Omar Payne Joins Peristeri BC for 2025-26 Season

Peristeri BC has announced the signing of American center Omar Payne, making him the second American addition to their roster for the upcoming season, following the renewal of C.J. Harris's contract.

Peristeri BC Official Announcement

"KAE Peristeri BC announces its agreement with athlete Omar Payne, who will wear the club's jersey for the 2025-2026 competitive season. The 25-year-old center is expected to strengthen the team's front-line for its obligations."

Player Profile

Omar Payne, born on November 2, 2000, in Florida, United States, stands at 2.08 meters (6'10"). He plays primarily as a center and is known for his defensive presence and shot-blocking ability.

College Career

Payne played for four different universities during his college career in the NCAA:

Florida Gators: For two seasons (2019-2021).
Illinois Fighting Illini: For one season (2021-2022).
Jacksonville Dolphins: For one season (2022-2023).
UCF Knights: Completed his college career with one season (2023-2024).

European Debut & Performance

Payne ventured into European basketball for the first time in the 2024-2025 season, signing with the Finnish team Salon Vilpas. In his debut European season, he quickly made an impact:

2024-25 Season (Finnish Korisliiga): In 31 games, he averaged 11.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and an impressive 2.8 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game. His efficiency was notable with a 71.0% field goal percentage.

Rethymno signed Brandon Taylor

Rethymno signed Brandon Taylor. The 25-year-old American forward graduated from Penn State and went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft. Taylor started his professional career in Greece with PAOK, where in 12 games for the domestic league Taylor averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds. In 2017 Taylor moved to Switzerland for Massagno and in the next season, he moved to Sweden for Jamtland Basket where he averaged 15.8 points, 6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.1 steals in 19 games for the domestic league. In the last season, Taylor moved to Finland for Salon Vilpas where in 46 games for the domestic league he averaged 13.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Kolossos Rodou signed Roope Ahonen

Kolossos Rodou signed Roope Ahonen. The 25 years old Finnish guard penned an one year contract with Kolossos. Ahonen played in the VTB with Bisons Loimaa, averaging 9.8 points and 2.7 assists per game. He is member of the Finnish national team and besides Bisons he had played for Borås Basket and Solna Vikings in Sweden and for Salon Vilpas and Torpan Pojat in Finland.

OFFICIAL: Octagon Europe PG & @basketfinland member Roope Ahonen signs with @Kolossos_Rhodes in the Greek @esakegr - http://t.co/yzClRmJdKF

— OctagonBasketball EU (@OctagonBballEU) August 13, 2015