FCBARCELONA.CAT

29.06.2009 12:33

Mixture of character, physique and experience

Verònica Díez

Thirty one years old, 1.99 m tall and a sporting life packed with triumphs. Pete Mickeal does not lack for ambition and character and he gives his all for his team out on the court.

The US small forward has played in the US, Asia and Europe. In 2005 he reached the ACB League and in 2007 signed for his most recent team, TAU Cerámica. His physical potential made him into the rebound king and a lynchpin in the Basque outfit, being named MVP last season. With the campaign now over, he has moved to Regal FC Barcelona after notching 763 points and 347 rebounds in the season.

Mickeal was also a key figure in Europe for the Basques. Before they were knocked out in the play-off by Regal FC Barcelona, he had averaged 5.6 rebounds a game.

Not worried about pressure

Mickeal has shown that he thrives on pressure. His character and drive to win make him especially dangerous when things get tense, with a good example being in this season’s Cup final. TAU were going head-to-head with Unicaja and in the five minutes of overtime, he got a rating of 14, scored the winning basket and put in a great block to prevent a last second score.

Globetrotter

Mickael began playing basketball at Hills Community College until he went to the University of Cincinnati. He spent two years there before being picked second in the NBA draft and signing for the New York Knicks. In the 2000/01 season he went to the ABA league, a direct competitor of the NBA, and in his time there he played for the Tampa Bay Thunder Dawgs, the Kansas City Knights and the Talk’N Text Phone Pals.

From the US to Europe

He began his career outside the US with Greek side Peristeri in 2003 before moving on to Makedonikos in 2004. Between these two Mickael also played for a few months with Russian outfit Dynamo Moscow.

In the ACB

The player left Greece to come to the ACB, signing for Leche Río Breogán for the 2005/06 season and giving outstanding performances. In 2006 he continued his tour of world leagues in South Korea with the Daegu Orions. That was his last team before coming back to the ACB where he has played at TAU for the last two seasons.