SALT LAKE CITY — Since his University of Utah of career ended following the 2015-16 season, Jordan Loveridge has been quite the international traveler.
He has played professionally in Hungary, Switzerland, Germany, Poland and, most recently, in Austria. Finland will soon be added to the list.
Kobrat, a Finnish basketball team from Lapua, which plays in the Korisliiga, the highest tier of Finnish basketball, announced the signing of Loveridge on Wednesday.
In a released statement, originally in Finnish, head coach Ville Turja said, “I am very pleased that we got ... Jordan Loveridge on our team for next season. In addition to being an excellent shooter, he has a really high level of perception of the game, which is reflected in insightful passes. When you look at him, it sometimes feels like he thinks one move ahead of the others.”
Kobrat valued the 6-foot-6 Loveridge particularly for his outside shooting ability. Since becoming a professional, the West Jordan native has yet to shoot under 35% from 3-point range in a season and last year with Swans Gmunden in Austria he shot 45% from behind the arc.
During the course of his four-year career with the Utes Loveridge averaged 12.2 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game and shot 38% from distance.
He joins a club that finished with an 11-25 record during the 2019-20 season, 11th in the 12-team Korisliiga.
“I was interested in bringing Loveridge to our team last season,” Turja said. “... I felt that Loveridge could have filled the position of the biggest player on the team. ... He was among the first players in my mind as I set out to think about the coming season.”