Bayern Munich took a big step to solidifying their low post by signing German international power forward Jan Jagla for two years in the German basketball BBL.
In a move that has been rumored for weeks, the 30-year-old Jagla joins the promoted and emerging powerhouse after playing last season with Turkish club Turk Telekom Ankara and averaging 4.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Jagla, who played three seasons at Penn State University, has played in Spain, Turkey and Poland, gaining international experience in the Euroleague, ULEB Cup and FIBA EuroCup and winning the 2008 ULEB Cup with Joventut Badalona. He also won the 2010 Polish league crown with Assesco Prokom Gdynia.
“I am really excited about my new club. FC Bayern has one of the most exciting basketball projects in all of Europe. I would like to win a lot of games over the coming years and celebrate some titles,” said Jagla, who last played in the BBL in 2004-05 with Artland Dragons.
The Berlin native Jagla has played more than 100 games for the German national team over the past eight years, appearing at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the 2006 and 2010 FIBA World Championships and the 2007 and 2009 EuroBasket competitions.
In August, Jagla will team up with national team coach and Bayern Munich boss Dirk Bauermann at EuroBasket 2011 in hopes of qualifying for the 2012 Olympics.
Jagla is the third new acquisition for Bayern along with fellow German international Philipp Schwethelm and former Notre Dame guard Ben Hansbrough. Center Darius Hall has also signed a one-year deal to stay with Bayern.
Jagla is the sixth German international for Munich along with Schwethelm, Steffen Hamann, Bastian Doreth, Demond Greene and Bogdan Radosavljevic.
Bayern will likely sign another center and have also been strongly rumored to bring in German swingman Robin Benzing.