From NEPSAC championships to professional leagues in Europe, Jake Ross ’16’s basketball career has spanned continents

The game of basketball took Jake Ross ’16 halfway around the world—and now it’s bringing him back to Williston. Ross, who won two NEPSAC Class A championships while at Williston, is one of the newest inductees to the Williston Athletic Hall of Fame, an honor he’ll share with his dad, Jack Ross ’76.

“I think it’s super special,” said the younger Ross, who now works in medical sales in Boise, Idaho. “And I think it means a lot to him. He’s the one who pushed me to go to Williston because it was a great place for him.”

The induction ceremony in June will serve as a fitting capstone to Ross’ career. After his standout play at Williston—which included successful stints as a basketball and lacrosse player and winning the George Denman Bowl—Ross went on to play four years at nearby Springfield College, leading the Pride to a Division III Final Four and NCAA Tournament appearance.

Out of college, Ross went to play pro ball in Bulgaria—but the dream wasn’t what he had imagined—and he returned to the States to work for a while. The itch persisted, though, and Ross returned to Europe to play for two stints for Avanti Mondorf in Luxembourg. During his second outing with the team, Ross played a key role in helping the team reach the premier division of the country’s basketball pyramid, averaging more than 20 points per game over a two-year period.

A love for hoops wasn’t all Ross found during his time in Luxembourg. At the start of his second season with Mondorf, he started dating his fiancée, Mikayla Ferenz, a standout University of Idaho player, who was also playing professionally in the country. “After those three months, we didn’t know how we were going to see each other, so we both agreed to do one more year together,” Ross said. “We went back, and that was like the sailing into the sunset for me.”

Now, Ross is ready to put his playing days behind him for good—but not the sport itself. “To this day, [basketball] still runs my life,” Ross said. “I watch it every day, I still play four times a week. It’s a culture I’ve become deeply ingrained in.” He notes that he and Ferenz dream about coaching a basketball team together, and he still wants to give back in other ways to the game he loves. But first, he’ll be honored for his accomplishments.

“The 10-year Reunion definitely caught me off guard,” Ross said. “I don’t feel that old, but just talking to my teammates—we all have a group chat—and letting them know I was getting inducted, they’re all going to come back for it.”