Yannick Clemens Thomas Wetzell (born 8 July 1996) is a New Zealand professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the St. Mary's Rattlers, the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the National ...

, and the

San Diego State Aztecs The San Diego State Aztecs are the athletic teams that represent San Diego State University (SDSU). San Diego State currently sponsors six men's and eleven women's sports at the varsity level. The Aztecs compete in NCAA Division I ( FBS for foo ...

Early life and high school career

Wetzell grew up in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand. At the age of eight, he played soccer alongside later

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

goaltender Cameron Hogg. Wetzell decided to focus on tennis at the age of 13 and achieved a junior national ranking. He attended

Westlake Boys High School Westlake Boys High School is a state secondary school for boys located in Forrest Hill, Auckland, New Zealand. The school opened in 1962, when Westlake High School (opened 1958) split into Westlake Girls High School on the existing site and We ...

in Auckland. As a senior in high school, he began playing basketball due to a growth spurt. Wetzell helped lead his team to the 2014 final of the Secondary Schools National Championships, losing to

Otago Boys High School , motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak" , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = ; years ago , streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street , region = Dunedin , state = Otago , zipco ...

. Wetzell did not receive any collegiate offers, so he used an international recruiting agency to connect him to Division II St. Mary's.

College career

As a freshman at St. Mary's, Wetzell averaged 11.7 and 5.6 rebounds per game. He was named Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year. Wetzell averaged 15.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He was named to the Second Team All-Heartland Conference. Following the season, he transferred to Vanderbilt, choosing the Commodores over Purdue, Baylor, and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, and sat out a season per NCAA regulations. As a junior at Vanderbilt, Wetzell made 10 starts and averaged 5.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, shooting 49.6 percent from the floor. He was a SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree and earned a degree in economics. The Commodores finished 0–18 in SEC play and coach Bryce Drew was fired. Wetzell contacted Saint Mary's assistant coach Bubba Meyer to request advice about a graduate transfer. San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher was informed, and after taking an official visit Wetzell chose the Aztecs over an offer from

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

. He helped replace

Jalen McDaniels Jalen Marquis McDaniels (born January 31, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs. High school c ...

, who left early to play professionally. Wetzell averaged 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game as a senior, and his 59.2% field goal percentage is ninth-highest in Aztec single-season history. He was named to the Second Team All- Mountain West.

Professional career

South East Melbourne Phoenix (2020–2021)

On 28 July 2020, Wetzell signed his first professional contract with

South East Melbourne Phoenix The South East Melbourne Phoenix are an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. The Phoenix entered the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2019–20 season. The team play the majority of their home games at Jo ...

of the National Basketball League. On 16 August 2020, Wetzell exercised the European out clause in his contract and was released by the Phoenix. He signed with

Riesen Ludwigsburg Riesen Ludwigsburg ( en, Giants Ludwigsburg), for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of ...

of the German Basketball Bundesliga on 19 August, but rejoined the Phoenix on 14 October after experiencing passport complications with his move to Europe. Wetzell averaged 11.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

New Zealand Breakers (2021–2022)

On 2 July 2021, Wetzell signed a three-year deal with the

New Zealand Breakers The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...

. He was released from the remainder of his contract on 15 April 2022 under mutual consent. Across 22 games, Wetzell averaged 17.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game for the Breakers.

Saski Baskonia (2022)

On 15 April 2022, Wetzell signed with Saski Baskonia of the Liga ACB until the end of the 2022–23 season.

Alba Berlin (2022–present)

On July 26, 2022, he has signed with Alba Berlin of the Basketball Bundesliga.

National team career

In 2017, Wetzell was named to the New Zealand Select Team that played in a tournament in China. He has also competed for the New Zealand U19 Team, also known as the Tall Blacks.

Career statistics

College

NCAA Division I

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , style="text-align:center;" colspan="11",

Redshirt , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 32 , , 10 , , 18.5 , , .496 , , .265 , , .763 , , 3.8 , , .3 , , .7 , , .6 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 32 , , 27.8 , , .592 , , .318 , , .642 , , 6.5 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .6 , , 11.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 42 , , 23.2 , , .559 , , .286 , , .688 , , 5.2 , , .8 , , .7 , , .6 , , 8.8

NCAA Division II

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;", St. Mary's , 29 , , 29 , , 25.1 , , .530 , , .500 , , .632 , , 5.6 , , .9 , , .3 , , .3 , , 11.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", St. Mary's , 30 , , 30 , , 31.3 , , .501 , , .409 , , .667 , , 6.8 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .6 , , 15.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 59 , , 59 , , 28.3 , , .514 , , .420 , , .654 , , 6.2 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .4 , , 13.6

Personal life

Wetzell is the son of Jenny and Clem Wetzell, who travelled to see him play 12 games at San Diego State. He is the younger brother of television journalist and presenter Pippa Wetzell.

References

External links

NBL profileSan Diego State Aztecs bioVanderbilt Commodores bioSt. Mary's Rattlers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wetzell, Yanni 1996 births Living people Alba Berlin players Basketball players from Auckland Centers (basketball) New Zealand Breakers players New Zealand expatriate basketball people in the United States New Zealand men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball players South East Melbourne Phoenix players St. Mary's Rattlers men's basketball players Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players