The Overtime Elite League announced Thursday that French forward Alexandre Sarr has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this September. Sarr is the first European player to sign with the league

Sarr, a native of Bordeaux, France is a 6-foot-10 inch power forward who played last season for Real Madrid and is ranked No. 9 overall by Eurospects.com for International Prospects born in 2005. He also spent time with Toac (2014-16, 2019), Union Brugieres Basketball Club (2018-19), Labege Auzeville Club (2017-18), and Tropkclub Toulouse (2016-17).

Sarr’s father, Massar, is a former professional basketball player from Senegal, while his older brother, Olivier, played college basketball at Wake Forest and Kentucky and is a 2021 NBA Draft prospect.

“Alexandre comes from a basketball family, learning from a father and brother who came before him. So he has heard of the work and dedication required to be a pro,” said Brandon Williams, OTE EVP, Head of Basketball Operations. “From his experience playing as a junior player in the Real Madrid club, Alexandre brings a youthful professionalism and a desire to be great, that will be a huge benefit to his teammates and our league.”

“Alexandre is a skilled and versatile athlete, a natural shot blocker, and a rebounder on both ends of the floor,” said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. “We look forward to experiencing rapid development every day once we can work with Alexandre in the gym.”

Sarr is the eighth player to join Overtime. In the past few weeks, the league announced the signings of top-rated guards Amen and Ausar Thompson and forwards Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley. Overtime signed its first international player, point guard Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic and recently announced the signings of Emmanuel Maldonado from Puerto Rico and Jai Smith from North Carolina. The league expects to make additional player announcements in the coming weeks.

The league has said it will pay about 30 players $100,000 annual contracts.

NCAA SAYS OVERTIME CAN PLAY PREPS, HIGH SCHOOLS

The Overtime team is also planning to play various prep school teams in the 2021-22 season, and the NCAA has said such teams would be allowed to play the pro team so long as the prep players don’t receive any money and aren’t in college.

“NCAA Division I and II rules allow a prospect, who has not enrolled full time at a college or university, to compete on a team that will play against a professional team without jeopardizing his or her eligibility, as long as the prospect is not paid above expenses for participation on the team,” according to an email from an NCAA spokesman obtained by this reporter.

One coach at a NEPSAC school, one of the most prestigious prep leagues in the nation, said Overtime had approached his team about playing games next season and he was considering it.