UNI Basketball Goes International, Signs Turkish Recruit

For Coach Ben Jacobson and the UNI basketball program, a majority of their recruits come from the states of Iowa and Minnesota.

When Coach Jake added former Panther great Seth Tuttle to the coaching staff in 2018, we knew that his international playing days may just make their impact on the team at some point in time. Initially, it was his input on the UNI offense that shook things up.

The former All-American is now adding a little international flavor to the roster.

As he announced on his Instagram and Twitter, Ege Peksari, a 6'4 guard from Izmir, Turkey, will be a Panther come the 2022 season.

Peksari played for Akran Gemlik in the Turkey Basketball League, where he averaged 2.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game over 28 contests and 14.6 minutes per game. He also participated in some international competitions as well. This last year he played for Tofas Sports Club during the 2020-21 TBL season.

This is the second year in a row Tofas has sent one of their players to America to play NCAA Division one basketball, as Ata Atsüren received a scholarship from Drexel University in 2021, according to Turkish basketball website, Basketfaul.com. Atsüren played in just two games for the Dragons his freshman season.

This is what Coach Jake said of adding Peksari to the program in a press release put out by UNI Athletics:

We are very excited to add Ege to our program today. He is a big guard with great instincts and a highly competitive spirit. Ege has shown that making the game easier for his teammates and winning are the two most important things for him. His success and experiences within Turkey and playing for his U16 National Team will help him make the transition to the college game. We wish Ege the best as he is currently working out with his U20 National Team in hopes of making their 12-man roster that will compete in the European Championships this July.

Take a look at some of his highlights here, and be sure to notice his ability to move the ball and find the open man. He also shows some shooting touch, but based on available percentages, that is something the big guard will have to work on.

UNI also recently signed Charlie Miller -- grandson of legendary head coach Eldon Miller -- to the 2022 recruiting class as well. He played his high school and prep school basketball in North Carolina.

We spoke with Charlie on last week's episode of Cornstalks and Sports Talk, which you can listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.