Le Mans brings back renowned shooter to France to replace Delaunay
Le Mans Sarthe Basket quickly responded after Léopold Delaunay’s long-term injury. The Sarthe club officially announced on Monday, August 11, the signing of Johnny Berhanemeskel (1.88m, 32 years old), a Canadian shooter well-known in the French championship. The former Ottawa Gee-Gees star is coming off a season without a club.
🅕✍️ 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗹 𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁 !
Le MSB enregistre l’arrivée d’un sniper bien connu de @Betclic_ELITE : l’arrière canadien Johnny Berhanemeskel (1,88 m, 32 ans). 🇨🇦🎯
Welcome @JohnnyBerhane 🙌🔥
📰 Plus d’infos 👉 https://t.co/sBlt7OTNdX pic.twitter.com/Vko5oODSCv
— MSB_Officiel 🦁 (@MSB_Officiel) August 11, 2025
A Sharpshooter Well-Versed in Betclic ELITE
After suffering an injury in Summer League in July, Léopold Delaunay won’t return to the court for several months. To fill this void, MSB has called upon Johnny Berhanemeskel, a Canadian guard with Cotonou status through his Eritrean passport, who has previously played for Boulazac, Nanterre, Roanne, and Gravelines.
Versatile but particularly known for his outside shooting, « Johnny B » has rarely finished a season below 40% from three-point range. Winner of the LNB All-Star Game three-point contest in December 2023, the Ottawa (Ontario) native had a solid season with BCM (12.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in the championship), where he was the team’s leading scorer and performed well in FIBA Europe Cup (14.6 points).
His stint at Roanne in 2021-2022 remains his most memorable in France: third-best scorer in the League with 17.8 points per game, shooting 42.7% from beyond the arc.
Valuable European Experience
Experienced in continental competitions with Nanterre, Kiev, and Gravelines, Berhanemeskel will play his fourth European campaign with Le Mans. An important factor for Guillaume Vizade, who is delighted with his arrival:
« We are very happy to welcome Johnny. An experienced player with a wide offensive arsenal. Accurate and effective during his stints with Boulazac, Roanne, and Gravelines, he will help us maintain a high level of offensive threat. His technical quality will allow him to play alongside all our other perimeter players. And beyond the technical aspect, his experience will also bring leadership to our backcourt positions. »
MSB thus hopes to best compensate for Léopold Delaunay’s absence and maintain a high level of offensive threat for their 2025-2026 season.
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