UMass basketball: Sam Breen signs with Finnish professional team Vimpelin Veto
Published: 06-26-2023 2:43 PM |
Somehow, Sam Breen will play basketball next season somewhere other than UMass.
The two-time reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year signed a professional deal with Finland’s Vimpelin Veto Koripallo, the team announced on Instagram on Monday. Breen, a Gibsonia, Pennsylvania native, is the team’s first foreign signing of the offseason.
“I am super grateful that I get the opportunity to live in a new city in Vimpeli and get to come see the beautiful country of Finland,” Breen said in a video the team posted. “I’m excited to come over and meet my teammates, my coaches, the fans, and I can’t wait to come over and see you all.”
Vimpelin Veto went 8-10 last season and finished seventh in the Korisliiga Women’s standings.
Breen won the 2023 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year award after leading the Minutewomen to their first regular season A-10 championship averaging 17.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game with 20 double-doubles.
She declared her eligibility for the 20223 WNBA Draft but was not selected. Breen also participated in the USA Basketball 3x3 National Team Trials.
Over four seasons at UMass after transferring from Penn State during her sophomore year, Breen became the Minutewomen’s all-time leading scorer with 1930 points and posted the highest single-season point total last year as a graduate student with 589.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.