Ike Azotam and Umar Shannon Sign Professional Contracts to play Overseas
9/15/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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HAMDEN, Conn. – The list of Quinnipiac men's basketball players to move into the professional ranks continues to grow for head coach Tom Moore. Former standouts Ike Azotam and Umar Shannon have both inked contracts to continue playing basketball overseas in 2014-15. Azotam has signed with Marin Peixegalego in Spain while Shannon will head to KB Besa Peja in the Republic of Kosovo. Terms of the agreements have not been disclosed.
"On behalf of the entire Quinnipiac Men's Basketball program, I'd like to congratulate Ike Azotam and Umar Shannon on the start of their professional careers," Moore said. "We are all very happy and excited for Ike, Umar, and their families as they start the next chapter in their lives. They join former Bobcats James Feldeine, Justin Rutty, James Johnson, and Jamee Jackson in the pro ranks this year. Both Ike and Umar have worked very hard to prepare themselves for this moment and I'm confident this will be the beginning of long and successful careers for them both."
Azotam, a 2014 First Team All-MAAC selection, will begin his career in the Spanish LEB Silver League – the second division of the Spanish basketball league system behind the ACB. Marin Peixegalego finished with a 9-15 record last season and missed out on the playoffs. Azotam joins fellow American Alexandre Rapier who graduated from Stony Brook in 2012.
Arguably the best front court player to ever play at Quinnipiac, Azotam averaged 16.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game through the 2013-14 regular season and postseason play. Highlighted by a 26-point, 13-rebound performance at Niagara (2/22), Azotam tallied seven 20-point games and finished in double-figures in all by three games. In the MAAC Tournament, he had 18 points in the quarterfinals against the Purple Eagles, and then had 18 points for a second straight night against Manhattan in the semifinals. He added 10 rebounds to complete his 44th career double-double against the Jaspers.
Azotam's 44 double-doubles serve as the program's highest total since joining Division I. Furthermore, Azotam became Quinnipiac's Division I leader in rebounding, surpassing Justin Rutty's total in the team's last game. He had 1,605 career points and 1,043 career rebounds, ranking him 12th all-time in scoring and third in rebounding. Azotam also had 99 blocked shots, one away from becoming the fourth Division I player to obtain 100 career blocks.
Shannon, one of the Bobcats' strongest student-athletes both on and off the court, will begin his career in the Kosovo SuperLeague – the top men's professional basketball league in Kosovo. KB Besa Peja finished sixth in the league standings last year, compiling a 10-16 record through the regular-season.
Shannon finished up his career at Quinnipiac in 2014, and 
played a large role in the Bobcats' 20-win season. Shannon averaged 14.3 points, 2.3 assists and 2.0 rebounds per game. Lethal from long-range, Shannon led the team making 2.3 three-pointers per game – a figure that had him ranked top-five in the league. He was also Quinnipiac's best free-throw shooter, connecting on 82.3 percent of his attempts. Shannon suffered a season-ending injury in the second-to-last regular season game against Siena but has worked hard to prepare himself for the next level.
Prior to Quinnipiac, Shannon enjoyed a successful stint at Saint Francis University before earning his Master's in Hamden. For his career, he averaged 13.1 points, 2.3 assists and 2.2 rebounds per game. Shannon finished with 1,307 career points – eclipsing the 1,000 point mark in the team's big win at Maine. The Atlantic City, N.J. native scored at least 20 points in six Quinnipiac games last season, including a season-high of 26 on two separate occasions. Shannon's buzzer-beater over Niagara (2/22) was featured on ESPN's SportsCenter's Top Plays of the Week.
Azotam and Shannon will get their first taste of professional basketball in October. The regular-season runs through April of 2015 with the playoffs to be played into May.
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