Nikitas headed to Europe with USA Select squad
August 12, 2016 | Joseph Vanden Acker
Lawrence’s Jamie Nikitas (3) is playing in a European tour with the hopes of signing on with a professional team.
APPLETON, Wis. — Jamie Nikitas is chasing his hoop dreams on the other side of the pond.
The former Lawrence University men’s basketball star guard is playing on a USA Select team that will take part is as many as 20 contests in Europe from Sept. 1-20.
“I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to be seen, get noticed and get a chance to play over there,” Nikitas said.
The USA Select team is made up of recent college graduates ranging from NCAA Division III to Division I. The team will play in England, Ireland, Norway and possibly Greece over its three-week stay. The USA Select schedule will be a mix of games, tournaments and scrimmages, according to Nikitas.
After putting together a highlight tape, Nikitas began talking with an official from USA Select and was pleased to land with this group.
The Nikitas family has a history of competition overseas with Nikitas’ father, Danny, playing for two seasons in Greece after a stellar career at Lake Forest College. Nikitas’ uncle, Chris, played in the same league in Greece after helping DePaul University, led by Mark Aguirre, to a Final Four berth in 1979.
“This USA Select organization has placed plenty of guys, and a lot of guys are still playing with teams in Europe,” Nikitas said.
Nikitas said he’s not quite sure what to expect from his USA Select teammates since he’s never played with any of them.
“I think it will be letting the game come to me,” Nikitas said. “I may not be the guy who needs to score 25 points a game so it may be grabbing rebounds and stopping guys defensively. I feel like I had a pretty solid all-around game in college so hopefully whatever needs to show itself will show itself.”
Nikitas was a 2015-16 first-team All-Midwest Conference selection and one of 10 national finalists for the Josten’s Trophy, given annually to the top player in NCAA Division III. He finished in the top 10 in the nation in scoring at 25.1 points per game and broke Lawrence’s season scoring record with 577 points. He was the only player in the Midwest Conference to finish in the top seven in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
Nikitas was named the United States Basketball Writers Association Player of the Week, was chosen for the D3hoops.com Team of the Week and was twice named Midwest Conference Player of the Week.
Nikitas ranks among the greatest players in Lawrence history and his name is all over the school’s record book. He finished fourth on the career scoring list with 1,406 points, trailing only Josten’s Trophy winner and three-time All-American Chris Braier, All-American Ryan Kroeger and Lawrence Hall of Famer Joel Dillingham.
Once the tour is done, Nikitas hopes he gets the call from a pro team that needs an American guard.
“As long as I stay healthy and play like I can play, I have a chance to catch on with someone,” Nikitas said. “Even if nothing comes of it … to have the opportunity to do this is a really cool thing.”
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