After wrapping up one of the great careers in Kansas State basketball history Jacob Pullen went without his name being called in last months NBA draft. It was always somewhat questionable headed into the June draft as to whether Pullen would see that opportunity despite leaving Manhattan as the schools all-time leading scorer and ranking in the top 5 of 17 different statistical categories. That's the reality in the NBA, too often they draft on potential and Pullen just didn't fit the bill much to the chagrin of his former coach Frank Martin who took to twitter in defense of his former player.
In any normal year the sequence of events would likely end in Pullen making a play at an NBA career by signing a summer league contract and working out with various clubs in hopes of landing a contract. Unfortunately the NBA lockout has prevented that opportunity as well but at the same time it could be a blessing in disguise for Pullen today signed with Italy's Angelica Biella. With a contract now in place Pullen can focus on developing as a professional while the NBA season looks very much in doubt.
Pullen's new organization is located in Northwest Italy in a small town situated in the mountains of about 50,000 people. The league consists of a 30 game regular season with an eight team playoff and Pullen's future team finished this past year with a sub-par 11-19 record. Pullen was briefly linked to a contract with a team in the Turkey league prior today's announcement. The league that Pullen will be participating in is the highest professional level in the country of Italy and provides an opportunity for Pullen to prove himself among some of the top international players while he continues to work toward his goal of playing in the NBA.