Bucknell University Athletics
Follow Nate Sestina ‘19 in Euroleague Final Four Starting Friday
5/23/2024 12:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Former Bucknell men's basketball standout Nate Sestina '19 is now a key player for one of the top teams in Europe, Turkish power Fenerbahce, and Sestina's club has advanced to the EuroLeague Final Four. On Friday, Fenerbahce will be taking on Greek power Panathinaikos in a semifinal matchup in Berlin, Germany.
Fenerbahce is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2019, and now the club plays No. 2 seed Panathinaikos in the semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m. local time (noon in U.S. Eastern Time Zone). Top-seeded Real Madrid and No. 5 Olympiacos follow in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting for the championship on Sunday. The games will stream on tv.euroleague.net for $7.99 per day or $10.99 for all four games.
The EuroLeague pits the top 18 professional clubs from across Europe, starting with a double round-robin regular season. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs, and a best-of-five series determines the Final Four participants. The Final Four then reverts to a single-elimination format, with the semifinals, championship, and third-place game all slated for this weekend in Berlin.
EuroLeague teams also play in their own domestic leagues throughout the season. Fenerbahce went 25-5 in the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi, tying Anadolu Efes for the regular-season title. Fenerbahce has also reached the BSL playoff semifinals, where it will play Besiktas in best-of-three series May 30-June 3.
Fenerbahce went 20-14 in the 34-game EuroLeague regular season, good for a sixth-place finish. The team then upset No. 3 seed AS Monaco in five games in the quarterfinal round. Fenerbahce won 80-79 in overtime in the decisive fifth game, with Sestina scoring eight points off the bench.
Sestina was a standout forward on Bucknell's 2017 and 2018 Patriot League championship teams, where he teamed with Patriot League Players of the Year Nana Foulland and Zach Thomas to give the Bison one of the top frontcourts in team history. He was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection in 2019 after averaging 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while leading Bucknell back to the league championship game for a third straight year.
Sestina was limited to four games during his freshman year due to a shoulder injury, so after graduating from Bucknell he used his medical redshirt year as a grad student at Kentucky, where he was a key role player for John Calipari's squad. Sestina never had a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament with the Wildcats, as the 2020 season was cut short in March due to the pandemic.
Later that year, Sestina signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Brooklyn Nets, and after playing one season in the NBA G League, he embarked on a career in Europe. After one season in Israel, Sestina moved to Turkey in the summer of 2021. He played one season each with Merkezefendi and Turk Telekom, and then he signed with Fenerbahce prior to this season, giving Sestina his first taste of EuroLeague action.
Known as an outstanding long-range shooter for a big man, Sestina has shot 58.1 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from the 3-point arc in EuroLeague play. He averaged 9.6 points and 5.1 rebounds domestically, where he shot 51.6 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from the arc.
Fenerbahce is coached by former Maryland and Lithuania National Team standout Sarunas Jasikevicius, and his current teammates include some familiar names to college basketball fans, such as Scottie Wilbekin (Florida), Nigel Hayes-Davis (Wisconsin), Nick Calathes (Florida), Johnathan Motley (Baylor), Tyler Dorsey (Oregon), and Dyshawn Pierre (Dayton).
Sestina's participation in the EuroLeague Final Four is yet another highlight for Bucknell alumni now involved in professional basketball. Mike Muscala '13 just completed his 11th NBA season, where he was part of an Oklahoma City Thunder team that was the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Andrew Funk '22 became the second Bucknell alum to suit up in the NBA late this season when he debuted with the Chicago Bulls after spending most of the year on a two-way contract in the G League.
Charles Lee '06 was recently named head coach of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. Lee has been a fast riser through the NBA coaching ranks and before he takes the reins in Charlotte, he is finishing up his tenure as associate head coach with the Boston Celtics, who produced the best record in the NBA this season and are currently still alive in the Eastern Conference finals.
Stephen Brown '18 (Poland), Walter Ellis '21 (G League), John Meeks '21 (Holland), Kimbal Mackenzie (UK), and Avi Toomer '20 (Germany) all played professionally this past season, while Lee, Bryan Bailey '02 (Hawks assistant coach), Nana Foulland '18 (Thunder video analyst), Ryan Frazier '16 (Pelicans assistant coach), J.R. Holden '98 (Nets director of player personnel), and D.J. MacLeay '17 (Celtics assistant coach) are all working in the NBA.
