After a noteworthy stint in NBA Summer League and two good years in the Czech Republic, former Weber State star men’s basketball player Jerrick Harding has secured a step up for his next professional stop.

Harding has signed a two-year contract with Basquet Manresa in Spain, the team announced Saturday. Basquet Manresa competes in the Liga ACB, the first pro league in Spain. It’s commonly considered to be the top national league in Europe.

“We add a player with versatility, capable of playing in the position of 1 and 2,” Manresa director Xevi Pujol said in a news release. “(He) is a scorer who likes to take shots; has the ability to generate shots for himself.”

Harding recently finished a five-game run with the Dallas Mavericks at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. He averaged 13.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 23 minutes per game for Dallas, posting a top game of 20 points, five rebounds and five assists against Phoenix.

WSU’s all-time scoring leader recently finished a two-season run with ERA Nymburk in the Czech Republic. In the 2021-22 season, between the Czech NBL and Basketball Champions League play, Harding averaged 19.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 23 minutes per game, shooting 63% from the field and 45% from the 3-point line. He was named MVP of the Czech NBL.

Basquet Manresa went 20-14 last season in Liga ACB, good for seventh place in the 18-team league. The team also competes in the Basketball Champions League, which is the second-tier, continent-wide competition of top pro teams behind Euroleague; Manresa was the championship runner-up in the 2021-22 BCL season.

In Harding, Manresa may hope the lefty scorer helps replace Chima Moneke, who was the 2021-22 BCL season MVP. Moneke has signed to play for the Sacramento Kings.

“After two seasons in Nymburk, it was clear that (Harding) would get great deals,” his former club posted under a thank-you graphic, as translated to English by Instagram. “Although his dream NBA has not yet worked out, but the challenge to replace Chima Moneke … and play the best European league in Spain is also great. Congratulations to Jerrick and best wishes for his next career.”

The city of Manresa is near the eastern tip of Spain, with Barcelona to the south and the countries of Andorra and France to the north. Its population is just less than 80,000.

Newsletter