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Neighbour Readies for Start of Professional Career in Spain
UALR Sports Information
Release: 09/02/2014
LITTLE ROCK – Former UALR basketball player Will Neighbour recently signed a contract to begin his professional basketball career with Oviedo CB of LEB Oro, the second division of Spanish Professional Basketball. Neighbour recently confirmed he’ll leave Wednesday for Oviedo to begin rehabbing his injured shoulder with the team.
“I’ve heard it’s a really nice town and I know the team finished fifth in the league last season,” said Neighbour of what he knows about his new situation. “They’re one of the best clubs. They’ve got some good trainers there that can take care of me.”
Neighbour said he and his agent were open with teams about the shoulder injury he suffered in February that ended his UALR playing career. He and Oviedo CB agreed to terms with the understanding that he’ll need further rehabilitation before he can resume full-speed basketball.
“The team knows exactly where I’m at – we sent them my last MRI,” said Neighbour. “They know where my shoulder is and they seem positive about it. But it’s feeling better and it’s on the mend. I hope to be ready around October.”
The league itself, LEB Oro, is considered one of the best in the world. Liga ACB, Spain’s first division of professional basketball, is considered second only to the NBA in terms of quality of play. Oviedo CB was founded in 2004 and advanced to LEB Plata (third tier in Spanish Basketball) for the 2010-11 season after winning the 2010 Liga EBA title. The team earned an LEB Plata championship in 2012-13, allowing it to advance to LEB Oro, where it finished in the top third of the league its first season in 2013-14.
The 6-10 forward says he plans to continue to play the four position with Oviedo CB. He doesn’t expect his style of play to change much, saying he hopes to be the same type of player he was for the Trojans.
Neighbour is one of just 19 players in UALR basketball history to score 1,000 points – just 10 scored more than him in UALR’s Division I era – and one of just six to total 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. One of the best all-around performers to ever suit up for the Trojans, he finished his career just two steals and three assists shy of becoming the first player in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 100 steals and 100 assists and 90 blocked shots.
The 2013-14 season was Neighbour’s best for the Trojans. Before an ankle injury suffered at South Alabama in early February, Neighbour was averaging 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and ranked in the top-10 of the Sun Belt Conference in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw percentage. He played sparingly in two games against Georgia State and Western Kentucky the following week, but following two games of rest he dislocated his shoulder in the second half of UALR’s game against UT Arlington on Feb. 22.
Despite missing seven of the team’s final eight games, Neighbour was named Second Team All-Sun Belt, becoming the first player in program history to be named to three All-SBC teams.
As for the transition from college to professional basketball, Neighbour is most concerned about getting his shoulder back to where it needs to be. Making the move from England to Alabama for his final season of high school basketball helped prepare him for the task of being on his own.
“I think it’s going to be more about getting healthy,” says Neighbour. “I’ve been living on my own, away from my family, for a few years now, so I’m used to that. I think the biggest thing for me is just getting healthy and feeling like I’m part of the team and going from there. But I think basketball is basketball. As long as you go hard, it’s going to be the same.”
Being in Oviedo will be better for Neighbour and his family. He’ll be just an hour flight away from his hometown, allowing him the opportunity to see his family much more than he did during his high school and college career in the United States.
For updates on Neighbour throughout the year, follow UALR basketball on Twitter (@UALRbasketball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/UALRbasketball).
