Ata Turgut, a power forward from Turkey, has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Maine starting in September.
According to a UMaine release, Turgut is a 6-foot-9, 220-pound player from Ankara, Turkey, who since 2014 has played for Ted Ankara Kolejliler of the Basketbol Gencler Ligi.
“We are very excited to welcome Ata to our Black Bear Family,” UMaine head coach Richard Barron said in the release. “Ata brings with him a terrific skill set at the forward position with perimeter skills and post-up abilities. His versatility will give us flexibility on both ends of the floor.”
Last season, Turgut averaged 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists playing in the U-19 league. He shot 48.7 percent from the floor.
“Ata has played at a very high level in Turkey and is currently playing on the Turkish U20 National Team. Additionally and equally important, Ata is an outstanding student who was drawn to our outstanding School of Engineering,” Barron added.
Turgut, who plans to major in mechanical engineering, joins forward Veljko Radakovi and guards Peter Stümer and Ja’Shonté Wright-McLeish as the incoming class for the 2019-20 season.
In addition, Precious Okoh, a 6-3, 190-pound guard from Bradford Christian Academy in Haverhill, Massachusetts, announced via Twitter this week his intent to join the UMaine men’s basketball program this fall.
Okoh earned New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class AA honorable mention status last winter and is expected to join the Black Bears as a non-scholarship player.
The participation of all student-athletes is contingent upon admission to the University of Maine and compliance with all NCAA eligibility rules.
Coutts solid for URI
Jackson Coutts, the 2017 Mr. Maine Baseball from Orono High School, recently completed his sophomore season at the University of Rhode Island.
The 6-3, 245-pound first baseman and outfielder, who typically batted fourth or fifth in the Rams’ lineup, batted .259 this spring with four home runs and 29 RBIs for a URI lineup that compiled a .246 team batting average.
Rhode Island finished 24-29 overall and 14-9 in the Atlantic 10 Conference to qualify for the league tournament as the sixth seed.
The Rams lost to No. 3 Dayton 5-2 in their opening game of A10 tourney play, then remained alive with a 2-1, 10-inning victory over No. 7 Saint Louis before being eliminated via a 4-2 loss to second-ranked Davidson.
Lamb returning to Vermont
Reigning America East men’s basketball player of the year Anthony Lamb, who earlier this spring declared his intention to enter the 2019 NBA draft, has decided instead to return to the University of Vermont next year, according to the Burlington Free Press.
Catamounts’ coach John Becker first announced Lamb’s decision to return to campus for his senior year, which he confirmed with a statement through Vermont’s athletic department earlier this week.
“I’m excited to announce that I’ll be returning to Vermont for my senior season,” said Lamb, who had received pre-draft workout invitations from the Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers. “I’d like to thank all of the NBA teams that brought me in for an evaluation. It was a fantastic learning experience.”
Lamb, a 6-6 forward from Rochester, New York, averaged 21.2 points and 7.8 rebounds last winter to lead Vermont to a 27-7 record good for the America East Conference championship and the program’s seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Lamb was a unanimous choice as AE player of the year and also was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.