Guard Drew Nicholas (31 years, 193 cm) signed “1+1” contract with CSKA. Veteran American played for EA7 Milano last season.
Nicholas has become famous in his college years after winning the NCAA title with Maryland Terrapins in 2002. Though it was not enough to get the VIP-ticket to big basketball: he had to begin his pro career in Italian second league. In his first European season he scored 27.1 points for Fabriano becoming the LegaDue best scorer.
He moved to elite next year and repeated as the best scorer – this time for Livorno (22.8 points). He played for Tau Ceramica in the end of the season but returned to Italy to win Alfonso Ford Trophy as Euroleague Best Scorer (18.4 points) for Benetton Treviso. After a year with Efes Pilsen Nicholas signed for Panathinaikos winning two Euroleagues and three Greek titles for “greens”. In 2011 he moved to Armani Jeans but played subpar season.
Nicholas’ stats in 2011-12 season: 14 Euroleague games (7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.2 blocked shots, 26.3 minutes), 20 Italian league games (8.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.1 blocked shots).
Andrey Vatutin, CSKA President:
We needed a real scorer and I am glad that we were able to add Nicholas. He is a player which needs no introduction, one of the best European shooter of modern times. Drew is a veteran player who knows how to win. I am sure he will help us to build new team.
Ettore Messina, CSKA head coach:
To complete a team you need the player like Nicholas. He is not just an excellent shooter, but he is also an experienced player, real pro, and he proved it in his seasons with Panathinaikos. His role will be much more than just shooting from outside, he will help us a lot off the court.
