Men's Basketball 9/4/2017 3:50:00 PM Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Men's Hoops Alum Beverly Agrees To Terms With Top Division Israeli Club

AMHERST, N.Y. - Former Daemen College basketball star Gerald Beverly has agreed to contract terms with Maccabi Rishon, a team which competes in the top professional league in Israel. Beverly's signing was first reported by sportando.com, and terms of the contract were not released.

"I am very thankful for the opportunity to continue my professional career with Maccabi Rishon," Beverly said via text message. "The team has a great history of success and I am happy to be a part of that. I look to contribute to the best of my ability and continue to learn and get better in the process."

Beverly joins a Maccabi Rishon team that features two additional American college products - 6'5" guard Drew Crawford out of Northwestern and 6'9" forward Mark Tollefsen out of Arizona. Eurobasket.com, a leading website that tracks professional leagues overseas, has Beverly penciled in as the team's potential starter at one of the frontcourt positions.

A 2015 Daemen graduate, Beverly left as one of the school's all-time greats. He's one of only two players in team history to score more than 1,000 points and grab more than 1,000 rebounds. He ranks fifth all-time in total points (1,799), second in total rebounds (1,004) and first in total blocks (330). He was also a two-time East Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year selection, while also earning first-team All-ECC honors in both his junior and senior seasons. He was also named the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Division I Most Outstanding Player for the 2014-15 season which culminated in him leading the Wildcats to the USCAA national championship in the final year of the team's transition to full NCAA Division II membership. Over his four-year career, Beverly helped Daemen to an 89-34 record.

"We are really excited for Gerald. It seems every time we turn around, he takes another great step in his development as a professional," said Daemen head coach Mike MacDonald. "He has worked so hard this summer. Whenever I look in our gym, he's in there working on his shooting or his ball handling. His passion to improve is awesome. He is really becoming a pro's pro and his work ethic is off the charts. I'm excited to follow his progress with Maccabi Rishon."

The deal to join Maccabi Rishon, based in Rishon LeZion, Israel, is just the latest professional stop for Beverly. The 6-foot-8, 235-pound forward spent the 2016-17 season in the National Basketball Association Development League, playing for the Canton Charge. Beverly appeared in 40 regular season games for Canton, averaging 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game, while shooting 59.2 percent from the field. He caught up with daemenwildcats.com earlier this year for a retrospective look at his first season of stateside professional basketball.

The deal to join Maccabi Rishon is just the latest professional stop for the Beverly. The 6'8", 235-pound forward spent the 2016-17 season playing in the National Basketball Association Developmental League, appearing in 40 regular season games for the Canton Charge and averaging 4.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game, while shooting 59.2 percent from the field. He caught up with daemenwildcats.com earlier this year for a retrospective look at his first season of stateside professional basketball.

Beverly's time in Canton was impressive enough for the Cleveland Cavaliers to give him an opportunity with them during the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. In five games, Beverly averaged 3.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game, while playing against the likes of high NBA draft picks Lonzo Ball (Los Angeles Lakers) and Thon Maker (Milwaukee Bucks).

Beverly's pro career began during the 2015-16 season in Germany, playing for Telekom Baskets.

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