The American interior Darral Willis (2.06 m, 28 years old), also holder of a Cypriot passport, continued his career in Europe by joining Aris Thessaloniki, one of the historic clubs of the Greek championship. The former AS Monaco player will return to the EuroCup this season, where he will notably face JL Bourg.
A rich international career
Darral Willis is no stranger to European basketball fans. Since his professional debut in 2018, after training at Wichita State (NCAA), he has traveled the globe, playing on four continents and in eight different countries. Among his most notable experiences, he won the Cypriot championship with Keravnos in 2019, distinguished himself in the VTB League in 2020, and defended the colors of Monaco in the French championship at the start of the 2020-2021 season (7, 1 points and 4.1 rebounds on average over seven Jeep ELITE games in 2020-2021).
Willis also played in Italy (Brescia), Japan (Levanga Hokkaido and Kyoto Hannaryz), South Korea (Samsung Thunders) and Puerto Rico (Leones). Most recently, he participated in the TBT (The Basketball Tournament) in the United States, where he posted averages of 7.5 points and 6 rebounds in two games.
An opponent of the Blues in Cypriot colors
In addition to his club commitments, Darral Willis represents the Cyprus national team, which he will face Frédéric Fauthoux’s Blues in qualifying for EuroBasket 2025, this Sunday in Poitiers. Thursday, during the first leg in Nicosia, he did not show himself in a good light, with questionable choices (12 points at 2/9 on shots, 6 rebounds and 5 lost balls for 7 evaluation in 27 minutes) .
A return to the EuroCup
By joining Aris Salonika, Willis returns to the EuroCup, a competition he knows well. He will be opposed to JL Bourg during the group stage, which will give him the opportunity to once again cross paths with Frédéric Fauthoux, coach of the France team. Aris, which is banking on its experience and its impact in the racket, to reap new successes after a complicated start to the season on the European scene (2 victories and 6 defeats) as in the Greek championship (3 victories and 4 defeats). The next match is scheduled for this Thursday, November 28 against Cluj-Napoca and Adam Mokoka (1.95 m, 26 years old), whose path he crosses this Sunday in Poitiers.
