue and coach Nenad Markovic are all returning for another season.
The team added experience and depth with David Brembly, Gregor Hrovat, Jonathan Rousselle and Markis McDuffie.
David Brembly is a Polish-German small forward who loves catch-and-shoot situations on the wing, and will use all of his athleticism to fit in with the rest of Dijon's frontcourt. He is 29, was born in Cologne, Germany, and started his career with Trefl Sopot in Poland.
He went on to play for Bayreuth, Ulm, Ludwigsburg, Bremerhaven and MBC in Germany, before finding home in Zielona Gora in Poland over the course of last two seasons. Brembly averaged 42.9 percent from deep in the VTB United League last season.
Gregor Hrovat just turned 28, and signed with JDA moments before joining the Slovenian national team for another summer - he's been a regular there since 2017.
Hrovat is an all-rounder capable of chasing a triple-double if he's having his night. Dijon know exactly what they are getting from him, and he knows exactly what French basketball is about, having averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game for Cholet and EB Pau-Lacq-Orthez over the past two campaigns.
Gregor Hrovat is the first player in Basketball Champions League's 5-year history to post a stat line of 10+ points, 10+ assists, 5+ rebounds and 5+ steals in a single game.
— Nicola Lupo (@NicolaLupo99) January 5, 2021
He had 13 PTS, 12 AST, 6 REB, 5 STL in Cholet's win over Tsmoki-Minsk today.
Markis McDuffie is a 24-year-old forward who is entering his fourth season as a pro. He graduated from Wichita State in 2019, averaging 18.2 points in 37 games in his senior year, which got him a shot with the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Summer League.
He then moved to Alba Fehervar in Hungary, and played for Casalpusterlengo and Napoli in Italy. Last season was impressive, he had 14.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game in LegaBasket Serie A, including a 32-point burst on the road in Cremona.
Jonathan Rousselle is coming back home to France. The 32-year-old point guard started his professional career back in 2008 in Gravelines, and stayed there until 2011, when he moved to Boulogne-sur-Mer for a couple of seasons.
Later, he played for Cholet, Limoges, and has been in Bilbao for the last three seasons. He played the BCL back in 2020-21 with the Liga Endesa club, getting 6.4 points and 3.2 assists across five games.
JDA Bourgogne Dijon will play in Regular Season Group G, alongside Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari, PAOK mateco and one of the Qualifying Round Tournament winners.