Hawks officially sign Mike Muscala

The Atlanta Hawks have signed forward/center Mike Muscala to a contract, it was announced today by President of Basketball Operations/General Manager Danny Ferry.

Prior to signing with the Hawks, Muscala had played the 2013-14 season with Blusens Monbus Obradoiro of the ACB League in Spain. The 6-foot-11, 230-pounder had averages of 14.6 points (seventh in the ACB) on .546 shooting, a league-leading 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 26.3 minutes per game through 20 games. He shot .871 from the free throw line and ranked sixth in the league (17.0) in Performance Index Rating, a Euroleague basketball statistic similar to the NBA’s PER.

“We are really excited that Mike was available to join our team. We’ve closely monitored Mike and his progress throughout the ACB season. Coach Fernandez and his Obradoiro CAB club did an excellent job with his continued development,” Ferry said. “Due to our current injuries, Mike’s representatives presented the concept of Mike joining us for the remainder of the season. With our roster situation and his strong play, we felt now was a good time to add Mike to our program,” Ferry said.

The Hawks acquired the draft rights to Muscala (44th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft) in a trade with Dallas on June 28, 2013. He will wear No. 31.

A four-year letterman at Bucknell (2009-2013), Muscala (muss-KAL-uh) finished his career first on the school’s all-time scoring list (2,036 points), and second in rebounds (1,093) and blocks (271). He was named the Patriot League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, while also garnering First Team All-Patriot League and Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America honors, after averaging 18.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.3 assists in 31.7 minutes in 34 games (.509 FG%, .453 3FG%, .789 FT%). In 133 career games, the 6-11 forward/center tallied 15.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.6 in assists in 28.7 minutes (.501 FG%, .435 3FG%, .819 FT%). Muscala, 22, is a native of St. Louis Park, Minnesota.