King Joseus

PF Liam Thomas (Wollongong Hawks/Australia)
SG Henry Tobback (Eisbären Bremerhaven/Belgium)
PF Mario Rogic (Olympiacos BC/Croatia)
PF Chris Ohlbrecht (Artland Dragons/Germany)
SF Dimitrios Bourousis (Apollon Patras BC/Greece)
PF Rafa Salvadores (Real Madrid/Spain)
PG Sergio Jose Salvadores (Real Madrid/Spain)
PG Mikel Opoku (Phoenix Hagen/Sudan)
SF Orhan Sönmez (Antalya BB/Turkey)
C Volodymyr Yanukovych (Enisey Krasnoyarsk/Ukraine)

Fran Fraschilla here, back once more to give you the rundown on this year's batch of international players. A small group of just three players came over last season, but we're once again looking at a big class that could rival 2021 for talent and impact. I'll go with my usual schtick, but I'll also try to give you a bit more to work with since there's such a big group yet again. First things first, your handy scouts' takes on this bunch:

Scout A
Mikel Opoku
Sergio Jose Salvadores
Mario Rogic
Rafa Salvadores
Liam Thomas
Chris Ohlbrecht
Dimitrios Bourousis
Volodymyr Yanukovych
Orhan Sönmez
Henry Tobback

Scout B
Sergio Jose Salvadores
Rafa Salvadores
Mikel Opoku
Mario Rogic
Dimitrios Bourousis
Volodymyr Yanukovych
Liam Thomas
Chris Ohlbrecht
Orhan Sönmez
Henry Tobback

Scout C
Mario Rogic
Mikel Opoku
Rafa Salvadores
Sergio Jose Salvadores
Liam Thomas
Dimitrios Bourousis
Chris Ohlbrecht
Orhan Sönmez
Volodymyr Yanukovych
Henry Tobback

Scout D
Rafa Salvadores
Mario Rogic
Mikel Opoku
Sergio Jose Salvadores
Volodymyr Yanukovych
Orhan Sönmez
Henry Tobback
Liam Thomas
Chris Ohlbrecht
Dimitrios Bourousis

Scout E
Mikel Opoku
Mario Rogic
Sergio Jose Salvadores
Rafa Salvadores
Liam Thomas
Dimitrios Bourousis
Chris Ohlbrecht
Henry Tobback
Orhan Sönmez
Volodymyr Yanukovych

Scout F
Mario Rogic
Mikel Opoku
Rafa Salvadores
Sergio Jose Salvadores
Orhan Sönmez
Henry Tobback
Chris Ohlbrecht
Liam Thomas
Dimitrios Bourousis
Volodymyr Yanukovych


Now that those clowns' thoughts are public, it's time for my patented quick takes...

Thomas - Soft touch lefty

Tobback - Defensive roleplayer

Rogic - Potentially great

Ohlbrecht - Combo gunner

Bourousis - Mr. Steady

R. Salvadores - Post magician

SJ Salvadores - Dazzling passer

Opoku - King of thieves

Sönmez - Sharpshooter

Yanukovych - Big plodder


I continue to be the best thing going in sports, but that's neither here nor there...


Liam Thomas
Liam Thomas strives to make up for the atrocity that was Lee Walton in 2024 and remind fans more of Andrew Bogut when it comes to talent level out of Australia. Liam is a strong power forward who can get it done inside and out, with range out to the three point line. Offensively, the guy's varied repertoire should make him a useful starter out of the gate. Defensively, he's not much of a team defender but he should hold his own in the post with his strength and ability to block a shot here and there. To top it all off, the guy doesn't really ever turn the ball over. Definitely a very good player, lotto material. Some might put him in the top ten, but I'm just a little more comfortable calling him top twelve this year.

Henry Tobback
Tobback is a friend of mine's nephew, but I've gotta call it like it is all the same. The kid just doesn't have it together when it comes to putting the ball in the hoop. Teams that love efficient scoring are going to loathe this guy (see what I did there?), but I don't wanna completely bury him. He's got a shot at sticking in the league with his man defense and knack for taking care of the ball. Not lotto talent, in my opinion, but I could see him going in the late first this year.

Mario Rogic
Ivanos has a big little brother who might end up being a better KVBL player than he has been, all due to getting a bit more strength out of the gene pool. Mario brings less scoring and not as much defensive ability as big brother, but his rebounding and shotblocking are better and he should make strides as he grows into his frame a bit more. It would not surprise me one bit to see Mario get drafted at the nine spot just as older brother was - it's just about the right spot for him.

