BIO: Hugo Besson was born in Angers (France) and grew up in the Cote d’Azur town of Badol.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Hugo Besson made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 20 years of age. He scored 10 points in his first game.

Besson signed with the New Zealand Breakers along with French teammate Ousmane Dieng with the intent to use the NBL as springboard to the NBA. Besson originally planned on entering last year, before a ankle injury caused a change of plans.

After a season where the Breakers played 29 of 36 games in Australia, things only continued to get worse for the Breakers, with the team unable to play any home games during NBL22 and finishing dead last during the regular season.

After playing the previous season with a trio of Corey Webster, Tai Webster, and William McDowell-White at point guard, the team decided they would build around the younger of the three and move Corey to the bench. The Breakers then allowed him to exit his contract with him choosing to play in Europe instead. Not long after, as a result of the NBL requiring players to be vaccinated for COVID-19, Tai Webster chose to exit his contract as well and play overseas.

While losing the Webster brothers, the team gained the signatures of Kiwi Yanni Wetzell (via South East Melbourne) and import players Besson, Peyton Siva and Jeremiah Martin.

The team immediately faced adversity, losing Siva and Thomas Abercrombie to injury and having to absorb a COVID outbreak on the eve of the season. The team signed Chasson Randle (7.8 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) as a replacement player for Siva, and the team began the season with a 0–6 start.

Siva was able to return to the team a few weeks later which then saw Jeremiah Martin (12.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals) and the Breakers agree to a mutual release, the move came as a result of high-level play from Randle, who they chose to retain instead of Martin once Peyton Siva (11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2 steals) returned from injury.

Although the team had planned to play their home games at the back end of the season, COVID-19 restrictions made that impossible and forced the team to base themselves in Tasmania for the majority of the season.

Besson negotiated the challenges of Covid outbreaks, team shutdowns and life on the road extremely well during his rookie season. Besson started the season off strongly, after the team’s first five games (all defeats) he was averaging 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, while shooting 41 percent from the floor and a impressive 40 from beyond the arc.

He scored 26 points in a rollicking display against the South East Melbourne Phoenix, including 14 straight at one point and had rattled off three straight 20-point games prior to hitting the metaphorical wall by the end of December. After a heartbreaking double-overtime loss against the lllawarra Hawks Besson struggled to remain consistent in 2022 while his French teammate Ousmane Dieng stepped up his production as the season progressed.

He had perhaps his best game of the season on Dec. 9, producing a career-high 26 points and eight rebounds. The outing including a dramatic first-half outburst against Adelaide when he and Aussie point guard Will McDowell-White combined for 41 points, including 11 triples between them.

The Breakers also received solid contributions from the all-around play of Yanni Wetzell (17.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks), and Finn Delany (10 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2 assists) but by mid-February had fallen to 4–10.

By the end of the year, the Breakers were just 5-23 — their worst record ever and Besson had seen his NBA draft stock drop from 25 to a late second round choice.

Despite this his game saw a clear improvement in a number of areas of his game. One notable improvement was his passing game. By the end of the season he was averaging more than three assists over his last five games. In comparison, he had less than 3 assists during his first 12 NBL games.

The Breakers were led by the all-around play of Yanni Wetzell (17.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks) who left the team to play in Europe once New Zealand had no chance to make the playoffs. Despite leaving the team with a month of the Breakers season still remaining Wetzell was named club MVP. Besson (13.9 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists) and Finn Delany (10 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2 assists) would raise their games during that final month of the season but by mid-February had fallen to 4–10.

New Zealand’s season ended with a 5–23 record, the Breakers worst season in their 19-year history.

Hugo Besson has trained with 12 team’s, in 21 days and in less than 24 hours the biggest pick of his career could be made! pic.twitter.com/5eVpiMfkE6

— Sky Sport New Zealand Breakers (@NZBreakers) June 23, 2022

Hugo Besson played one season in the NBL. He averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 25 NBL games.

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Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.