The Plymouth Raiders are delighted to announce the signing of shooting guard Cody Toppert for the 2010/11 season. The 6’4″, 27 year old Toppert, an American, comes to the Raiders with a very impressive resume, and importantly, a European passport. Through family links, Toppert has both German and American nationality, which means that Raiders are still permitted to bring in three American players.
“I’m over the moon with getting Cody on board,” said Raiders’ new coach Gavin Love. “He brings a very high basketball IQ, and he’s played for a lot of very high profile teams internationally. Ive spoken with Cody a lot, and I think he’s going to be a great fit for this team. He can really shoot the ball, and he’s going to bring a lot of experience to the team.”
Toppert graduated from Cornell University in the USA in 2005, averaging just over 11 points and 3 rebounds per game. But it was his career in basketball after leaving Cornell that really excited Love. He went on to play for the Albuquerque Thunderbirds in the NBA Development League, exciting fans with his long range shooting ability. After a season in New Mexico, he moved to New Zealand’s top league where he played for the Taranaki Mountain Airs and finished the season as the third highest scorer in the league. He then moved to Portugal where he played in the premier league for Barreirense and put up some impressive statistics. Last season, Toppert played in the German league for Goettingen in the Bundesliga and BC Scholz Recycling Weissenhorn in Pro B.
“He certainly has the pedigree that we’re looking for,” said Raiders Chairman Bob Widdecombe. “He comes highly recommended to us, and his resume speaks for itself. He’s going to be an integral part of the team next year, so it was important that we got him signed quickly. The fact that he’s got a European passport will allow Gavin to keep looking for another 3 American players, and we’re hopeful that we can get another player signed by the end of the week.”
“He’s played for some great teams, and with some excellent players so far,” added Love. “But what has really excited me was his enthusiasm to come to Plymouth. He has done a lot of research into the city and the team, and he’s really looking forward to joining up with the team in late August when we’ll assemble everyone for pre season training.”
Source: www.bbl.org.uk
