Another Eritrean from Canada will be making his debut in the Spanish Premiere league this coming season.
Johnny Berhanemeskel who was a standout at the University of Ottawa where he lead the Gee-Gees as they are known by their nick name to succesful seasons between 2010-2015. He earned CIS Outstanding Player, First Team All-Canadian and OUA Player of the Year honors in his fifth year with the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Appearing in a total of 105 games over the span of his five-year career at Ottawa, Berhanemeskel averaged 19.0 points per contest. He was Ottawa’s all-time points leader and first in career three-pointers when he graduated.
After finishing his university career, he went on to play for the TLU / Kalev shirt in Estonia. A very good season there opened the doors for a transfer to the lower division of the Spanish league with Sáenz Horeca Araberri , where he averaged 19 points per game. he became one of the most outstanding scorer of the second Spanish division. After moving to Germany, where he decided to leave in search of a new opportunity he signed with the Eisbaren Bremerhavenit where he continued to show his high scoring capacity. He got noticed by Zaragoza of the Spanish premier league where he contributed to the team’s success until he got traded for a short stint in Greece playing for Larisa in the Greek premiere league. He went on to France, where he was in high demand starting off with Boulazac Basket Dordogne, also known as BBD then again in the French top league with Nanterre 92 until he once again got traded. Meanwhile, he came back to his home in Canada and played in the new Canadian basketball league with his hometown team of Ottawa Blackjacks. He was also called up by the Canadian national team for the 2021 FIBA Americup qualifiers that took place in Puerto Rico. Johnny went on to sign with another team in France known as Chorale Roanne where he had his best season in his professional career, finishing 3rd in the league’s individual scoring after his team made an exit in the playoffs. He averaged 17.8 points a game and was a great defensive player with an incredible 3 points percentage. Wishing Johnny a great future as he continues his career in Europe.The Canadian citizen of Eritrean decent also had short stints in the Lithuanian league. Berhanemeskel’s experiences will help him grow in the top Spanish league where another Eritrean-American Thomas Kelati made a great career choice for many years winning a championship with Valencia.
Written by Mike Seium.
Leave a Reply