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.

After playing 29 of their 36 games in Australia and finishing eighth with a 12-24 record the previous season, the New Zealand Breakers were again forced to play their entire NBL22 campaign away from home. Corey Webster (to Egypt) was released to continue his career overseas, while Tai Webster (to Lithuania) also departed after choosing not to meet the NBL’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements, leaving William McDowell-White as the only returning member of the previous season’s point guard trio.

The Breakers added Yanni Wetzell (via South East Melbourne), imports Peyton Siva (via Greece) and Jeremiah Martin (via Cleveland), while French prospect Ousmane Dieng (via France) joined through the Next Star program. Hugo Besson (via France) was signed as the club’s second import, joining Dieng with both players viewing the NBL as a pathway to the NBA. Besson had withdrawn from the previous year’s NBA draft after an ankle injury prevented him from completing workouts, but entered NBL22 ranked among the leading prospects for the 2022 draft and became the youngest import signed in Breakers history.

“We liked Hugo so much that we decided to take him as an import. That in itself tells you how highly we rate him,” said coach Dan Shamir.

New Zealand entered the season dealing with a COVID outbreak, Shamir being unavailable and captain Thomas Abercrombie and Martin suffering injuries. The Breakers opened their season against South East Melbourne at John Cain Arena on December 4, where the French guard came off the bench and finished with 10 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists in his NBL debut. Delany (18 points and 9 rebounds) and Siva (11 points and 3 assists) led New Zealand, while Xavier Munford (27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals) starred as the Phoenix won 89-65.

Besson (13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists across 25 games) quickly established himself as one of the Breakers’ leading scoring options. Through his first five appearances, he averaged 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 41 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point line.

Besson’s best scoring game came against South East Melbourne at John Cain Arena on December 10, where he scored 14 consecutive New Zealand points during one stretch and finished with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. Delany (23 points) and Wetzell (18 points) helped the Breakers remain within reach, but Mitch Creek (36 points) set a Phoenix club scoring record and led South East Melbourne to a 95-88 win. Siva (2 points) played fewer than three minutes before suffering a hamstring injury, adding to New Zealand’s early-season injury problems.

Two days later at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre, Besson (25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal) made five three-pointers and scored 19 points during the first half as the Breakers built a 19-point lead. McDowell-White (27 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds) and Wetzell (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists) helped New Zealand take control, but Dusty Hannahs (25 points and 4 assists) led a 32-point turnaround as Adelaide won 98-85. The performance was Besson’s second of three consecutive 20-point games before his production became less consistent at the end of December.

With Siva sidelined, the Breakers signed Chasson Randle (via Orlando) as an injury replacement and began the season with six consecutive losses. New Zealand finally collected its first win against Brisbane at Nissan Arena on January 9, where Besson (12 points and 4 rebounds), Wetzell (27 points and 8 rebounds) and Siva (11 points and 4 rebounds) led the Breakers to an 88-83 victory, while Lamar Patterson (17 points) was Brisbane’s leading scorer.

Siva’s return eventually led to Martin (12.3 points and 3.6 assists across 10 games) being released, with the Breakers choosing to retain Randle (7.8 points across 17 games) following his strong performances as a replacement player. New Zealand remained based primarily in Tasmania and had fallen to 4-10 by the middle of February, with injuries and national-team commitments preventing the club from having its entire roster available.

Besson did not suffer an injury during the NBL season, but illness caused him to miss games against Tasmania on March 5 and Brisbane on March 7. He returned when the Breakers finally had their full roster available for the first time against Adelaide on March 12, finishing with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal as New Zealand ended a four-game losing streak with an 84-75 win. Siva (16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals) and Dieng (13 points and 4 rebounds) helped the Breakers withstand Adelaide’s second-half comeback, while Kai Sotto (14 points and 7 rebounds) led the 36ers.

Two nights later at MyState Bank Arena, Besson (23 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal) went scoreless during the first half before making six three-pointers and scoring 17 points in the third quarter against Perth. Siva (19 points and 7 assists) and Wetzell (17 points, 18 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks) helped New Zealand force overtime, while Victor Law (39 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal) led Perth and Bryce Cotton (32 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals) made the game-winning shot in the Wildcats’ 104-102 victory.

“Hugo Besson on a shooting roll is as much fun to watch as any player in the NBL,” wrote Boti Nagy.

Wetzell (17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.5 steals) was New Zealand’s most consistent player and was later named the club’s MVP, despite being released to join Baskonia in Spain before the final game. Siva (11.8 points, 4.9 assists, and 2 steals), Delany (10 points and 5.6 rebounds) and Dieng (8.9 points and 3.2 rebounds) were the team’s other major contributors, with Besson finishing as the Breakers’ second-leading scorer.

Despite his scoring becoming inconsistent during the second half of the season, Besson showed improvement as a passer and averaged 3.4 assists across his final five appearances. His last game came against Tasmania on April 15, where he finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals as New Zealand lost 88-86, with Loe (27 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks) leading the Breakers and Josh Adams (23 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals) leading the JackJumpers.

Besson and Dieng returned to France before the final game to begin their preparations for the NBA draft, accounting for Besson’s third and final absence of the season. After entering the year with the Breakers predicting he would become a first-round selection, his draft projection moved into the late second-round range before Indiana selected him with the 58th pick and traded his rights to Milwaukee.

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

With Besson, Dieng and Wetzell (to Spain) unavailable, the Breakers closed the season against Adelaide at MyState Bank Arena on April 24. Randle (14 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 1 block) and Rasmus Bach (14 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal) led New Zealand, while Sunday Dech (19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals) led Adelaide to a 93-60 victory. It was New Zealand’s tenth consecutive loss and the worst season in club history, with the Breakers finishing tenth with a 5-23 record.

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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