July 21, 2011
ATHENS, Ohio - Ohio Men’s Basketball standout DeVaughn Washington has signed a professional contract with Saint-Etienne in France’s Pro B League.
The Virginia Beach native was an All-MAC honorable mention selection this past season after reaching double figures in all but one MAC game and leading the Bobcats to a third postseason appearance in four years. Washington finished with 1,061 points for his career in Athens after improving every season and placing second on the team this year at 13.4 points per game.
The formidable post presence led Ohio in some of its biggest games of the season, contributing a team-high 17 points and six rebounds in the CIT win over Marshall, notching his eighth-career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the MAC Tournament win over Toledo and matching his career-high with 25 points and eight rebounds in a ESPNU BracketBuster win at Winthrop.
During his junior season, Washington led the team by shooting 50.4 percent from the field and had key games against Kent State in the MAC Quarterfinals (19 points, team-high eight rebounds, set an Ohio record for field goal efficiency going 8-8), Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament (recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds) and rival Miami (averaged 21.5 points in both regular-season contests).
Washington worked out in the Virginia-D.C. area with other pro players during the weeks leading up to the draft and had visits with the Washington Wizards and Boston Celtics. He is currently in Richmond playing in the Tri-Cities Summer League, sponsored by Ben Wallace and Eric Maynor. Washington still plans to complete his degree at Ohio through online and summer classes.
Saint-Etienne won the NM 1 League this past season and promoted to the Pro B League for this upcoming season. Saint-Etienne also plays in the same league that former Bobcat Jerome Tillman started his career in. Tillman played with ES Chalon-Sur-Saone before moving to Germany and now to Spain where he suits up for Burgos in the LEB Gold League.
DeVaughn Washington at Washington Wizards' PreDraft Workout