EUGENE, Ore. – The dream for many college basketball players, when their collegiate careers end, is to have the opportunity to play basketball professionally. For Josh Jarrett, that dream lives on, having just completed his first full season playing in Europe.
Jarrett was a USCAA First-Team All-American for the Beacons in 2007. In 2008, during his senior season, Jarrett was named a First-Team All-Cascade Collegiate Conference selection and set an NCU single-season record with 568 points. His professional career soon took off, beginning with a stint in the ABA, playing for the Phoenix Fury.
After one year his contract was not renewed and he was once again left testing the waters in search of another opportunity. “I just kept networking within the basketball community, playing with other professional guys over the summer,” said Jarrett. “Then an agent heard my name and the next thing I knew I got a plane ticket in the mail sending me to Cyprus.”
That one-way ticket landed Jarrett in the country of Cyprus where he was signed by Gonyeli Osan, playing in the North Cyprus Premier League, one of the best second-tier leagues in Europe. It was a whirlwind for Jarrett as he moved to another country as one of just three import players allowed per team. Sitting in a different country, with a different language was a counter-cultural shock, but one that would reap many benefits.
“We had a lot of players from all around the world in our league,” said Jarrett, “so we got to experience different cultures and how different people talk, act, and live. The Cypriot people love Americans and that made the experience easier.”
The weather also had its effect on Jarrett, who described the countries two seasons as “hot and hotter.”
On the court, Jarrett picked up right where he had left off both at NCU and in the ABA, averaging 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game as a role player, helping Gonyeli Osan to a 18-3 record and a berth in the Super Cup championship game against Koopspor. The team lost the championship game, 79-65, but took second in the league.
Jarrett hopes to continue to move up in the basketball world, possibly signing within an Italian league next year. But he wouldn’t be opposed to a return to Cyprus. “It was a great experience. We had very loyal fans and it was an amazing country to play for and to live in. It truly was the experience of a lifetime. You only get one chance to live out your dream and to fulfill what you have always wanted to accomplish. God has blessed me to be able to do so and I give him all of the glory and honor.”