The rebuilding of one of Thessaloniki’s main basketball teams, PAOK, continued yesterday with the signing of American forward K’Zell Wesson a few weeks before the start of the season.

PAOK has been undergoing an extensive restructuring this summer with new investors and coaching staff, in a process that has seen a number of new players arrive at the club.

Wesson, 31, is the latest of the new wave of players but is no stranger to Greek basketball as he played for AEK last season.

The forward from Portland, Oregon, arrived in Thessaloniki on Sunday and said that he hopes to provide his new team with energy, as well as the experience that he has accumulated during his career in Turkey, Italy, Germany and France over the last seven years.

Wesson has already worked under the club’s new owner Dimitris Drosos, who saved AEK from financial collapse before moving his capital north.

“I know about the new start this team is making under Mr Drosos and I wanted to be part of it,” said Wesson. “We have a great relationship and worked well together last year. I am really excited about playing for PAOK and I am determined to add my energy to the team.”

Wesson is in the process of applying for a Bulgarian passport and said he should have it by the end of September, which means that he will not take up a spot as a non-EU player on PAOK’s roster.

PAOK narrowly avoided relegation from the top flight of Greek basketball last season, finishing on the same number of points as AGO Rethymnon, who dropped to the A2 League.

It was the worst season for a long time for a club that regularly competed for the league and the cup title in the 1980s and 1990s.