Alex Herrera is no longer a rookie when it comes to professional basketball.
Herrera, a star center at Fort Lewis College and Ignacio High School, signed with a new team Tuesday for his second year of playing in Europe. He will join Básquet Castelló in Spain this fall.
“I had a couple of offers on the table and some interest but felt like we should take this,” Herrera said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “It will give me good exposure for years to come.”
Herrera began his professional career in 2015 after graduating from Fort Lewis, where he set seven program records and was named an All-American. He signed with KTP Basket out of Finland and averaged 10.l points and 8.9 rebounds per game. The FLC all-time blocked shots leader also averaged 1.5 blocks per game.
In six games during the FIBA Europe Cup with KTP Basket, Herrera averaged 8.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots.
“I wish we could’ve had a bit better ending to the season,” the son of Chris and Kathy Herrera said. “I learned a lot, but we missed the playoffs by one game and lost our last game on a buzzer-beater.”
Castelló went 13-17 in 2010 in the Spain-LEB Gold league, the second-tier league in Spain behind Liga ACB, also known as Liga Endesa.
Herrera will add to a team that averaged only 30 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game a year ago.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Chief, and we all are so happy for him,” FLC head coach Bob Pietrack said. “His work ethic and restless pursuit of his dreams continues to inspire us. It’s amazing where basketball has taken him. No matter how far he goes, he will always be one of us, and that’s what makes his story so special.”
Herrera played in China with a team from Mexico for a month during the summer. He’s also been busy helping former Fort Lewis teammate Lucas Archuleta lead camps in three different cities in recent weeks.
Also participating in the camps is Fort Lewis’ all-time leading scorer, DeAndre Lansdowne, who made waves earlier in the summer when he signed with Hamburg in Germany. The Hamburg Towers went 20-15 a season ago in the Pro A league, the top league in Germany.
A year ago, Lansdowne made a name for himself internationally with Hertener Loewen Basketball in Germany’s Pro B league. In 27 games he averaged 22.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, product shot 61.5 percent from the field. Lansdowne worked out with Hamburg shortly after his season ended and showed his skills and strong work ethic and did enough to earn a contract.
Former Skyhawks also playing internationally include 2009’s Kirk Archibeque playing in Poland, 2013’s Marcus Ayala playing in Mexico and 2014’s Nick Tomsick playing in Croatia. 2016 graduate Kofi Josephs is expected to sign with a team in England.
“It’s special to see players that have gone through our program making a living playing,” Pietrack said. “It speaks to all the hard work they put in over the years. We really enjoy following their seasons and rooting for them from Durango.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
