To say that things came together quickly for Drew Shubik would be an understatement.
The North Star High School graduate, who went on to star at Sacred Heart, has landed a deal to play professional basketball for the Bochum Astro Stars in Germany’s Third Division league.
“My agent called me this past Friday and said, ‘A team in Germany offered you, do you want to take it?,’ ” Shubik said in an email on Tuesday afternoon.
The 6-foot-4 guard, who also was looking at leagues in Romania, Portugal and Cyprus, had 24 hours to mull the Germans’ offer before hopping on a plane Sunday afternoon. He was on the practice court a few hours after he landed.
“The trip was long and draining,” Shubik said. “I flew out of Philadelphia and my brother Monte had this ‘good’ idea for me to wake up early on Sunday morning, then sleep on the six-hour flight over there so that when I got there at 6 a.m. (with the six-hour time change) it would be like I was already adjusted to their time zone. Well, as soon as I got on the plane a little baby starts crying her eyes out and I didn’t sleep a lick on the flight. I got over there so tired I could have fallen asleep standing up.”
Despite the rough schedule, Shubik has adjusted quickly and expects to start at point guard and rarely leave the floor for the Astro Stars.
But there have been some early barriers for Shubik, the team’s only American.
“I’m the only one who doesn’t speak any German at all,” Shubik said. “So as the coach is talking to the team or yelling at the team, I really can’t tell the difference, I just look at him then he’ll come over to me and in broken English explain what he just told them.”
The season begins next month for the 14-team league, which is the same one that former Conemaugh Township and UPJ star Paul Byer played in with UBC Munster two years ago. The schedule is not yet finalized, but each team will play 28 games, with no playoffs.
The team in first place at season’s end is declared the champion and has the option to move up to the Second Division the following year.
“My contract runs until April 3, so I’m guessing (the season ends) somewhere around there,” Shubik said. “But I do get to come home for Christmas, so Mom ... if you’re reading this, I expect some good food!”
Shubik said he isn’t worried about being so far removed from his friends and family.
“With AIM, e-mail, Facebook, and Skype, it’s basically like living in California, except everyone speaks a different language,” he said.
Shubik did want to add a quick message to some who might be surprised to find out that he’s now playing in Europe.
“I’d like to say hi to everyone back home,” he said. “I left very suddenly and didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to a lot of people.”
Near the end of his senior season at Sacred Heart, Shubik joked that he wanted to play pro basketball so badly that he would do so for food money, even if he wasn’t sure where he’d be sleeping each night. His contract in Germany isn’t that bad, even if it doesn’t compare to the huge contracts that are the norm in the NBA.
“I’m making $20,000, but it’s all un-taxed,” Shubik said. “They also pay for my car, apartment, cell phone, two round-trip airline tickets, health insurance, and the wiring fee to transfer my money back to the States. I basically only pay for my food.”
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Shubik signs to play in Germany
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