Openjobmetis Varese Basketball announces with a great deal of satisfaction that it has signed a contract with point guard, Eric Maynor. Born in Raeford, North Carolina, on June 11, 1987, Maynor has signed a one-year contract that will bind him to the club until the end of the Red & White’s 2016/2017 season. A fast point guard, an expert at pick and roll, and a player with an excellent vision of the game, Eric Maynor is a highly experienced and talented player. He has played at Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. The Red & Whites club welcomes Eric Maynor to the fold after being away for two seasons.

Paolo Moretti, Coach, Openjobmetis Varese Basketball: «I am very happy to coach a player like Maynor, who is an athlete that has impressed the Varese fans in his brief appearance in Italy and not only for his leadership and talent. I strongly believe that the reasons that led Eric to unite his stay at Varese together with his technical and personal qualities will give us a great push to lead us to great things both in Italy and in Europe».

Eric Maynor, Point Guard, Openjobmetis Varese Basketball: «Firstly, I want to say I am extremely grateful that Varese has given me the opportunity to play in this jersey once more. I remember with pleasure the middle of the season I spent with the Red & Whites two years ago. I'm looking forward to having a great season and playing in front of a very large group of fans. We will work hard to try to get the best results every single time».

Player Profile

Date of birth: June 11, 1987

Place of birth: Raeford (North Carolina, USA)

Height: 190 cm

Role: Point Guard

Career

Maynor attended Virginia Commonwealth University, a college with whom he reached significant targets. Already a regular, the next season was notable for the 22 points by which VCU beat the prestigious Duke College in the first round of the NCAA Championship and for the heroic performance that merited the CAA in the match against George Mason. In the summer of 2007, he took part in the Pan American Games and was included among the 50 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, the highest award at university level. In the last two seasons in college, Eric was elected CAA player of the year and entered the All-CAA First Team (2007/08) by beating several records – leading scorer, assists and made free-throws at VCU. After winning a second CAA title in 2009, he was hired by Utah Jazz, with a number 20, becoming the first player from Virginia Commonwealth University to be selected in the first round in the Draft NBA. With the Salt Lake City franchise, he then played 26 games before being traded to Thunder where he worked together as backup point guard with Russell Westbrook. With Thunder in the running for the title (defeated in the finals by Miami), Eric suffered an injury in January 2012 that forced him to retire for the rest of the season. After 183 games played in Oklahoma (4 points in 14 minutes with 2.8 assists on average), he went to Portland Trail Blazers in February 2013 where he played his best NBA season – 6.9 points, 4 assists in 21.2 minutes with 44 % two-pointers and 38% triples. In the two subsequent seasons, he wore the Wizards and 76ers jerseys, which preceded his arrival at Varese for the second round of Serie A 2014/2015. First under Gianmarco Pozzecco, then Attilio Caja, Maynor totted up 13.5 points with 4.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists on average, becoming one of the best players in the championship. Last year he played at Nizhny Novgorod until October, when an injury prematurely ended his season.