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Occidental's Rebassoo Signs With Danish Pro Basketball Team
Finn Rebassoo, a four-time All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball player who graduated in May from Occidental College, has signed a contract to play professionally with the Bakken Bears in the Danish Elite Division.
We are very pleased to have Finn on our basketball club, as his outstanding career in a very successful college program can only help us,” said Bakken Bears head coach Geof Kotila. “We are counting on Finn’s outstanding all-around ability and his attitude for winning to help us remain at the top of Danish basketball.” The team has won the divisional championship in four of the last seven years.
“This is a great opportunity,” Rebassoo said. “I’ve always wanted to go abroad and get the opportunity to play basketball – one of the loves of my life – at the same time. There should be a lot of pressure to do well, but I’ve always liked pressure. I’m just going to play my hardest and hopefully everything will work out.”
Rebassoo, of Seattle, is signed for eight months and will begin competing with the Bakken Bears in August. The team plays in Arhus, Denmark. A forward during his Occidental playing days, the 6-foot, 3 ½-inch Rebassoo will play guard for his new team. The Elite Division is the highest-level basketball league in Denmark.
“Finn’s excited about the challenge,” said Occidental head basketball coach Brian Newhall. “You couldn’t ask for a better situation. He’s pumped up. He’ll have a blast.”
Rebassoo led the Occidental men’s basketball team to a 25-3 overall record for the 2003 season, and an Elite 8 finish in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Tigers won the SCIAC title this year for the first time since 1983 and posted a perfect 14-0 conference record, becoming the first team to win 14 league games in SCIAC history.
Rebassoo averaged a team-leading 16.4 points per game last season and finished second on Oxy’s all-time scoring list with 1,562 career points. He was named SCIAC Player of the Year for men’s basketball and also received the Ted Ducey Award, given annually to the senior who best exemplifies outstanding academic and athletic performance, leadership, and sportsmanship. He also was named to the Verizon Academic All-American Third Team. Rebassoo graduated magna cum laude from Occidental with a physics degree and a 3.74 grade point average.
Rebassoo follows a line of Occidental graduates to play professional basketball in Europe, including Blair Slattery ’94, Oxy’s all-time scoring leader, who played the last four years for Svenborg Copenhagen SISU.