Brooklyn Heights, NY -- Ricky Cadell, the St. Francis College men's basketball all-time leading scorer, has signed a professional contract to play for F.C. Porto of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol (Portuguese Basketball League). The LPB is the top men's basketball league in Portugal.
Cadell will have a chance to contribute as FC Porto is in the playoffs with the Championships to be played in two weeks. In addition, Cadell has signed a contract with First Class Management. First Class Management (FCM Basketball) is one of the first agencies that represent professional basketball players in Europe.
“It feels like a dream come true,” Cadell stated. “It's not the NBA, but its still professional, organized basketball. I am just thankful and blessed for this opportunity. I'd like to thank all my family and coaches who have helped me throughout this journey.”
“There are many challenges that I will face. It's a matter of making the necessary adjustment, which I have done and I feel it's nothing that I can't handle. I'm just looking to have fun, enjoy this opportunity that I have been blessed with and take advantage of it.”
“We are very excited that Ricky will have an opportunity to further his basketball career, said Terriers' head coach Glenn Braica. He's worked extremely hard on his entire game and we wish him the very best of luck in Portugal. ”
The Manhattan native became the all-time leading scorerer when he poured in a team-high 22 points on Senior Day back on February 26, 2011 against the Bryant University Bulldogs. Cadell hit a three-pointer from the right corner with fourteen minutes remaining in the contest to reach the mark.
A Second-Team All-Northeast Conference selection as a sophomore and as a senior, the shooting guard also finished second the school's all-time list with 222 career 3-point field goals, and his 319 free throws made ranks third on the all-time school list. In addition, he also finished his standout career with 377 rebounds, 246 assists and 133 steals.
As a sophomore, the communications and advertising major was named to the prestigious All-Metropolitan Writers Association Third Team in 2009. During his sophomore season, Cadell ranked 50th in Three-Point Field Goals per game at 2.7 per game.
In the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival, Cadell was named to the All-Tournament Team and at the end of his collegiate career, he was named St. Francis College Men's Athlete of the Year.
During his senior year, he averaged 16.1 points per game while pulling down 3.7 rebounds per contest. Over his four-year career, Cadell averaged 14.1 points per game while shooting 40 percent from the field, 35 percent from beyond the arc and 72 percent from the free-throw line.