Evan Pannell

Evan Pannell, a 2015 graduate of The College of Wooster, has signed a professional basketball contract with the Wellington Basketball Club of the Canadian Basketball League.

"I'm very excited and pleased for Evan," said Steve Moore. "This is something he's worked hard for both when he was in college, and since he's graduated. (Playing professionally) is a longtime goal of Evan's, and he is very deserving of this opportunity."

Pannell capped his career at the College with second-team National Association of Basketball Coaches All-Great Lakes District honors, and was a part of the first trio from the same team to earn first-team all-North Coast Athletic Conference honors in the same season in the league's history, doing so as a senior with classmate Xavier Brown and then-sophomore Dan Fanelly.

Known for his highlight-reel dunking abilities, Pannell was one of 16 finalists in the State Farm "Dark Horse Dunker" competition in 2015. The alumnus saved his best season for last, averaging career-bests in points (15.6) and rebounds (6.1) per game. He capped his career with 1,005 points, and was the 40th student-athlete in the tradition-rich program history to surpass the 1,000-point mark.

Pannell is the fifth student-athlete to sign a professional contract that played for Moore at Wooster, and the first since James Cooper '08.

In its inaugural season, the Canadian Basketball League opens play on December 18 and features a 30-game schedule. Notable, Pannell's coach is George Jackson, who was a two-year letterwinner at Wittenberg University when Moore was an assistant coach at his alma mater.