SAVANNAH, Ga.- Former Savannah State men's basketball standout Rashad Hassan has signed a professional basketball contract to play in England with the Leicester Riders of the British Basketball League.
 
“I'm thankful for the opportunity to play pro basketball and I'm ready to begin playing for the Riders. It really wasn't a tough decision, because I was happy about coming to a winning organization," said Hassan.
 
Riders head coach, Rob Paternostro, said he is getting a quality player in the Riverdale, Georgia native.
 
“During his career at Savannah State, he was able to put up some impressive numbers. When we looked into him, we felt that he was a guy that could offer us a lot on both ends of the floor and is a player that we're looking forward to working with."
 
Hassan thinks coming from a winning team will help his transition from the step up from playing to college.
“I'm excited and I don't feel any pressure, because I know I'm coming to a focused and great team. I'm just going to come in and try to keep the momentum flowing in a positive direction."
 
The 6-7 Hassan averaged 12.6 and 5.6 rebounds for SSU as a senior and averaged 13 points and 5.3 rebounds during his junior campaign in leading the Tigers to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season title.
 
Leicester finished last season with a 30-3 record and capped the season with a 68-57 BBL Playoff Final win over the Newcastle Eagles.