Tyler Haws and Eric Mika were teammates for the Cougars during the 2013-14 season, when Haws was a junior and Mika a freshman, and they were two of the top players on a 23-win team that made a run to the NCAA Tournament.
They once again shared the floor, but this time as opponents when Italian clubs VL Basketball Pesaro and Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia squared off Sept. 19 in the 13th annual Alphonso Ford Memorial Game.
Both produced solid efforts, but it was Mika's Pesaro squad that came out on top, 74-63. He totaled 11 points in the matchup of former Cougars while Haws totaled six points in the loss.
A hand full of other former Cougars are also already playing games on their respective teams around the world. Here is a look at how they have done so far.
Charles Abouo, Fos-sur-Mer (France - Pro B)
While the French Pro B season is still a couple of weeks away, Abouo has already shown his value on his new team during the Leaders Cup. He had a fantastic showing in a 70-61 win over Saint-Chamond when he totaled a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with four steals and three assists in 29 minutes.
Agustin Ambrosino, Calero De Potosi (Bolivia - Libobasquet)
While some are just starting their seasons, Ambrosino is just finishing his in Bolivia. He was a key member of a team that lost just four games all season on its way to a league title. One of his best games in the Finals came in game 3 when he totaled 24 points in a 90-80 win over Pichincha.
With a championship under its belt, Calero De Potosi moves on to Liga Sudamerica to play some of the best teams from all over South America.
Brandon Davies, BC Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania - LKL)
Davies and his high-powered Zalgiris squad have already played four games on the Lithuanian schedule and have come away with three wins. Davies had his best effort so far in a 73-64 loss to Neptunas when he totaled 11 points on 50 percent shooting from the field and 3-for-4 from the foul line. He added a game-best 14 rebounds, including five on the offensive end to go along with two steals and an assist in 19 minutes.
On the season, he is averaging 7.8 points on 50 percent shooting with 5.5 rebounds in 14.3 minutes.
Raul Delgado, Obregon (Mexico - CIBACOPA)
Delgado had a really nice summer playing for Obregon. He was a very valuable piece on a team that knocked off Hermosillo 4-1 to take home the CIBACOPA championship. One of his best outings came in a championship-clinching win when he totaled 18 points on 6 of 7 shooting from the floor and 3 of 4 from the free-throw line while adding a pair of steals in 25 minutes.
Eric Mika, VL Pesaro (Italy - Serie A)
Mika performed at a high level in his first regular-season Italian League action in a 73-70 loss to Germani Basket Brescia. He started in the three-point loss and totaled seven points on 50 percent shooting from the floor. He also did some solid work on the glass as he collected nine rebounds, including five on the offensive end in 27 minutes.
Trent Plaisted, Osaka Evessa (Japan - B League)
An injured Achilles forced Plaisted to miss the start of the B League regular season and could have him sidelined for a couple of months.
"My Achilles had been bothering me basically the entire preseason and I and the trainer both thought it was tendonitis and we would sort of manage it," said Plaisted about the injury. "Towards the end of the preseason it was really bugging me so we went to the doctor to get an MRI thinking maybe I would rest a week or two but the MRI turned up that I have a partial tear."
While he was disappointed to miss out on the start of the regular season, including two games against his team from last season, Plaisted is happy that the injury wasn't worse.
"It's unfortunate it happened, but also really lucky we caught it when we did because had I kept going odds are I would have torn it completely."
The extent of the injury is a 20-30 percent tear, according to Plaisted, so he could need 1-2 months to fully recover.
Osaka lost both of its games on the opening weekend.
Jonathan Tavernari, Dinamo Sassari (Italy - Serie A)
Tavernari had some really nice games for Dinamo during the preseason schedule. One of his best came in a 109-76 win over Cagliari Dinamo Academy when he recorded 11 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field, including 1-for-2 from 3-point land. He added five rebounds in 25 minutes of action.