Guildford sign Mike Copeland

Guildford have moved to rectify their poor start to the season with the signing of former Glasgow power forward Mike Copeland, while Hermann Opoku has left the club.

Copeland averaged 25 minutes a game in his two seasons north of the border, and he joins up with Creon Raftopoulos ahead of this weekend’s games against Leicester and Milton Keynes.

Raftopoulos told the club’s official website: “I’ve been courting Mike for a while and am delighted that he is now in a position to be able to join Guildford Heat. I have seen Mike play many times and am confident that he will deliver in terms of scoring and rebounding. Most importantly, he will also be able to balance out Mike Martin’s minutes which should mean that we are able to put in strong, consistent performances throughout the entire game.

“Mike Copeland is not only an established professional in the BBL league but he also comes from an excellent American college, North Carolina Tar Heels, which has a strong winning tradition. His college was the training ground for talents such as Michael Jordan and Britain’s own Steve Bucknall and has provided Mike Copeland with excellent grounding and a winning mentality.”

Copeland replaces Kandi Mukole, who has now left the club.

Another player leaving the Heat is Hermann Opoku who has been offered a deal by a top league club in the Czech Republic.

Raftopoulos added: “Hermann had a get out clause in his contract in case he got a higher offer. At a time when we were debating whether to keep him, the decision was taken out of my hands. He leaves with immediate effect and we wish him all the best at his new club.”