In a shocking career move, Jaylen Barford trades Italy for Egypt

In a strange career move, Jaylen Barford (191 cm, G) will leave the Italian Serie A to play in Egypt. He has signed with last year’s champion, Al Ettehad.

Last season Barford played for Consultinvest VL Pesaro in the Italian Serie A. That league is one of the most respected leagues in the world. Jaylen Barford did very well and averaged 16 ppg before switching to Acea Virtus Roma (another Serie A team) in the middle of the season.

The season before Jaylen Barford played in Italy, he dominated the G League with 17.5 ppg. Previously he had also won awards and dominated at the high school level, junior college, and at NCAA D 1 level with the University of Arkansas. In his senior year there, he was an All-SEC 1st team selection and averaged 18 points per game.

A logical next step in his career would be to aim for a Euroleague team. Instead, he chose Egypt. History has proven repeatedly that once a player goes to Africa or Asia, it is almost impossible for him to return to a high-level league in Europe. Consequently, forget about any NBA aspirations.