Sammy Mejia
José Samuel " Sammy" Mejia ( born February 7, 1983 in Bronx, New York City ) is an American- Dominican basketball player. After studying in his native country was Mejia professional in the NBA Development League (D - League), and then played in Europe, where he Basket French champion 2010 with Cholet and with CSKA Moscow VTB United League 2011 /12 and the Russian Championship in the PBL 2011/12 won. He also reached with the Russian club the runner-up in the ULEB Euro Cup 2011 /12. With Banvit Bandırma he won in the 2012/13 season, the Turkish runner.
Career
Mejia studied in the U.S. at DePaul University in Chicago, where he was active for the high school team Blue Demons from 2003 to 2007, the first played in the Conference USA and then in 2005 changed to the Big East Conference of the NCAA. In his first college season, the Blue Demons won the regular season of Conference USA and lost the final of the championship tournament of the Conference against the Bearcats, University of Cincinnati. In the nationwide NCAA 2004 finals, they lost in the second round against the eventual winners Huskies of the University of Connecticut. Then we played with the Huskies and the Bearcats in the Big East Conference, but in which one could not place it in the front of the field and no finals attendance reached more. At the National Invitation Tournament participated in 2005 and 2007, where two years later pushed forward to the quarter finals after a second-round defeat in 2005, in which one with a point of difference narrowly failed in a catchment in the Final Four tournament this competition. The Blue Demons Mejia ranks with 1,494 points in four years among the " Top Ten" of the all-time best list of these college team. In the " Entry Draft " of the doped at the highest professional league NBA Mejia was selected at the end of the second round by the Detroit Pistons in 2007. With the Pistons in addition to the " Center legend" George Mikan had probably won most famous basketball -playing graduate of DePaul University Mark Aguirre at the end of the 1980s, whose first two NBA championships.
In August 2007, Mejia played with the Dominican national team at the Caribbean Championships, in which the Dominicans lost the final against Puerto Rico and the silver medal outdated. The Pistons Mejia, however, was not a big NBA career was granted, instead he not made the jump into the season cadres of Pistons and was the beginning of the 2007/08 season at the " farm team " Mad Ants from Fort Wayne in Indiana in the D made -League. There Mejia graduated only twelve missions before 2008 to Europe joined the beginning of February to the Pierrel Basket from Capo d' Orlando in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A, where he replaced his former teammate from college times Drake servant to master Montepaschi Siena had migrated. At the end of the season the team managed for the first time in the club's history as sixth in the final table made it into the play-offs for the Italian championship, in which one but smooth in three games against A.IR. Avellino was eliminated. Then the club got for economic reasons, no more license for another season and Mejia joined the Greek League A1 Ethniki to AEL from Larisa. However, AEL won 26 games, only two and rose at end of the season as Table again from the top division from.
In summer 2009, Mejia played in the land of his ancestors in the Dominican Republic before he got a contract from the French first division club from Cholet in the LNB Pro A for the season 2009/10. Mejia, who was named Player of the Month January 2010, the Pro A, bringing with Cholet the first place after the regular season and reached the club the final game for the championship against the second-placed regional rival Le Mans Sarthe Basket, the one with 81: 65 won and took the first championship for the club. Then Mejia played with the club in the highest European club competition ULEB Euro Cup 2010/ 11, where he was named as the most effective player as the "Most Valuable Player " (MVP) of the match on Matchday. The four preliminary round victories in the Euro League ranged However, because of the poorer direct comparison not to move into the second round of the 16 best teams. In the French Cup we once again took first place in the regular season and Mejia was named player of the month April 2011 and selected as the " MVP étranger " the best foreign player of the season. In the play-offs they remained unbeaten until the final, but in the final game Mejia scored Although 15 Points but lean litter rate of under 30 %, which was similar modest as that of his teammates Antywane Robinson, the Final MVP the previous season, DeMarcus Nelson and Point guard Vule Avdalović. At the end they lost the final against SLUC Nancy with two points difference 74:76, although one with 41 rebounds won the rebound battle to 28 and almost 50 % more throw attempts had taken as the new champion.
For the 2011/12 season Mejia got a contract with the Russian series champion PBK CSKA from Moscow. With this club he defended the title of the Russian master in the PBL 2011/12 and took the title in the Eastern European VTB United League 2011/12 back. In the ULEB Euro League 2011/ 12, however, the hochfavorisierte star ensemble lost in the final after high lead in dramatic final minutes against Olympiakos Piraeus. Mejia came in the star-studded team in only six euros League games for use and after the second round in any single game more. After the season he tried a new club and moved to Turkey to Banvit BK from Bandırma. In Eurocup 2012/13 as the most effective player Mejia was MVP of the second match day and failed with the Turkish team only just because of the poorer direct comparison to the quarter-finals. In Türkiye Basketbol Ligi you suffered before the play-off final series of the Turkish championship only six losses, but in the final series against Galatasaray Medical Park only managed one win and one missed in the first finals the first national title success for this club.