Kaun signs contract with Russian team

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Sasha Kaun has played his last game in America – at least for now.

The former Jayhawk center signed a contract to play basketball for CSKA Moscow, a professional Russian team.

Kaun, a Tomsk, Russia native, became the first Russian to win an NCAA basketball national championship last April. Now, he’ll become the first NCAA champion to play professional basketball in Russia.

“CSKA always keeps in his field of interests all Russian best basketball players, especially young ones,” Andrei Vatutin, CSKA Moscow chief executive officer, said in a statement. “After the win in the NCAA Finals, Kaun became one of the most popular players here.”

NBA Draft scouts and experts expected Kaun to be taken in the late second round of Thursday’s NBA Draft. Although he signed with an international team, it doesn’t necessarily hurt Kaun’s chances of being drafted.

A team can still select Kaun and own his rights in case he decides to play in the NBA later. In last year’s NBA Draft, ten players who were signed into international contracts were still drafted.

“Good big players have always been a rarity,” Vatutin said, “and Sasha with his excellent work ethic can potentially grow into a player of NBA level.

Kaun’s deal with CSKA Moscow runs through the end of the 2010/2011 season.

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