Elegar wins in Turkey; Kommatos loses in Italy

Nestoras Kommatos

After suffering through a season-long losing streak in Maroussi, Nestoras Kommatos and Frank Elegar saw their first action with their new clubs this weekend. Elegar tasted victory in Turkey, while Kommatos’ squad lost in Italy.

Elegar, 25, had a strong game Saturday, helping Antalya to an 88-83 road upset over Erdemir. The Drexel alum started alongside Philadelphia pals Corey Fisher and Scottie Reynolds. Fisher and Reynolds were teammates at Villanova. Elegar and Fisher are old friends from the same neighborhood in the Bronx.

Elegar was in the starting lineup and finished with 11 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Fisher scored 24 points; Reynolds 19.

There’s another Philly connection: Erdemir’s leading scorer was La Salle alum K’Zell Wesson, 34. He scored 21 points and had 9 rebounds.

Kommatos, who led the Greek league in scoring (20.4 ppg) when he skipped town last week, started for second-division Sant’Antimo yesterday. They lost 77-67 to Enel Brindisi. The 34-year-old scored just 4 points. He shot 1 of 6 from 3-point range. He had 10 rebounds and played 32 minutes.

Elegar leaves team, has offer in Turkey

Frank Elegar has become the latest Maroussi player to leave the team. The American, who was Maroussi’s starting center and an excellent defender, told me he has an offer from a club in Turkey, and likely will go there early this week. Like his teammates, he’s been underpaid for most of the season. Maroussi’s president informed the players Friday that they may not get paid again until the end of the season, and that they’re free to sign elsewhere. Dimitris Haritopoulos, a power forward, left earlier this week and signed a contract with a French club.

Elegar, a 25-year-old Drexel grad, attended Saturday’s game against Ilysiakos, and sat in the stands behind the Maroussi bench. He was greeted warmly by several passersby. He told me it was hard to watch his (former) team play but that he couldn’t risk an injury on the verge of a new contract. Elegar averaged 9 points and 5 rebounds per game, and his 1.1 blocks per game was among the best in the league.