PROFILER; Meet Ebi Ere

 Ebi Ere

Ere attended McLain High School and played two seasons of junior college basketball for Barton Community College. He then played two seasons of Division I college basketball for the Oklahoma Sooners between 2001 and 2003.
In his two-year career at Oklahoma, he averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 70 games. He and teammate Hollis Price led the Sooners to the Final Four in 2002 where they lost to the Indiana Hoosiers in the national semi-final.

Ere spent his rookie season in Australia playing for the Sydney Kings during the 2003–04 NBL season. He helped the Kings win their second straight championship playing alongside the likes of C. J. Bruton and Matthew Nielsen. In 40 games for the Kings, Ere averaged 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Ere's next playing stint came in 2005 with the Oklahoma Storm of the United States Basketball League (USBL). He averaged 18.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 23 games and earned All-USBL first team honors.

Following the 2005 USBL season, Ere signed with Liège Basket of Belgium for the 2005–06 season. In 30 games for Liège, he averaged 14.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

In 2006, Ere returned to Australia and joined the Brisbane Bullets for the 2006–07 NBL season. He made it two championships in two NBL seasons as he led the Bullets to secure the title with a 3–1 grand final series win over the Melbourne Tigers. In 39 games for the Bullets in 2006–07, he averaged 17.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Following the NBL season, he joined Gigantes de Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.

Ere re-signed with the Brisbane Bullets for the 2007–08 season and earned himself All-NBL first team honors. In 32 games for the Bullets in 2007–08, he averaged a career-high 26.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He again joined Gigantes de Carolina during the NBL off-season.

With the Bullets folding following the 2007–08 season, Ere reportedly signed with the South Dragons for the 2008–09 season but decided instead to pursue an NBA contract. When that fell through, he was unable to join the Dragons after the club signed Tremmell Darden rather than waiting for Ere. Ere subsequently signed with cross-town rivals, the Melbourne Tigers. 

He earned All-NBL first team honors for a second straight year and helped lead the Tigers back to the Grand Final where they were ironically defeated by the South Dragons 3 games to 2. In 37 games for the Dragons, he averaged 20.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. For a third straight year, he played for Gigantes de Carolina during the NBL off-season.