Shortly after agreeing to extend his contract with Peristeri Vikos Cola for another year, Ben Bentil’s contract was bought out by the reigning Greek Cup Champions, Panathinaikos.  Now, it’s finally official and Bentil will be joining the “Greens.”

Bentil will be following his head coach Argyris Pedoulakis from Peristeri to Panathinaikos as the duo will team up for the second season in a row.  The familiarity with each other should help with Bentil’s transition to his new team.

“It is a big honor and a blessing for me to play for such a big club with the history and success of Panathinaikos.  It is a big step for my career and the truth is that I can not wait to put on the team’s jersey.  I can not wait to face the best bigs of Europe and learn from my teammates.  Panathinaikos has the best fans in Europe. I look forward to fighting in the crowded OAKA and experiencing this amazing atmosphere.  I promise to give my best everyday that, along with my teammates, we continue to win titles for this great club.”

There are a couple of teammate names you might recognize on Panathinaikos:

1. Jimmer Fredette

2. Tyrese Rice

3. Nick Calathes

4. Rion Brown

5. Marcus Denmon

6. DeShaun Thomas

7. Ioannis Papapetrou

8. Konstantinos Mitoglou

The majority of these guys have had stints in the NBA at one point or another and have now all found themselves on the same European squad.  Hopefully there are enough shots for Bentil on this team because those guards seem to be guys that enjoy shooting the rock.

Sean Kilpatrick was on the team last year but he’s not listed on the current roster so he might be taking his talents elsewhere, otherwise this would have basically been a College All-Star Team.

Here’s a quick look at Bentil’s professional stats across his last 4 seasons.

Season	Team	League	GP	MIN	FG%	3P%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	PTS
16-17	Xinjiang	CBA	11	20.9	.400	.479	.733	4.82	0.36	1.00	0.18	13.73
17-18	Chalons	Jeep Elite	20	25.0	.384	.260	.687	4.80	1.10	0.50	0.40	11.70
17-18	Bilbao	CBA	12	12.7	.326	.188	.650	2.17	0.50	0.42	0.08	3.67
18-19	Peristeri	HEBA A1	35	23.1	.459	.369	.741	6.69	0.97	0.89	0.49	12.5

To get ready for the upcoming season, Bentil headed back to Friartown to workout with a couple of other Friars legends…KD3, Buckets, and Ice.

Always great having our family back in town working on their game and giving back to the program! pic.twitter.com/xi0OabSfx8

— Ed Cooley (@CoachCooleyPC) July 15, 2019

Always good see the former Friars back in F Town! Friar Dream Team @HentonBuckets23 @KrisDunn3 @benbentil #GoFriars pic.twitter.com/g1lX8wAuaw

— PC Men’s Basketball (@PCFriarsmbb) July 16, 2019

Once a Friar, Always a Friar.

Family.