Lowery’s success in hoops continues abroad
McDonough High School grad signs contract in Turkey
When asked how long he will be playing the game of basketball, Rob Lowery simply stated about four or more five years.
Since making his mark as a combo guard for the NCAA Division I Dayton Flyers of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the 2005 McDonough High School graduate is simply enjoying playing professional basketball overseas until that time comes.
The 29-year-old will enter his eighth season on the pro circuit, recently signing another contract to play in Turkey for Antalyaspor, a team in the second division.
Last season, Lowery played for BC Astana Tigers in Kazakhstan and has previously made career stops in Czech Republic, Italy, Greece and Latavia.
This will be the second time in his career that the 6-foot-2 point guard has played in Turkey, previously playing for Best Balikesir Basketbol Kulubu in the 2012-13 season.
Lowery is set to leave the states on Aug. 15 to prepare for the season.
“For the most part once you get my age and to this point of my career it is always good to sign a contract,” said Lowery, who signed the contract on July 23. “This is the biggest contract that I’ve ever had in my career. Turkey is a beautiful country, I love it there. The people are amazing and they love basketball. It is awesome to sign to a country that I’ve been and comfortable with. I’m excited to play for such a great team.”
Despite being able to travel the world, meet new people and experience different cultures, Lowery does not take having the opportunity of being a pro lightly, always being humbled by it all.
“I always tell myself that I’m blessed and that work hard pays off,” he said. “I always felt like I could play in the NBA, I never have given up on that dream. Sometimes your life takes a turn and takes you to different places. I’ve been able to travel the world and it has been a great ride. For me to see all these different cultures is special and is a unique situation.”
In his previous season, Lowery led BC Astana to the Kazakhsan National League championship and the Kazakhsan Cup title. He averaged 16 points for the Tigers.
It was Lowery’s second championship of his career, also leading VEF Riga in Latavia to the league championship in 2015. He also won the German Cup in 2016.
“It was a great run and it felt good to win another championship in my career. That is always the goal,” he said.
While in the states for the summer, Lowery spends his time off the court with his 5-yearold daughter Havanah, friends and family.
Lowery played several times in the annual Goodman Summer League at Barry Farms in Washington D.C., one of the top summer leagues in the country which features professional, college and streetball legends.
“I’ve been working out, but for the most part I got a lot of rest because it is a long season and you have to be ready for the grueling schedule,” said Lowery, who has played in the Goodman league since his college days.
After not being recruited out of high school, Lowery attended Chesapeake Community College for his freshman season and then transferred to Cecil Community College the following season where he led it to a 31-1 record and a No. 1 ranking in the nation, boasting JUCO All-American honors in which he averaged 18.2 points, 8.7 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game.
Lowery then went to Dayton for his junior campaign, helping to lead the Flyers to a 23-2 record before tearing a patella tendon in his right knee.
That season he was the first player off the bench and led the team in scoring five times in a game, averaging 7.5 points and 3.4 assists a game during that span.
In his final season, Lowery continued to play a key role as backup point guard, helping to lead the Flyers to a 25-12 overall record and a NIT championship with a 79-68 victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
While at McDonough, Lowery was a three-year varsity player and started at point guard in his junior and senior seasons.
As a junior, he helped the Rams to a 20-plus win season, a Class 3A South Region title and a 3A state tournament berth. In his senior season, Lowery averaged 17.2 points a game and led the program to its first Southern Maryland Athletic Conference title and the team reached the region final game. He was named SMAC’s Most Outstanding Player. One of Lowery’s biggest games when he scored 24 points against Thomas Stone, hitting an off-balance three-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime.
“It has been a great ride,” Lowery said. “Basketball has taken me to a lot of places and I will continue to enjoy it as long as I can. There has been so many memories that I will cherish forever.”