pic credit: BYU Sports

Even if the well respected Basketball institution Brigham Young has been around for more than 100 years and never won a NCAA title, it has produced some fine players with the 2 most notable being Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette, but there have been other fine players come overseas and show what their made of. Guys like Lee Cummard, Yoeli Childs, Jake Toolson, and Eric Mika have made a name in Germany while players like Brandon Davis and Elijah Bryant a name in the Euroleague. But there have been other guys that have been off the radar like Zac Seljaas (202-SF-1997, college: BYU), a player that wasn´t the star on his team at Brigham Young, but the valuable role player that came to work every day doing his job. Nothing was ever given to him, but he simply worked his butt of to get new opportunities. He had to pay his dues in Slovakia and Georgia, before showing everyone in German basketball that he can be more than just a role player, but be an MVP player as he helped lead the Tigers Tuebingen back to the first division BBL. He has been an extremely special player his whole life and continues to show it this season in the BBL with Wurzburg. In 4 years at Brigham Young, he never averaged in double figures in a season, but when asked to could lite up the scoreboard with his scoring. He scored in double figures at Brigham Young in only 32 games in 4 years, while at Tuebingen, he did it 39 times in one season. There is a good reason why he is such an all-around great player and that is because of his time at Brigham Young. “Every year of my college career I was given a very different role. From being a spot up shooter, to be just the defensive guy and many other roles. But because of that I became a Swiss Army knife of basketball. I am now capable of doing a lot of different things at a high level. So maybe I wasn’t a big time scorer or anything like that in college, but it prepared me most for overseas basketball”, warned Zac Seljaas. His versatile game was definitely noticed in Germany. “Zac worked very hard all year long and stayed in the gym after every practice so I’m not surprised by his development and that his shooting seemingly became better and better. In my opinion he became well deserved the MVP of Pro A”, stressed Tigers Tuebingen assistant coach Tom Walther.

Danny Ainge flanked By Larry Bird enterting the court in Boston Garden in 1984

Zac Seljaas who remembers Domantas Sabonis, Colin Sexton and Jakob Poelti as being his toughest opponents in the NCAA was born on July 11, 1997 in Bountiful, Utah. He began his career at Bountiful high school where he had a stellar career and was able to improve his scoring, rebound and assist average each season and as a senior averaged 25.4ppg, 6.1rpg, 4.3apg, 1.7spg. He finished with 1,704 points, 494 rebounds, 325 assists, 140 steals and 217 3-point field goals. He helped win the 4A state title twice and was MVP in 2015. He was ranked 58th among small forwards in the class of 2015 by ESPN.com and played AAU basketball for the Utah Prospects and was coached by his father, Gary Seljaas. He then followed his sister to Brigham Young where she played from 2002-2005. He was at Brigham Young from 2015-2020 playing a total of 133 years. He took a year off to serve a mission in Iowa. He made 1 NCAA March Madness appearance and 2 NIT appearances. Both loses in the NIT were tough as they were only combined 5 points against Valpo and Stanford. “The Valparaiso game was definitely the toughest because it was at Madison Square Garden in the semifinals. And we had a very good team and we didn’t play very well and we know if we played our game we definitely could have won the NIT that year”, said Zac Seljaas. One of the top teams for years in the WCC is Gonzaga. He had numerous battles, but after 4 years could only post a 2-8 record against them and legendary head coach Mark Few. “ I always loved playing Gonzaga! Especially my senior night at home against them and beating them while they’re ranked in the top 5 in the nation. But they always had an incredible team, incredible fan base, and always so fun to play against. Some of the hardest guys I had to guard was definitely Domantas Sabonis and even Kyle Wiltjer. Those guys were so good and dominant”, remembered Zac Seljaas. He showed already in his freshman year that he can score and supply sniper qualities as he hit Central Michigan with 25 points and 7 three´s. He also had some other super scoring efforts with 21 points against Portland and 20 points against USF. He was blessed to have 2 incredible teachers with David Rose and Mark Pope who helped him become the versatile player that he is today. “Mark Pope had a lot of experience playing professionally, so him teaching me the ways of life and what needs to be done to get to that level. Coach Rose helped me by giving me a lot of on court experience, playing different positions and allowing me to really form my game to what it is today”, warned Zac Seljaas who remembers beating childhood friend Daulton Nixon at 1-1.

The versatile player that lists Yoeli Childs, Nick Emery, Kyle Collinsworth, Darrell Brown and Kriss Helmanis as his 5 best teammates of all-time embarked on a professional career overseas in Slovakia with BC Prievidza (Slovakia-SBL) averaging 13.4ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.2apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 9.5%, FT: 75.0%. Coming overseas for the first time isn´t always a cake walk for Americans, but he adjusted pretty well. “A big wake up call to me was how different the culture of basketball was and how more physical the game was. But I felt pretty comfortable, I think my game adapted pretty well to European basketball and also having a wife that supports me and is the greatest partner to have with me helps make living overseas so easy and fun”, stated Zac Seljaas. His season was cut short due to injury as he only mustered to play 5 games registering a 2-3 record and scored in double figures in every game. “ I learned what I need to do to be better, and change my game from just physical abilities to mental as well. And I worked a lot on my mindset of the game”, remembered Zach Seljaas. Sometimes a tough rookie season can lay the foundation of a player either being able to go in a good direction with their career or be at the start of not being able to sustain a good path. He bounced back with a bang in Georgia with BC Vera (Georgia-Superleague) and left no doubt that he truly has game. He was second in the league in scoring and rebounding averaging 22.1ppg,12.0rpg, 2.6apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 58.5%, 3PT: 35.9%, FT: 83.5%.”Georgia was a huge opportunity for me. Not having an eye popping career in college, I didn’t get much looks or offers from teams. And Vera gave me an opportunity to play and show that I am a completely different player than I was in college. And now it shows two years later”, expressed Zac Seljaas. In Georgia he scored in double figures in 18 of 20 games. He scored 20 points of more 15 times and had 31 points against Olimpi and 30 points against TSU. He showed how dominant he can be on the boards. “During that season there wasn’t a ton of big guys that we were playing against, and having a lot of injuries on my team I had to guard the 5 man at times and so it left me in situations where I could rebound a lot but then also able to bring the ball up out of defensive rebounds”, said Zac Zeljaas.

