SAN FRANCISCO – A group of former University of San Francisco men's basketball players signed professional contracts to play abroad this week.  Recent graduates Jimbo Lull and Remu Raitanen signed their first contracts, while former standout players such as Frankie Ferrari, Matt McCarthy, Tim Derksen, Nathan Krill, and Hall of Famer Dior Lowhorn all inked new deals.
 
Lull, a native of Manhattan Beach, Calif., recently signed with AO Ionikos Nikaias, which is a member of the Greek Basket League (GBL), the top professional league in Greece.  The four-time letter winner for the Dons finished his career earning All-WCC Honorable Mention honors where he averaged a career-best in points per game (11.9) and rebounds per game (7.6). He finished his career with 916 points and 595 rebounds.
 
Raitanen signs his rookie deal with Lapuan Korikobrat, a member of the Korisliiga, the top basketball division in Finland.  Raitanen, also a four year letter winner at USF, already has international playing experience having played with Finland in the World University Games in Napoli Italy last year.  In his senior campaign, the 6-9 swingman played in all 34 games and posted career-highs in points (172), points per game (5.1), and 3-point field goal percentage (.380). 
 
Derksen, Ferrari, Krill, and McCarthy all signed to remain in Europe. Derksen signed with the Lions de Geneve of the Swiss Basketball League, the top professional league in Switzerland.  This is Derksen's fifth season in professional basketball; he last played for Fribourg Olympic, where he played in three different divisions. Last season marked his best as a pro, as he was selected to the Eurobasket.com All-Swiss SBL First Team and All-Imports Team.  In 19 games in the SBL last season he averaged 15.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, and 2.9 apg.
 
Ferrari remains in the Liga Endesa after singing with Herbalife Gran Canaria. The two-time First Team All-WCC guard played in just six games for Baxi Manresa last season, but he made a huge impression. The Burlingame, Calif. native, averaged 14.7 points per game, with 5.7 assists per game while shooting 45.9 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Nathan Krill, who played just one year for the Dons in 2018-19, signed his second professional contract.  The native of Saint Helena, Calif., signed with Starwings Basel, also a member of the SBL.  Last season, Krill played for Heroes Den Bosch in the Dutch Basketball League.  In 22 games he averaged 8.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game and 1.3 assists per game.
 
McCarthy, the Dons' four-time letter winner from Australia, inked a deal with CSO Voluntari, a member of the Liga Nationala, the top-tier professional basketball league in Romania. Last season, McCarthy played for Donar Groningen in the Dutch DBL league.  McCarthy managed to play in three leagues all with Donar last season in three different levels.  In 22 games in the DBL he averaged 7.7 ppg and 5.3 rpg.  He also appeared in six games in FIBA Europe Cup, where he recorded 2.2 ppg and 1.8 rpg.
 
After playing last summer in Indonesia, Lowhorn begins his 11^th professional season this fall when he plans to suit up for Plateros de Fresnillo of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, the top professional basketball league in Mexico. In 12 games for Pelita Jaya of the Indonesia IBL league, he averaged 28.3 ppg, 13.6 rpg, and 1.3 assists per game.  The recent inductee of the USF Hall of Fame has played in 14 different counties on five continents.
 
Contract signings courtesy of EuroBasket News Center and Eurobasket.com