Istanbul, Turkey - Former Saint Francis guard
Isaiah Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C./West Charlotte) will begin his professional basketball career with the same club that NBA legends Allen Iverson and Deron Williams finished theirs. The 2019-20 NEC Player of the Year announced that he signed a deal with Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul of the Turkish Basketball Super League late last week.
"I am really excited for Isaiah and his family," said Saint Francis head men's basketball coach
Rob Krimmel. "Besiktas is a big-time club with a rich tradition. This is the highest level that we have had a player sign in over 25 years. To see him realize his dream of becoming a professional basketball player is a proud moment for our staff and our program. Isaiah is a special talent on the basketball court and an even better person off the court. He persevered through so much during his time at Saint a Francis to become one of the best players to ever wear a Red Flash uniform. He has an extremely bright future ahead of him and I cannot wait to see him continue to grow as a professional basketball player."
Blackmon fought through two ACL tears during his SFU career to finish seventh on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,606 points. He had the best season of his career in 2019-20, averaging 18.8 ppg and a league-best 21.6 ppg in conference play to become the third player in program history to win NEC Player of the Year honors.
Known for his high-flying dunks, Blackmon shot 42.0% from three-point range over his career and ranks third in program history with 218 made three-point field goals.
In addition to Iverson and Williams, Besiktas also boasts Carlos Arroyo, Khalid El-Amin, Adam Morrison, Lonny Baxter, Earl Clark and D.J. Strawberry as notable alums who played in the NBA.
Blackmon joins Markell Johnson (N.C. State), Toddrick Gotcher (Texas Tech), De'Jon Davis (Cal Baptist), Christian Lutete (UMass Lowell) as one of six Americans on the current roster.
Besiktas finished in eighth place in the BSL last season with an 11-12 record.
Founded in 1933, Besiktas is a two-time champion of the Basketball Super League, winning the title most recently in 2012 along with the Turkish Cup that same season. The club has competed in the Champions League in each of the last four seasons, recording a 7-7- record against Champions League competition in 2019-20.
