As members of the last Academy of Art men's basketball squad to make the PacWest Championship Tournament in 2019-20, alumni Victor Ruiz de Carranza and Tim Graham are continuing their playing careers by having just completed their respective rookie seasons as professional basketball players in leagues abroad.
 
Taking their talents from the collegiate level to the professional level, Ruiz de Carranza and Graham both excelled in their first year overseas, with Ruiz de Carranza playing a key role in Arcos Albacete Basket's playoffs appearance as a member of the Spain's LEB Silver League. Meanwhile, Graham was the leading scorer for Casino Figueira Ginasio in Portugal's Proliga prior to the season halting due to COVID-19.
 
"It was great to see the success that Vic and Tim had during their rookie seasons overseas," said ART U Head Coach Scott Waterman. "Not many college athletes go on to play at the professional level, and it is a testament to their hard work that they were able to impact their teams, especially when factoring the conditions of the pandemic. We look forward to seeing them have continued success in the upcoming season."

A regular starter for Albacete while playing in a total of 25 contests, Ruiz de Carranza averaged 6.7 points per game on 41.5 percent shooting over an average of 26.1 minutes per night, the second most-minutes per contest on the squad. Much like in his time at ART U when he became the program's third all-time leading rebounder (377) with a career average of 6.5 boards per game (second-most in ART U history), Ruiz de Carranza thrived on the glass, snatching an average of 5.8 rebounds per game (second-most on Albacete). Working on his all-around game, he also kicked in 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. On Feb. 2, 2021 against Benicario, Ruiz de Carranza set a pro career-high with 14 points, boosted by a 3-for-5 performance from beyond the arc. That same night would be his first career double-double, grabbing 11 rebounds in the effort to go with three steals.
 
"I had a great first year as a pro, and I was lucky to end up in a team full of great players," Ruiz de Carranza said. "Also, [I had] a coach that trusted me. It was crucial for me to have minutes this season so I could gain experience and adjust to European basketball [as soon as possible]. Thankfully, I saw that happening. The coach I played for knew who I was as a player and from the very beginning he gave me the role he wanted me to serve. I took that to heart, and that helped gain the coach and team's trust. We had a winning season. Actually, we had the best record of the club's history in LEB Plata."
 
Despite ending the season at 15-10 and qualifying for the LEB Silver playoffs, Albacete would drop their first-round matchup to Marbella on aggregate despite taking the second contest, 74-68. Unfortunately, the playoffs would not see a conclusion, as the tournament was canceled after the semifinals. It was a reminder of how COVID-19 had affected the season, but even without fans in attendance, Ruiz de Carranza felt at home.
 
"Even though we played the first games without fans, the people from the city made sure to let you know that they knew what we were doing," Ruiz de Carranza said. "Something great about playing for a city is that they make sure you feel very welcomed when you do the job. Now it is time to move forward and work harder to move up to LEB Oro next season, which I'm really excited about."

Crossing the border from Spain and heading into Portugal, Graham was leading the way for Ginasio with an eye-popping 17.2 points per game over an average of 34 minutes in just six contests. Proving valuable in multiple areas, Graham also chipped in an average of 8.3 rebounds per game, the top mark on Ginasio, and 2.8 assists per game, second-most on the team. He collected a pair of Eurobasket.com Top Performance of the Game honors, posting 14 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists versus Illiabum then 25 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals against Sampaense.

Overall, Graham was 30-for-48 from the floor, with the 62.5 field goal percentage marking the third-best clip on the team. Unfortunately, the season would be cut short, as competition would come to a halt in January prior to not being resume due to COVID-19. Even with the season coming to a premature close, Graham still found the positives in the year.
 
"It has been a grind, but being able to see other countries and different cultures is always a blessing," Graham said. "It takes a lot of commitment and is not always glamorous."
 
For Waterman, he sees this as just the beginning for what the Urban Knights can do upon graduation from ART U.
 
"Our program looks forward to seeing more Urban Knights getting the opportunity to play professionally in the future," Waterman said.