Three graduated Appalachian State University men's basketball student-athletes have signed professional contracts and will continue their basketball careers in Europe next season. Jeremy Clayton, Doug McLaughin-Williams and Donte Minter will join a slew of other former Mountaineers in various European leagues.

Clayton will suit up next season for Korhait in Finland while McLaughlin-Williams will move to England and join the Sheffield Arrows. Minter will remain in a mountainous setting as a member of the Sdent BBC Nyon in Switzerland.

“We're really proud and excited that these guys have the opportunity to continue their careers overseas,” said head coach Houston Fancher. “They will all represent Appalachian in a first-class manner and more importantly will do so having already earned their degrees from ASU. All three were a part of a special era of Appalachian basketball and are deserving of the opportunity to continue playing.”

During Clayton and McLaughlin-Williams' four-year careers, the Apps won 75 games, the second-most of any class in Appalachian history. Minter, a two-year player for the Mountaineers, led the squad to 43 victories including a school-record 25 and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 2006-07.

Clayton will begin his professional career in Finland as a member of Korhait. The club is based out of Uusikaupunki and is a member of the Korisliiga, the top Finnish league. Former Appalachian great Tyson Patterson competed in the Korisliiga for regular-season champion Torpan Pojat Helsinki last season. Korhait finished fifth in the Korisliiga last season with a 19-23 record and bowed out in the quarterfinals of the league playoffs. Uusikaupunki is a harbor town of nearly 17,000 citizens on the southwest coast of Finland approximately 144 miles northwest of Helsinki.

The club will no doubt be bolstered by Clayton's scoring and rebounding abilities around the basket in addition to his tremendous shot-blocking skill. The 6-7 forward finished his career as ASU's all-time leading shot blocker with 220 career blocks, shattering the previous record by 27. He also swatted 75 shots last season to set a new ASU benchmark and his name appears twice more on ASU's single-season blocks list with 55 in 2006-07 and 52 in 2005-06. He is also ninth all-time at ASU in rebounding with 774 boards and finished his career with 993 points after averaging 8.7 points per game last season.

McLaughlin-Williams will join a long line of Mountaineers that have gone on to great success in the English Basketball League (EBL) as a member of the Sheffield Arrows. He follows in the footsteps of former Mountaineers Noah Brown and Chris McFarland who have worn the Blue and Red of the Arrows. The Arrows finished 8-10 a season ago for sixth place in the 11-team league and the city is located in central England and boasts a population of more than 600,000.

The 6-8 forward with a shooter's touch scored 598 points with 400 rebounds in his career at Appalachian. In his sophomore season, he averaged a career-best 8.9 points per outing and started all 28 contests. The consummate team player, he showed his ability to play both front and backcourt positions as the team's needs dictated.

Minter will continue to ply his trade with Sdent BBC Nyon in Nyon, Switzerland. A 6-8 forward, Minter was a force in the paint during his two seasons at Appalachian, averaging 12.8 points per game on 61-percent shooting. Last season, he poured in 13.9 points and six rebounds per game. In addition he filled up the stat sheet with nearly two assists per game and convertted 73 percent of his team-high 123 free-throw attempts.

Sdent BBC Nyon finished ninth in 12-team Ligue National de Basket (LNA) last season with a 9-13 record. Nyon a city of about 17,000 lies on the outskirts of Geneva on the north shore of Lake Geneva.