BROOKLYN HEIGHTS, NY – St. Francis College Brooklyn men's basketball senior forward
Deniz Celen recently announced that he signed with Octagon Basketball Europe as he'll begin his pursuit of a professional playing career following his graduation this month.
"I'm glad to start my professional career being represented by Marko Jelic and being a part of the Octagon Europe Agency family. It means a great deal for me to know that I have an agent and organization that I trust, and I believe working with them will benefit my professional career and my future," said Celen.
Octagon is a sports and entertainment agency that represents over 70 international professional players and a number of prominent NBA players including Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), and Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) amongst others.
"We're very happy for Deniz as he takes the necessary steps en route to beginning his professional playing career. Deniz has worked extremely hard to get to this level, and he was an integral part of our team over the past two seasons. He is a talented player and a great person, and we wish him nothing but the best as he realizes his dream of playing professional basketball," said Terriers' Head Coach
Glenn Braica.
Celen earned All-NEC Third Team honors for the first time in his career after he tallied 11.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game as a senior for the Terriers. The forward shot a highly efficient 55.5 percent from the field, 43.6 percent from three, and 82.4 percent from the free-throw line in 31 games.
The Ankara, Turkey native ranked second in the league in field goal percentage, was seventh in blocks per game, was 12
th in rebounding, and ranked tied for 18
th in scoring. He scored in double figures 17 times this season and scored 20 or more points in a game five times, which were the second-most on the team.
On December 23, Celen was tabbed NEC Co-Player of the Week after he led all scorers with a career-high 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field in the Terriers' 81-62 victory over Delaware State on December 22. It was the first time in his career that he earned the award as he also recorded 11 rebounds. Additionally, he was named a Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Weekly Honorable Mention.
