March 5, 2015

ST. LOUIS – Dreams are coming true for yet another St. Louis RiverSharks player, as Brandon Hogg has signed with the Vllaznia Shkodra in the Albanian Superliga.  The Vllaznia Shkodra are 12-time champions of the Albanian Basketball Cup, having won the title the last two seasons in the Albanian Basketball League.  Hogg leaves after posting huge numbers for the RiverSharks this season, averaging 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Hogg is the third player signed to a foreign contract with little more than half of the season elapsed.  He joins Kenny Williams, his former teammate with St. Louis, and Arnold Louis, formerly of Champaign, as MPBA alumni overseas.

“We’re excited to be fulfilling our mission to advance players so soon into our inaugural season,” said Ed Schumer, Commissioner of the MPBA.  “It shows we’re doing things the right way, that we have the right connections, and that we're serious about helping players advance their careers." 

The RiverSharks took no time in replacing Hogg, signing Brandon Provost (6’4” 190lbs) from the Erie BayHawks for the rest of the season.  Provost is the second player the RiverSharks have added from the NBA D-League in recent weeks.  St. Louis previously signed Marcus Goode, also from Erie.

Provost played at University of Texas-Pan American, where he started 31 games as a senior, averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting 44.3% from three-point range.  Provost was then drafted last fall by the Iowa Energy and traded to the Houston Rockets’ affiliate team, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.  He then signed with the Orlando Magic’s Erie BayHawks, where he averaged 5.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in just less than 19 minutes per contest this season.

 “Brandon is a high character guy who can play either guard spot,” said RiverSharks Head Coach Al Grushkin.  “He has very good length and athleticism. Brandon can really shoot the ball and has been known as a great defender. We are excited about the potential he brings our team and the MPBA.”

Provost will make his RiverSharks debut Saturday against the Champaign Swarm.