ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A pair of former Eckerd Triton men's basketball players recently inked professional contracts in Spain for the upcoming 2018-19 season.
Lance Kearse '12 signed with La Roda of the LEB Silver league while Obi Kyei '17 joined Forca Lleida of the LEB Gold league.
For Kearse, it is his second tour in LEB Silver. The former SSC Player of the Year was with Lan Mobel in 2012-13, averaging 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
After his season with Lan Mobel, Kearse attempted to follow in the footsteps of his cousin, Jevon Kearse, in the National Football League. Â He earned a minicamp stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2013 but did not receive a training camp invite despite a performance that gained national media attention.
He recently returned to professional basketball with a 30-day tour in China before signing with La Roda.
Kyei, who spent his final two seasons at Eckerd after transferring from Metro State (Colo.) University, embarks on his second year of professional experience having previously played in his native country of Australia for three teams. Â Most recently, he was part of Logan Thunder of the QBL where he averaged 20.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 18 contests. Â He also spent time with Leeds Force and Cuxhaven Baskets averaging 11.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the latter.
At Eckerd, Kyei was a two-year starter and part of a SSC Championship team and two NCAA National Tournament qualifiers.
