Jiří Hubálek is heading to Shardana Basket with a job description that stretches well beyond the box score.
The veteran Czech center, a former Iowa State standout, has signed with the Italian club in Sassari, where he will be part of a new socio-sports project, the team announced Wednesday. At 6-foot-11, Hubálek will still be on the floor as a player, but Shardana also wants his experience working in the club’s youth and minibasket programs, where the focus is on shaping the organization from the ground up.
“For a society and a project so young as Shardana, having an athlete with an experience of this level who chooses to put himself at the club’s disposal represents something exceptional,” the team said in a statement. The club also said the goal reaches past results and into “creating people, skills, culture, and the future”.
Hubálek already knows Sardinian basketball well. A native of Prague, he previously played for Dinamo Sassari and was part of the run that helped push the club into Italy’s top-flight Serie A. He also spent time in Italy’s Legadue, suited up for the Czech Republic on the international stage, and played a key role in Pallacanestro Sennori’s successes.
Before his professional career in Europe, Hubálek built his reputation in the college game in the United States. He earned first-team all-Region XI honors at Marshalltown Community College, then moved on to Iowa State, where he played from 2005 to 2008.
His senior season with the Cyclones in 2007-08 was his strongest statistical year in Ames. Hubálek led Iowa State in scoring at 12.4 points per game and in rebounding at 7.3 rebounds per game, which earned him third-team All-Big 12 recognition. He was also named to the Big 12 All-Underrated Team and finished his Iowa State career 19th on the school’s all-time blocked shots list with 48.
A year earlier, in 2006-07, he averaged 11.2 points and 6.8 rebounds, picked up Iowa State’s Most Improved Player Award, and earned second-team Academic All-Big 12 honors.
Now Hubálek is bringing that long career back into Sardinian basketball, with Shardana counting on him to help shape the next wave of players as well as contribute on the court.
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