Kyle Fossman has gone pro.
The Haines High School all-star basketball player who won MVP honors at University of Alaska-Anchorage has signed a one-year contract to play in Germany for a “Pro B” team of the Frankfurt-based Fraport Skyliners, one of 18 teams in the country’s Federal Basketball League.
Fossman, 22, left Anchorage for Germany Tuesday and couldn’t be reached for comment.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity we talked about happening,” said Steve Fossman, Kyle’s father. “You go over there and give it your best shot and try to enjoy the experience… Also, I think it’s neat for kids around here to see a guy from here doing this.”
Fossman said European teams had expressed interest in his son before the Frankfurt squad made the offer to Kyle’s agent. Kyle had been looking favorably toward playing in Germany, as a former UAA teammate had a good experience there, his dad said. “He was interested in trying to go to Germany in particular. There’s a lot of good basketball over there.”
The Skyliners’ season starts Sept. 28 and continues into March, followed by a post-season tournament.
At UAA, Kyle Fossman was a shooting guard and the team’s second-highest scorer in his senior year, averaging 17 points a game and leading the team in minutes played. “We don’t know what he’ll play over there. His three-point shooting were his big numbers. I’m sure they’re interested in that,” Steve Fossman said.
Fossman said Kyle will have a chance to prove himself. “If you can be seen, you have a chance to move up (to top-league teams) in Germany or in any other country. The main thing is to go over there and if they like you, and you have good numbers, you have a good chance of moving up.”
A former UAA teammate of Kyle’s who played in Germany went on to play in a more competitive league in the Czech Republic, Fossman said.
Kyle is registered with a Federal Basketball League team. “We don’t know if someone gets hurt whether (Kyle) can play (at the top-league level). It kind of happened quickly… It will be interesting to see how it works over there.”
In related news, Mark McNamara, a former NBA player who has helped the Haines High School basketball program in recent years, has launched an effort to retire Kyle Fossman’s #42 jersey. Fossman led the team to state 3A championships in 2008 and 2010 and is among the school’s all-time scoring leaders.
McNamara recently said he’d like to see the high school develop a “Hall of Fame” for top athletes and start keeping comprehensive records for achievements in school athletics and activities.