Bristol Flyers have completed the signing of 25-year-old British point guard Lewis Champion on a one-year-deal.
The versatile play-maker has put pen to paper on his first professional contract and becomes the ninth player to commit to the Flyers for the upcoming 2018-19 campaign.
Champion steps up to the BBL following a seven-year career in NBL Division One, where he helped Reading Rockets to back-to-back league titles, whilst also being named MVP at the 2013 NBL Senior Final Fours.
The 6’1″ guard went on to play four seasons for Team Northumbria, where he averaged 15.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game, whilst also completing a bachelors degree at Northumbria University.
“I feel like this opportunity has come at the right time for me,” said Champion.
“I’ve played in Division One since I was 17 and it was always an ambition of mine to play at the next level.
“Coach Kapoulas got in touch with me at the end of last season and everything he had to say really filled me with confidence.
“My coach at Northumbria (Marc Steutel) told me that Andreas is a great coach and the club is very well run down in Bristol.
“The fact that he has been involved with the National Team setup shows the pedigree of him as a coach and I can’t wait to get started.”
Champion also has experience on the international stage, having been part of the historic promotion-winning Great Britain Under-20s squad at the 2013 European Championships.
Andreas Kapoulas added: “We’re very excited to have Lewis join our programme.
“He’s had a very good career with both Reading and Northumbria in NBL Division One and we feel that he is ready to prove himself at the BBL level.
“He’s a young and talented player who we’re seeing as an important piece of our roster in the years to come. We really believe in his ability to step up to what is a tough and increasingly competitive league.
“We’re committed to giving young British players the opportunity to shine in the BBL and I think this season is going to be a very valuable experience for him.”