Gamecock big man headed back to Europe to begin pro basketball career
Maik Kotsar is headed back overseas to begin his professional career.
The former South Carolina Gamecock signed with the Hamburg Towers in Germany. The Towers were formed seven years ago and play in the Basketball Bundesliga League.
“The Towers were looking for a strong defender. So I see a good chance here to play a bigger role,” Kotsar said in a team news release.
Kotsar is expected to play power forward and center for the Towers. He is the sixth member of the Gamecocks’ 2017 Final Four team to play professionally. PJ Dozier (Denver Nuggets), Chris Silva (Miami Heat) and Sindarius Thornwell (New Orleans Pelicans) are on NBA rosters, while Duane Notice and Hassani Gravett are on G-League teams.
Kotsar, an Estonia native, moved to the United States and played in Sunrise Christian high school in Kansas before signing with South Carolina.
The 6-foot-11 Kotsar was a contributor on the Gamecocks’ run to the Final Four and hit one of the biggest shots of the season when he drained a shot inside the foul line to put USC up 67-63 late in the East Regional championship.
Kotsar blossomed as a senior before the season was cut short because of the coronavirus. He was an all-SEC selection after averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds this year and scored more than 1,000 points in his career.
“I’ve challenged him a lot,” USC basketball coach Frank Martin said of Kotsar in March. “Especially the last two years I’ve been, not as much this year, but last year I was really hard on him because he needed it. He can be so good. And he just, he’s always doubting in himself. And he never ran away from that.
“He never, never ran away, whether it was from not playing well, whether it’s from the responsibilities, whether it’s me down his throat to play better. He’s continued to grow and that’s all you ever ask for as a coach.”
This story was originally published August 14, 2020 at 9:38 AM.
