Arians Signs with BC Khimik Yuzhny

YUZHNE, Ukraine – Former Wake Forest forward Austin Arians will begin his professional career in Ukraine after signing a deal to play for BC Khimik Yuzhny.

BC Khimik Yuzhny was the runner-up in the 2016-17 Ukraine Superleague and will participate in qualifying for this year’s FIBA Europe Cup. The club has won two Ukrainian titles (2014-15 and 2015-16) and one Ukranian Cup (2015-16) since its founding in 2001. Among the Americans who have played for BC Khimik Yuzhny is Reyshawn Terry, a Winston-Salem native who played collegiately at North Carolina.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to play with Khimik,” said Arians. “I’m very excited to see what we are able to accomplish in the upcoming season.”

Arians played one season at Wake Forest as a graduate transfer after spending his undergraduate career at Milwaukee. He started all 33 games for the Demon Deacons in 2016-17, averaging 8.5 points and leading the team with 61 3-pointers. Arians scored in double figures in 14 games, including a season-high 17 points vs. Boston College in the ACC Tournament and against Kansas State in the NCAA First Four.

“We are happy to get a player of Austin’s quality into the Khimik organization,” said Khimik Manager Alexander Mayorov. “We expect him to be a key contributor to our club this season.”

Arians becomes the third member of the 2016-17 Demon Deacons to sign a professional contact, joining John Collins (NBA first round selection of the Atlanta Hawks) and Dinos Mitoglou (multi-year deal with Panathinaikos in Greece).