The Rise of the Utah native who lists Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, and Shaquille O´Neal on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore continued last season in Germany with the Tigers Tuebingen of the second division Pro A. The team had been in the second league for some years after having been a BBL team for more than a decade. In 2021-2022, the club had already moved up, but declined, but in 2023 they finally will play in the BBL again. Even if it will be without Zac Zeljaas, they will meet again only on opposite sides of the court. They came into the playoffs with a 26-8 record second best behind Rasta Vechta. It was only obvious that they would play each other in the final. They had to go the distance against Bremerhaven winning in 5 games and then swept PS Karlsruhe. In the final it was 2 games with the winner having the better result in the 2 games. The first game was an untypical 78-78 draw in Tuebingen, but the last game in Vechta was lost 73-66. “I think it was tough for us because it’s a long season, and we may not have played our very best at the end of season. But we fought and tried to what we could, but Vechta also played very well and you can’t take that away from them”, remembered Zac Seljaas. The team was very special as it didn´t rely only on Americans, but a mix from other countries and talented Germans like Mateo Seric and Timo Lanmueller. “ We had a lot of great players on our team. Timo is a big time defender and competitor. And Mateo is an offensive machine. So having those two great players honestly helped me and open the court up for me to be successful, and when focus shifts to me, it gives them a big opportunity to be very good! So they were great teammates to have”, commented Zac Seljaas. He showed his versatile game in each of the 43 games averaging 16.9ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.2apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 57.0%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 84.8%. He couldn´t have made another step in his career without the guidance of head coach Danny Jansson. “ He was very vital. Danny is a great coach, knows how to make the game fun but also competitive. He helped me be better just by giving me a big role and a leadership opportunity, and gave me the confidence to play my game and do what I do”, warned Zac Seljaas. He had some massive games against Giessen with 39 points, 28 points twice against Bremerhaven and 27 points a piece against Leverkusen and Trier.

Now the ex Brigham Young player who lists Michael Jordan as his GOAT is balling in beautiful Bavaria with the Wurzburg Baskets that sits on the beautiful Main river. One has to wonder why he didn´t remain with Tuebingen and continue the success there, but sometimes there is the business side that takes a player to a different place. “We definitely loved Tubingen and it will always feel like a home for us, but the coaching staff and organization of Würzburg fit my goals and my future goals that I have in my career. And as much as I love and appreciate Tubingen, Würzburg Is a big step up for me, and am very excited to be here. I am grateful for the Tigers for giving me the opportunity to be where I am today and given me a shot”, stressed Zach Seljaas. Zac Seljaas is a player who tries to take bits and pieces from Luka Doncic, Paul George, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum´s games. His versatility has continued to grow in the last years and now being able to play in the BBL, he is taking the chance to make the next huge jump against top competition. “My versatility is huge. I think that’s what separates me from others and helps make me successful. I know I can defend, shoot, pass, rebound, and play around the basket. So it helps me take advantage depending on what the defense is doing. There is never a spot where I feel uncomfortable”, warned Zac Seljaas. Currently in the easyCredit BBL he is averaging 12,6ppg and 6,7rpg and shooting 36% from outside. Last season he shot 44% from the parking lot. “I focused a lot before and after practice making sure my shot felt right. My assistant coach Hanot Zabaleta helped me watch film and we got in the gym and worked on things to make sure everything felt good for games. So I owe a lot to him. But because of all that it built my confidence to be able to be a better shooter and defender”, stressed Zac Seljaas. The grind in the lab never stops and he made sure to get the most out of his offseason in Utah. “The biggest area of my game I focused on is being more consistent in everything I do. Shooting, ball handling, conditioning, everything I do just tuned up to a higher level and more consistent”, warned Zac Seljaas. He may not be having the stats from last season, but still very consistent and a valuable part of the Wurzburg team. Zac Seljaas has been proving season after season that he can play anywhere. “My confidence in my game just keeps getting better and better. I love basketball and love the process of getting better every day and every year, so I just keep trusting the process and staying patient with myself and the game, and that’s what drives me to be better every year and to keep performing well. But I definitely am not satisfied, I definitely have that hunger to be better and better”, warned Zac Seljaas. I´m definitely excited to see where the development of Zac Seljaas will head in the easyCredit BBL. Somebody please send Danny Ainge a highlight reel of this great player. I would love to hear his impression of him.