Having severed his ties with student life, Ali Fraser has now joined the ranks of the unemployed, just another 20-year-old hoping for a lucky break and a step into the world of work.
Flexibility is in his favour; offers from anywhere in Europe, and perhaps further afield, will be considered. For Scotland's brightest basketball prospect, the world is very much his oyster.
Last month the towering forward from Falkirk quit the University of Maine after three seasons on a sporting scholarship, eschewing some initial interest from elsewhere in the USA to book his return passage across the Atlantic. His sporting homecoming will come tonight at Meadowbank, when he turns out for Scotland in the first of two friendlies in as many days against England. Swapping exams for a salary, he says, was an easy option to take.
"I just didn't fancy doing another year when I'd like to get started with my professional career," said Fraser. "I can go back and finish my degree when I'm older. There were good and bad points at Maine – I had to live away from home but I got to play at a high level against some very good teams. That was great. But I'd like to be closer to home."
The former Great Britain under-20 internationalist will not be short of options in mainland Europe, where his agent is already touting his services. Although Glasgow Rocks have noted his availability, leagues in Germany, Poland or Italy seem the likeliest destination. "I would like to go somewhere I'm going to play," he said. "I want to be somewhere I'll develop."
A similar path has already been blazed by Greece-based forward Kieron Achara, who has also made himself available for the Edinburgh double-header as part of his preparations for Great Britain's EuroBasket campaign.
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