Basketbal BNXT League Circus Brussels
Jordan Skipper-Brown was sent off by Leuven Bears after colliding with coach Eddy Casteels. — © Well
In Neder-Over-Heembeek, three players were said goodbye, while after Jaylin Airington and Justin Kohajda with small forward Jordan Skipper-Brown, a third newcomer was now also recruited. Sporting manager Nikkel Kebsi hopes to attract an additional winger soon.
Wim Redant
Brussels made a surprising transfer with Jordan Skipper-Brown. The 1.98m small forward grew up in a family of soldiers, but forgot the discipline on his European debut with Leuven Bears when he angrily left the room with a quick substitution and then sent his cat to several training sessions. Nickel Kebsi defends the transfer. “Call it a calculated risk,” says Kebsi. “At Brussels, Jordan turns out to be a good player, who gets a new chance in a different environment. We now know how things went in Leuven, where Skipper-Brown clashed with coach Eddy Casteels. Sometimes personalities clash. Jordan is keen on a sporting revenge and we want to offer him that during a two-month try-out.”
On Sunday, Skipper-Brown will blow out 25 candles, so that his birthday coincides with his Brussels debut in the Spiroudôme of Charleroi. “We were in close contact with Erwin Van Achten, the sporting director of Leuven Bears, so that the transfer was transparent. There was a rush behind the transfer that was completed on December 31, just before the deadline. The other profiles posed a greater risk.”
In Charleroi, Brussels has to get to work without Kevin Tumba, who has left for Liège. “Tumba’s departure was in the air. There was a step-up clause with a transfer fee in his contract and we knew the player wanted to leave. We rather thought of a club in Turkey or Greece as a new destination. I don’t really take it seriously that Tumba left for Liège, because after the arrival of the American investor that club is of a different size than Brussels and is therefore no longer a direct competitor. The time of the transfer was annoying, because suddenly we had to play against Leuven without Tumba, while we had three injured players with Terry Deroover, Jaylin Airington and Justin Kohajda. That means that we only had five of the nine professional players available. In that respect, we booked a hopeful victory against Leuven.”
Farewell to Gutenius and Pipiras
The Christmas break also meant the farewell of Will Gutenius and Rytis Pipiras. “The Swede Gutenius saw a more prominent role for himself. We could not guarantee it and agreed to his departure to Iceland. Rytis Pipiras only played six games for Brussels and continued to struggle with his foot. We gave our consent to terminate his contract. He signed in Hungary with his former team Hubner NBS for a tryout, but is still not fit. We need fit players and hope to complete a transfer soon.”