GER – Staiger leaves Iowa State for Alba Berlin

BERLIN (2010 FIBA World Championship) - Germany international Lucca Staiger made the surprise announcement that he is cutting short his college career at Iowa State in America and signing with Alba Berlin.

The 21-year-old guard played for the Germans at last year’s EuroBasket in Poland and has a chance to make their squad at the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Staiger issued a statement announcing his departure which read: "I came to the United States with the hope of playing professional basketball in the NBA. After the past couple of seasons in college, I’ve realized that dream has become less likely.

"An opportunity to play professionally in my home country has come my way and I’ve decided to pursue it right away.

“I will miss my teammates and the great fans at Iowa State and I know this is a bad time to leave.

“I appreciate the opportunity that Coach (Greg) McDermott gave me to play at Iowa State, but I felt like it was important to make this move now because the opportunity might not be there in the future for me."

Staiger’s decision to leave Iowa State has left a disappointed Cyclones coach McDermott without a key man as he tries to guide his team into the NCAA Tournament.

Alba Berlin sports director Henning Harnisch, meanwhile, said on the club website that he had expected Staiger to finish this season at Iowa State but also admitted that Staiger will now have more time to adapt to Alba before next season.

"As he is already joining us,“ Harnisch said, "we have the ability to integrate him into our system without the pressure of time."

FIBA