Florida Tech Basketball Continues to Reel in Transfers By Adding Australian Forward George Nehma

The Australian Native is transferring from NCAA Division III SUNY Canton

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Florida Tech head coach Billy Mims added more talent to the Panther men’s basketball team with the signing of George Nehma to the 2020-21 roster.

Nehma, a 6-8, 215-pound forward who hails from Sydney, Australia, comes to Florida Tech after a two-year career at NCAA Division III SUNY Canton.

“Sometimes things are just meant to be,” exclaimed Mims.

“That’s kind of how I feel about the addition of George Nehma to our team. Back toward the end of this past season, I received an email from George and thought I recognized his name. After a bit of research, I realized why. George had contacted me a few years earlier from Australia and was very interested in our academic and athletic opportunities at Florida Tech. I liked what I saw in him but had no post positions open at that time.”

After two seasons at SUNY Canton, George reached back out to me again! This time, I was in need of some experienced post depth and welcomed his interest once again. Academically, he is a near straight-A engineering student making him a perfect fit for our university!”

Nehma appeared in all 28 games with seven starts in 2019-20, and averaged 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists while shooting 46.5% from the field, 41% from three, 68% on free throws as a sophomore for the Roos.

He received All-Tournament Team honors after averaging 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and leading Canton to a North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Tournament Championship last season.

Nehma converted the eventual game-winning four-point play with 1:01 left in the title game to help the Roos win 72-71 over Maine-Farmington and earn the program its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

Additionally, Nehma was recognized on the 2019-20 NAC All-Academic Team for having a 3.50 or above cumulative GPA.

During his freshman campaign in 2018-19, Nehma appeared in 27 games and averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 52.4% from the field. He also had 11 blocks and 11 assists that season.

“The reason I chose Florida Tech was the excellent Aerospace Engineering program,” said Nehma.

“I think that being at a Division II institution, I am going to be around a lot of top-level athletes on my team who can really help me take my game to the next level. Also, the sunny beaches of Melbourne remind me a lot of my home back in Sydney.

It will be a nice change from the cold in Canton, New York.”

Back home in Australia, Nehma attended Caringbah High School where he played three years of basketball. He was named the St. George Basketball Youth League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year.

“With now having two seasons of quality NCAA basketball under his belt, George will provide us with another mobile forward who has continued to improve,” stated Mims.

“He had an outstanding postseason performance in the conference tournament this year, proving that he is ready to play at a higher level in the SSC. George will be a boost to both our offensive and rebounding efforts. I’m looking forward to finally getting this quality young man here on our campus and excited to see how his story will end.”

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