Wittwer becomes one of only a handful of fomer Gusties to showcase their talents overseas
Newly decorated alum Trevor Wittwer has joined a very short list of Gustavus grads who have played professional basketball overseas. Wittwer has been residing in Werne, Germany, for the past three weeks, earning a living by playing professional basketball.
Werne, a town of about 30,000 people, is located in the northwestern part of Germany, less than 10 miles from the city of Dortmund. His team, TV Werne 03, plays in the 2. Regionaliga Division-one of the lower divisions of the league.
Much like he was in his basketball career at Gustavus, Wittwer is looked to as a go-to scorer and a leader on the floor. As one of the older, more experienced players on the team, he is a perfect fit for the role. Listed as guard in the Werne team roster, Wittwer is playing a different position professionally than the forward position he played in college.
In their first game of the season, a six-point win, Wittwer scored 30 points and fouled out late in the game. Their season stretches from the first week of September all the way into March, over which their seemingly minimal twenty-five game schedule is spread out. There are also rule changes from the American game that have staggered Wittwer a little bit.
“The biggest challenge I would have to say is the rules, and not being able to talk to the officials. They have different rules when it comes to traveling and the games are officiated much differently. They get an extra step that is crazy and really hard to guard,” said Wittwer.
“Practice is a lot different, not quite as intense as college. The language is a struggle on a daily basis. [Only]a few guys on the team know pretty good English, so communicating can be difficult at times: a lot of showing and not very much explaining.”
Wittwer is playing under a seven-month contract that expires at the end of the season. He’ll return to the States in April and will look for a new team, perhaps in Italy or Spain, for next season.
“I am thrilled for Trevor that he is getting the opportunity to play overseas,” said Mark Hanson, the men’s head basketball coach. “It is a valuable learning opportunity that doesn’t co
be around all the time. “He still loves playing basketball and this allows him to do that.”
According to Coach Hanson, the other Gusties who have played abroad make-up a very exclusive list, a list that includes Tom Carlson ’78 (Germany), Ross Peterson ’79 (Austrailia), Bobby Johnson ’01( Germany) and Coach Hanson who graduated in 1983 and played professionally in Sweden.
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