Alasdair Fraser Leaves Maine to Go Pro in Germany - Hoopsfix.com

Alasdair Fraser Leaves Maine to Go Pro in Germany

Alasdair Fraser Maine

Great Britain and Scotland forward Alasdair Fraser has forgone his Senior year at the University of Maine to go professional, as he has signed with Gotha Rockets in Germany’s Pro A (second division).

The move is another huge blow for Maine’s basketball programme who have already lost the team’s and America East Conference’s leading scorer Justin Edwards, who’s transferring, and have struggled the past two seasons under head coach Ted Woodward.

“I had a good three years at Maine but for a number of reasons felt I was better off leaving,” said the 6’7″ former GB U20 when talking to Hoopsfix last week. “I learned a lot in my time there, got a chance to mature, meet a lot of people and develop a lot as a player, but just felt that going back for another year would not have been as beneficial.”

Fraser initially considered transferring to another school, and did have interest from some bigger conferences but ultimately felt sitting a year to play a year wasn’t worth it.

“I felt that I had gotten everything I could have out of being there (at Maine) and that I was better off leaving. I am thankful to everyone who helped me while I was at Maine, especially Coach Douglas Leichner who supported me throughout my time there and really helped me improve a lot. He is a great coach and I am glad he has had the chance to coach the GB under 20 team this summer.”

Fraser earned All-America East second-team recognition last season for the second straight year and was among the most efficient post players in the America East Conference ranking second on UMaine in scoring behind Edwards’ 13.4 points per game, good for eighth in the league.

Ali Fraser Dunk at MaineFraser was fourth in the conference in rebounding (8.1 per game), fifth in field-goal percentage (.489), second in blocked shots (1.2) and sixth in average minutes played (33.3). He was third in offensive rebounds at 2.6 per contest.

He admits there are certain things he may have done differently if he’d have got a chance to do it over, but refuses to dwell on them.

“Looking back at most things there are going to be certain aspects that you wish you had done differently but there is no point dwelling on them as there is nothing you can do to change them,” he continued. “In my time at Maine I learned a lot, grew up a lot and got to play basketball at a high level which were the reasons I went there.

“I improved my game and got to have the experience of playing Division 1 College basketball which is something not many people get the chance to do. I do not regret my time there as it has helped me get to where I want to be.”

The Falkirk born Scot finished with career averages of 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

His one year rookie contract with Gotha, he says, came about pretty quickly after signing with an agent at the beginning of June. International duty with Scotland saw him face Luxembourg and get a clean sweep of an England Select team, putting in more than solid performances as a few British Basketball League teams came knocking. His agent, however, preferred him to begin his career on foreign shores.

“I got some interest from BBL teams but my agent said he wanted me to start outside of the UK. So I continued to wait and then having not heard anything for a few weeks my agent called me one morning and told me the details of Gotha and that was it. He seemed really enthusiastic about it being a good situation for my first year so I listened to him and signed.”

Fraser will have at least one familiar face in Germany, as former GB U20 teammate and Scottish friend Lee Reilly has also signed with Gotha.

“Lee signing is definitely a bonus but that was not the deciding factor,” Fraser said. “Having looked at the situation and talked to the coach, I felt that this would be a good place to start my career as it should allow me to play and improve a lot. Playing with someone who I am good friends with is an added bonus. Lee has also been out to visit so I asked him a lot about it before I finally decided.”

Fraser, who has a long term girlfriend in Scotland, admits one of the main draws of going pro in Europe is being closer to home.

“I will be able to see my family, friends and girlfriend a lot more and they will be able to come see me play more often which will be pretty nice,” he enthused. “I am really looking forward to the challenges of playing professionally also. It will really let me see what I do well and what I need to improve on and will hopefully let me get better. Also, my mum can finally stop complaining about me never having had a job which will be nice!”

Surpisingly, Ali has not yet received an invite to Great Britain Senior Men’s training camp which begins next month, but has got a call up to the GB Futures, who are expected to compete in London in the coming week or so. He says playing internationally is something that will always remain close to his heart.

“Playing for the National team is something that is and has always been very important to me. Whether it is playing for Scotland or Great Britain I will take any opportunity to play for them as, for me, it is a great honour to be able to represent my country at any level.

“Not many people get that chance and I am very proud to have had opportunities to do so and I hope in the future I have many more chances to represent both Scotland and Britain. I have not received an invite to the GB senior men’s team this summer but obviously in the future if I were to be invited I would be thrilled an honoured to be included.”

The time off this summer means he can focus solely on joining the pro ranks, a transition he believes will not be too difficult having played internationally every summer in recent years.

“I think the transition shouldn’t be too hard as I have played in the European championships every year since I have been in College so I am still used to playing in Europe against some guys who have already played professionally,” he said.

“How well I do will really be down to how hard I am willing to work on my own as, playing professionally, basketball is obviously the number one priority and that is what I am there to do. There is no studying or anything else to do so hopefully if I put the time and work in the transition should be fine.”

Hoopsfix wants to wish Ali all the best with his professional career!

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