Cornley signs deal to play in Ukraine

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Jeff Rice - jrice@centredaily.com

Jamelle Cornley isn't quite sure how to pronounce the name of his new team.

That he has one is the important thing.

CDT file/Christopher Weddle

FILE: Penn State's Jamelle Cornley talks about the team's N.I.T. Final Four appearance at the Bryce Jordan Center on Friday, March 27, 2009.

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After a summer spent mulling his professional options, the former Penn State forward signed a one-year contract Monday with Club BC Dnipro in Dnepropetrosk, Ukraine.

“It was a long process,” Cornley said Monday by phone from his home in Columbus, Ohio. “But it’s pretty exciting right now.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound forward, who finished fourth on Penn State’s career scoring and rebounding lists, led the Nittany Lions to the NIT championship and earned tournament MVP honors despite playing with a partially dislocated left shoulder. The injury put an abrupt end to Cornley’s thoughts of switching to football and kept him off the basketball court until earlier this month.

In the meantime, Cornley completed his internship, picked up his degree and tried to decide if he would rather play in Israel, Italy, Argentina or the Ukraine. He had some good references for the latter.

Dnipro’s coach last season was Bob Donewald, Jr., a former assistant in college, the NBA and the BBL and the son of Bob Donewald, Sr., who coached Cornley’s father, Hank, at Illinois State. Cornley spoke on the phone with Donewald, Jr., nearly every day during the last few weeks.

“He was the one who really helped this deal out,” Cornley said.

Cornley also talked with Columbus native and Dnipro alumus Devin Green, who is currently with the San Antonio Spurs, and former Arkansas Razorback Patrick Beverley, who played with Dnipro last season.

He’s been gathering more general advice about playing in Europe from the guys he’s been playing regular pickup games with in Columbus — a distinguished group that includes Ohio State alumni Scoonie Penn, Terence Dials, George Reese and Ron Lewis and former Kansas star and Columbus native Kenny Gregory.

And his injury hasn’t been an issue.

“The shoulder’s been great,” Cornley said. “It’s been steady, and I’m making sure the strength issue is getting better.”

Dnipro offered Cornley a two-year contract but he elected to go with a one-year deal with an option for a second year. His long-term plan to play in the NBA, put off for a year by his injury, hasn’t changed.

“I’ll wait and see what happens,” he said. “I’d like to be on some (NBA) summer league team next year. But if I have to stay overseas and continue to prove myself, so be it.”

Cornley, who has tentative plans to fly out Thursday, isn’t the only member of the 2008-09 Nittany Lions to sign a pro contract with an overseas team. Guard Stanley Pringle is currently playing with the Passe-Partout Leuven Bears of Belgium.