Hugo Besson

Hugo Besson (born 26 April 2001) is a French professional basketball player who last played for the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He debuted in the LNB Pro A in 2018 with Élan Chalon. After two seasons with Chalon, he was loaned to Saint-Quentin BB of the LNB Pro B and led the league in scoring in the 2020–21 season.

Hugo Besson
Besson with Saint-Quentin BB in 2021
Free agent
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
Personal information
Born (2001-04-26) 26 April 2001
Angers, France
NationalityFrench
Listed height194 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Listed weight89 kg (196 lb)
Career information
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2021Élan Chalon
2020–2021→Saint-Quentin BB
2021–2022New Zealand Breakers
Career highlights and awards
  • LNB Pro B All-Star Five (2021)
  • LNB Pro B Best Youngster (2021)
  • LNB Pro B scoring champion (2021)

Early life and career

Besson was born in Angers, France.[1] He grew up in the Côte d'Azur town of Bandol.[2] He started his youth basketball career in 2016 as a member of the Antibes Sharks.[1] He averaged 5.1 points in 15 games with the Under 21 team during the 2016–17 season.[3] He joined Élan Chalon in 2017 and played for the Under 21 team. In 27 games during the 2017–18 season, he averaged 10.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[3]

Professional career

Élan Chalon (2018–2021)

Between 2018 and 2020, Besson was a member of the Élan Chalon senior squad. He played 14 games in the LNB Pro A over two seasons.[4] In the ProA U21 competition, he averaged 18.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.1 steals in 28 games during the 2018–19 season, and 26.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals in six games during the 2019–20 season.[3]

In June 2020, Besson signed a three-year contract with Élan Chalon and was subsequently loaned to Saint-Quentin BB of the LNB Pro B.[5] He led the league in scoring during the 2020–21 season with 19.5 points per game.[4] He also averaged 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.0 steals in 26 games.[3][4] He was nominated for league MVP[6] and earned all-star five and best youngster.[7]

2021 off-season

Besson was courted by several European clubs during 2021, including Baskonia and ASVEL, and was in the running for the NBA draft.[8] He withdrew his name from the draft after being unable to participate in work-outs due to an ankle injury.[8] In August 2021, he was ranked by ESPN as the 35th top prospect for the 2022 NBA draft.[9]

New Zealand Breakers (2021–2022)

On 23 September 2021, Besson signed with the New Zealand Breakers of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the 2021–22 season.[10][11] In his debut for the Breakers on 4 December 2021, he scored 10 points in an 89–65 season-opening loss to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.[12] He scored 20 or more points in each of the next three games.[13][14] He had two 20-point games in March 2022.[13] Besson left the Breakers on 17 April 2022 in order to prepare for the 2022 NBA draft.[15][16] In 25 games, he averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.[13]

National team career

In June 2021, Besson was called up to the French Under 20 national team ahead of the FIBA U20 European Challengers.[17] He ultimately did not play with the final team.[18][19]

Personal life

Besson's father, uncle and grandfather have all played and coached professional basketball.[20][21] He has a sister named Jade.[2]

References
  1. "Hugo Besson". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  2. Hinton, Marc (26 December 2021). "Hungry like the Wolf – Breakers standout Hugo Besson takes his best shot at the NBA". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021.
  3. "Hugo Besson". australiabasket.com. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  4. "Hugo Besson". LNB.fr. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  5. Pantel-Jouve, Gabriel (19 June 2020). "HUGO BESSON SIGNE 3 ANS À L'ELAN CHALON ET SE FAIT PRÊTER À SAINT-QUENTIN". bebasket.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  6. "Trophées LNB : les nommés en PROB !". LNB.fr (in French). 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  7. "Trophées LNB : les lauréats en PROB". LNB.fr (in French). 23 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  8. Pantel-Jouve, Gabriel (9 July 2021). "HUGO BESSON VA REJOINDRE OUSMANE DIENG AUX NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS". bebasket.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  9. Santamaria, Liam (28 August 2021). "NBL22 Roster Watch". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 28 August 2021. This week ESPN ranked Besson, who is already in Auckland, as the 35th top prospect for next year's draft.
  10. "Breakers Add French Prospect Hugo Besson". NBL.com.au. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  11. Hinton, Marc (23 September 2021). "NZ Breakers announce French guard Hugo Besson as second import for NBL '22". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021.
  12. Hinton, Marc (4 December 2021). "NZ Breakers thumped by slick SEM Phoenix in disappointing NBL season opener". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021.
  13. "Hugo Besson". NBL.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  14. Hinton, Marc (10 December 2021). "NZ Breakers battle hard but sink to 0-2 in NBL with second defeat to SEM Phoenix". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 10 December 2021.
  15. "Dieng, Besson Turn Attention to NBA Draft". NBL.com.au. 17 April 2022. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  16. "Breakers' Young Stars to Prepare for 2022 NBA Draft". nzbreakers.basketball. 17 April 2022. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  17. "Basket-ball. Matthieu Gauzin (Champagne Basket) et Hugo Besson (Saint-Quentin) appelés en équipe de France U20". lunion.fr (in French). 9 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021.
  18. "France – FIBA U20 European Challengers 2021". fiba.basketball. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  19. "Hugo Besson". fiba.basketball. Archived from the original on 3 October 2021.
  20. Laporte, Francis (20 July 2021). "Après une saison pleine en Pro B, Hugo Besson, petit-fils de Paul (JA Vichy), vient de signer en Nouvelle-Zélande". lamontagne.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  21. Hersz, Tom (17 December 2021). "Hugo Besson: No Pressure, Just a Game". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
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