Chris Ohlbrecht
Chris Ohlbrecht is a combo forward best suited to playing the three due to a lack of strength and rebounding more in line with wings than post players. A streaky shooter, Ohlbrecht shoots best from behind the arc, to the point where you wish he'd actually shoot the ball more often when he's out there. Solid passing adds to Ohlbrecht's appeal, but he might scare off teams insistent upon good D out of all their guys. All things considered, I think he's a late lotto pick in the right situation. The lowest he should go is the early twenties.

Dimitrios Bourousis
I've been wondering where all the Greek KVBL talent is, and here comes Bourousis in all his hairy resplendence. A low volume scorer who does a little bit of everything but doesn't really excel at anything, Dmitrios figures to factor in as a roleplaying type akin to Edd Timmons or maybe a Tayshaun Prince once upon a time. He's got long arms, but strength will need some work if he's going to be the defender he needs to be as a roleplayer off the bench. In time, he could be just what the doctor ordered for top level teams in need of smart bench minutes. He should be around in the late first.

Rafa Salvadores
The younger of the Salvadores twins, Rafa (don't call him Rafael) looks to be this generation's great Spanish hope as a smart, crafty post player that can rebound, block shots, and bang with the best of 'em. At only twenty years old, he should be a KVBL force for years, and is a foundational type piece that teams can add to on the path to the KJ Trophy. I really can't poke too many holes in his game, but I can burst your bubble a bit by letting you know that Real Madrid continues to be a thorn in the side of KVBL teams by not letting its players go very easily. Salvadores is on the hook for another year, so he won't suit up until 2025-2026.

Sergio Jose Salvadores
Like his twin, Sergio Jose will be under Real Madrid's lock and key until 2025-2026. Figured I'd get that out of the way. Unlike his fraternal twin, SerJo is a point guard. Solid scoring ability helps the older Salvadores to be a big threat, as teams that sag off him to combat his passing just open themselves up to being scored upon by this Spaniard. Of course, most importantly, SerJo can pass. He won't turn the ball over too much for a point guard, and even when he does he'll often make up for it as he excels at getting steals with his quick hands. Sadly, he does take after some of his countrymen as a flopper, but at least he can defend pretty well when he's not looking to draw fouls. A top five talent, Salvadores could fall if teams don't want to wait on him for a year, but I'd be surprised if he falls far. He and his brother should be in the top ten for sure.

Mikel Opoku
For years now, Luol Deng has been returning to Sudan each summer to run basketball camps. Joining him the last two years has been Mikel Opoku, a versatile guard who has become a star in Germany after taking part in a Deng camp many years ago. Long armed and tenacious, Opoku stands to become a very good KVBL defender with the potential to top the steals leaderboard a year or two during his career. One thing Opoku certainly is is reckless, something that helps him to make great passes now and then but also to turn the ball over a good bit. Versatility is why scouts rave about this guy and many view him as the best player not named Scates in this draft. I think he's got a shot at being the second best player this year, but others could supplant him there. Top five is probably where he belongs.

Orhan Sönmez
Orhan is a pure three who can't defend worth a lick. He's not the worst defender we've ever seen out of Europe, but it's certainly not a strength for the guy. Primarily a shooter, Sönmez will be a positive on offense when he's actually shooting, but won't bring all that much else to the table. He's somewhat similar to Bourousis in that way. With a roleplayer ceiling, I don't see Sönmez going higher than the late first.

Volodymyr Yanukovych
Ah, Volodymyr. My favorite name this year. It just rolls off the tongue. You don't even need to know about this guy to want to draft him. I suppose you probably do want some details, though, so I'll get on it. One of those big, plodding stiff bigs you think are dying out, Yanukovych can score inside mostly due to size and a soft touch around the rim. Rebounding is solid, shotblocking is okay. He's not exceptional, but not everybody's going to be. I think he's first round material and could help post starved teams quite a bit.



It's been a pleasure, folks. Happy drafting!

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Goulet

Awesome stuff as usual Boss...

Fran was certainly a VERY busy man this season.

Love what he's done here to this draft class with his "Euro Kool-aid"

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JerryWest

both gasol brothers have been reborn

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KVBL Basketball Sim, Los Angeles Lakers

FRSL, Los Angeles Lakers
Season 2 Champs (64-18), Season 4 Champs (66-16), Season 5 Champs (72-10)

El Shaqtus

Pierre Luscian's protege is in this draft. That's awesome.

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Mom, thanks for everything.

RIP Coach Rick Majerus 12/1/12. You were the one that said it was OK to think big at SLU. You were right.

KVBL Lexington Kings

Porn Player

I'm glad I have a couple of picks Top 40. Tons of talent in this draft.

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