Fenerbahce is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2019, and now the club plays No. 2 seed Panathinaikos in the semifinals on Friday at 6 p.m. local time (noon in U.S. Eastern Time Zone). Top-seeded Real Madrid and No. 5 Olympiacos follow in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting for the championship on Sunday. The games will stream on tv.euroleague.net for $7.99 per day or $10.99 for all four games.
The EuroLeague pits the top 18 professional clubs from across Europe, starting with a double round-robin regular season. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs, and a best-of-five series determines the Final Four participants. The Final Four then reverts to a single-elimination format, with the semifinals, championship, and third-place game all slated for this weekend in Berlin.
EuroLeague teams also play in their own domestic leagues throughout the season. Fenerbahce went 25-5 in the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi, tying Anadolu Efes for the regular-season title. Fenerbahce has also reached the BSL playoff semifinals, where it will play Besiktas in best-of-three series May 30-June 3.
Fenerbahce went 20-14 in the 34-game EuroLeague regular season, good for a sixth-place finish. The team then upset No. 3 seed AS Monaco in five games in the quarterfinal round. Fenerbahce won 80-79 in overtime in the decisive fifth game, with Sestina scoring eight points off the bench.
Sestina was a standout forward on Bucknell's 2017 and 2018 Patriot League championship teams, where he teamed with Patriot League Players of the Year Nana Foulland and Zach Thomas to give the Bison one of the top frontcourts in team history. He was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection in 2019 after averaging 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while leading Bucknell back to the league championship game for a third straight year.
Sestina was limited to four games during his freshman year due to a shoulder injury, so after graduating from Bucknell he used his medical redshirt year as a grad student at Kentucky, where he was a key role player for John Calipari's squad. Sestina never had a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament with the Wildcats, as the 2020 season was cut short in March due to the pandemic.
Later that year, Sestina signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Brooklyn Nets, and after playing one season in the NBA G League, he embarked on a career in Europe. After one season in Israel, Sestina moved to Turkey in the summer of 2021. He played one season each with Merkezefendi and Turk Telekom, and then he signed with Fenerbahce prior to this season, giving Sestina his first taste of EuroLeague action.
Known as an outstanding long-range shooter for a big man, Sestina has shot 58.1 percent from the field and 38.6 percent from the 3-point arc in EuroLeague play. He averaged 9.6 points and 5.1 rebounds domestically, where he shot 51.6 percent from the field and 42.7 percent from the arc.
Shooters shoot as @NateSestina23 does 🎯
— Uğur Türker (@ugrturker) May 13, 2024
Season high with 23 PTs, 5/6 3P 🙌🏻#NSIfamily pic.twitter.com/H9RCTl0hPM
Fenerbahce is coached by former Maryland and Lithuania National Team standout Sarunas Jasikevicius, and his current teammates include some familiar names to college basketball fans, such as Scottie Wilbekin (Florida), Nigel Hayes-Davis (Wisconsin), Nick Calathes (Florida), Johnathan Motley (Baylor), Tyler Dorsey (Oregon), and Dyshawn Pierre (Dayton).
Sestina's participation in the EuroLeague Final Four is yet another highlight for Bucknell alumni now involved in professional basketball. Mike Muscala '13 just completed his 11th NBA season, where he was part of an Oklahoma City Thunder team that was the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Andrew Funk '22 became the second Bucknell alum to suit up in the NBA late this season when he debuted with the Chicago Bulls after spending most of the year on a two-way contract in the G League.
Charles Lee '06 was recently named head coach of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. Lee has been a fast riser through the NBA coaching ranks and before he takes the reins in Charlotte, he is finishing up his tenure as associate head coach with the Boston Celtics, who produced the best record in the NBA this season and are currently still alive in the Eastern Conference finals.
Stephen Brown '18 (Poland), Walter Ellis '21 (G League), John Meeks '21 (Holland), Kimbal Mackenzie (UK), and Avi Toomer '20 (Germany) all played professionally this past season, while Lee, Bryan Bailey '02 (Hawks assistant coach), Nana Foulland '18 (Thunder video analyst), Ryan Frazier '16 (Pelicans assistant coach), J.R. Holden '98 (Nets director of player personnel), and D.J. MacLeay '17 (Celtics assistant coach) are all working in the NBA.
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