University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Drew Pember Signs With Elitzur Ironi Netanya of Israel
07.30.2024 | Men's Basketball
NETANYA, Israel - Drew Pember has signed a contract to play overseas for Elitzur Ironi Netanya of Israel. The team is based out of Netanya, Israel, and competes in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
Pember graduated from Asheville as the most decorated player in program history. He was the first back-to-back Big South Men's Basketball Player of the Year honoree since 2008-09 and just the seventh multiple-winner in league history. He is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Preseason Player of the Year and is the fifth back-to-back recipient of the Howard Bagwell Male Athlete of the Year Award since the award began in 1999-00, but the first basketball player to earn the honor in consecutive years.
Pember is a two-time Lou Henson All-America Team honoree, a two-time NABC All-District honoree, was the Big South Tournament MVP in 2023, and was named to the All-Tournament team in 2024. Pember became the first Bulldog in program history to play in the NABC Reese's All-Star Game and competed in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. This past summer, Pember competed in the NBA Summer League with the Charlotte Hornets in Sacramento and the Memphis Grizzlies in Las Vegas.
This past year, Pember led the Big South in overall scoring at 20.6 points and was just the eighth player in league annals to average 20.0 points in back-to-back seasons. Pember finished the season fourth in the nation with 228 free throws made and was ninth in attempts. He posted a season-high 36 points and six 3-pointers against Winthrop on Feb. 3, and had a season-high 16 rebounds against USC Upstate on Feb. 10. He concluded his collegiate career as the only player in Big South history with 1,900 points (1,902), 700 rebounds (795), and 200 blocked shots (236), and conference career rankings stand at No. 16 in points, No. 18 in rebounds and sixth in blocks.
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