Darral Willis

Darral Willis
No. 21 – Aris Thessaloniki
PositionPower forward / Center
LeagueGBL
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (1996-01-21) January 21, 1996 (age 28)
Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Cypriot[1]
Listed height2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Listed weight102 kg (225 lb)
Career information
High schoolMadison Memorial
(Madison, Wisconsin)
College
NBA draft2018: undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019Keravnos
2019–2020Nizhny Novgorod
2020–2021AS Monaco
2021Brescia
2021–2022BC Enisey
2022–2023Lokomotiv Kuban
2023Seoul Samsung Thunders
2023–2024Levanga Hokkaido
2024–presentAris Thessaloniki
Career highlights and awards

Darral Willis Jr. (born January 21, 1996) is an American-born naturalized Cypriot professional basketball player for Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroCup. Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Willis played high school basketball at Madison Memorial High School]. After two years at Pearl River and two years at Wichita State Willis entered the 2018 NBA draft but was not selected in the draft's two rounds.

High school career

Willis played high school basketball at Madison Memorial, in Madison, Wisconsin.[citation needed]

College career

Willis started his college career with Pearl River Community College. After dominating the JUCO ranks in his 2015–16 season following high school, Willis garnered offers from programs which included Wichita State, Arizona State, LSU, Oklahoma State, and Marquette, among others. He left the college in order to join Wichita State until 2018.[2]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Willis joined Keravnos of the Cypriot League.[3] He won the Cypriot Cup and he was named the MVP of the game after scoring 40 points and grabbing 17 rebounds in the final against AEK Larnaca.[4] For the 2020–2021 season Willis joined AS Monaco.[5]

On July 17, 2020, he signed with As Monaco of the LNB Pro A.[6] In the middle of the season in France, Willis moved to Italy signing with Brescia.[7]

On September 9, 2021, he has signed with BC Enisey of the VTB United League.[8]

On August 19, 2022, he signed with Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League.[9]

On January 15, 2023, he signed with Seoul Samsung Thunders of the Korean Basketball League.[10]

On August 3, 2023, Willis signed with Levanga Hokkaido of the B.League.[11]

On July 8, 2024, Willis signed with Kyoto Hannaryz of the Japanese B.League.[12] On September 2, 2024, his contract was terminated due to medical examination.[13]

On November 23, 2024, Willis moved to Greek club Aris for the rest of the season.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Darral Willis (Cyprus) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age". FIBA Basketball. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Darral Willis Jr.'s hard work leads him to first taste of professional basketball". medium.com. May 18, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  3. ^ "Three More Shockers Sign with Pro Teams". medium.com. July 30, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "Cyprus Cup Finals: Keravnos is the winner in a thrilling game and in the OT (86–89)". medium.com. March 17, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  5. ^ "OFFICIEL : MONACO ENGAGE DARRAL WILLIS, "UN PROFIL INTÉRESSANT POUR LA JEEP ELITE"". bebasket.fr. March 17, 2019.
  6. ^ "Darral Willis officially signs with Monaco". Sportando. July 17, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "Germani Brescia, novità sotto le plance: ufficiale l'acquisto di Darral Willis" (in Italian). basketbrescialeonessa.it. 21 January 2021.
  8. ^ "BC Enisey announces Rion Brown, Brynton Lemar, Darryln Willis, Casper Ware". Sportando. September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "The club signs Darral Willis". lokobasket.com. August 19, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  10. ^ "Samsung Thunders sign Darral Willis and Anthony Morse, part ways with 3 USA". Sportando. January 15, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "ダラル・ウィリスジュニア選手 新規入団のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Levanga Hokkaido. August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  12. ^ "ダラル・ウィリスジュニア選手 加入のお知らせ". 京都ハンナリーズ. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  13. ^ "ダラル・ウィリスジュニア選手 契約解除のご報告". 京都ハンナリーズ. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Darral Willis joins Aris BC". Sportando. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 26 November 2024.