Michael Sturns, who led all National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II players with 26.6 points per game last season, has joined the bj-league's Rizing Fukuoka.
The Holy Family University standout set a single-game scoring record (51 points) and was named the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's Player of the Year.
Sturns, a shooting guard, transferred to the Philadelphia school from the University of North Texas. He earned the Sun Belt Conference's top sixth man accolades in 2006-07.
The Rizing Fukuoka's free-wheeling, high-octane offense caused fits for opponents in the team's inaugural season in the bj-league in 2007-08. John Neumann's club hopes to play a similar brand of basketball in the upcoming season, and Sturns fits the bill of the type of player the veteran coach wanted to bring to the team.
"It's a blessing that after all the hard work to this point that this dream is coming true," Sturns said a statement. "It's an honor to play and do something that I love."
Sturns attended a pre-draft workout for the Philadelphia 76ers in June.
"He is a terrific scorer and a tough kid," 76ers assistant GM Tony DiLeo said of Sturns.
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