Sahmi Willoughby goes up for a dunk during a Marietta College basketball game in 2024 at Ban Johnson Arena. (Photo courtesy of Marietta College Athletics)

After spending five years dominating around the rim in the Ohio Athletic Conference, 2024 Marietta College alum Sahmi Willoughby is taking the next steps in his basketball career.

After marching to the Final Four of last summer’s The Basketball Tournament (TBT) with his squad, We Are D3, the Groveport, Ohio, native recently completed a professional stint with Lahti Basketball in Finland’s top division, the Korisliiga. He just announced his transfer to Germany to compete for Telekom Baskets Bonn.

TBT is an annual open-invitation, single-elimination tournament with a winner-take-all $1 million prize. We Are D3, a squad featuring alums of NCAA Division III programs, has fielded a team since 2018. Willoughby had been in conversations with the program since graduation in 2024.

Willoughby had gotten in touch with We Are D3 coaches at the end of his career at Marietta, but it turns out he was already on their radar after seeing several streamed Pioneer games. Head coach Mike Rejniak asked Willoughby to come try out for the team at their annual combine.

We Are D3 holds a yearly combine event ahead of the tournament every year to select players for their final roster. Competition is difficult, and most of the players have professional experience, something Willoughby didn’t have much of. That didn’t stop him from impressing the staff enough to make the 2025 squad.

“Hearing my name on the final roster was just a dream come true,” Willoughby said. “I’ve been watching TBT since 2018 and have always had the dream of being a part of a team and experiencing what the culture and atmosphere was like. And it made it even better that I was able to represent Marietta College at the same time.”

We Are D3 head coach Mike Rejniak said they are always looking for unique skillsets that could be deployed in different strategic moments in games. “Coming into 2025, we were really lacking someone who went all out for rebounds, was strong, and could guard multiple positions. Obviously, he’s also younger, so we were really hoping to bring him into the fold for years to come.”

Previous We Are D3 squads had become known for pushing top seeded teams in competitive games before eventually yielding in the final moments. The 2024 squad saw its first win in the event, but the breakthrough came this past summer. We Are D3 won four games, including upset wins over Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse alumni) as well as Stars of Storrs (UConn alumni). The team’s run came to an end in the semifinals in a road game against Wichita State alumni squad AfterShocks, who went on to win the trophy and the cash prize.

Willoughby said the team’s chemistry and desire to represent the Division III level was key to their success: “One of the main reasons why we made it as far as we did is because we were so well connected with each other. We were doubted and people were talking down to us because we come from ‘D3’ schools. That run was to prove to people that we do belong, and we can compete at the highest level.”

Just before leaving for TBT, another opportunity presented itself to Willoughby in the form of a contract offer from Finland. He officially signed with Lahti Basketball in Finland shortly after. Willoughby spent a large portion of last year’s spring and summer working with Division III All-American guard Jack Clement (Otterbein) and sending videos to his agent to be sent to prospective teams. The decision ultimately came down to playing in Germany or Finland.

Lahti, Finland, about 60 miles north-east of the capital city of Helsinki, is home to Lahti Basketball. While Finland is known for being a hockey mad country, the level of basketball in the country is strong having seen their semifinal appearance in last autumn’s EuroBasket competition. Lahti plays in Finland’s top division, the Korisliiga.

Willoughby played under a dual license for both Lahti and their affiliate team Pajulahti in the Finnish I-Division B. Willoughby began the season with Pajulahti, dominating with an average of 22.4 points and 14.0 rebounds per game. Thanks to his consistently strong performances, he also saw six appearances for Lahti Basketball’s first-division team, where he continued to thrive under the basket, averaging 8.7 points and 6.5 rebounds.

Starting a professional career and getting used to a new set of coaches and teammates can already be a stressful ordeal. Doing it in another country adds another layer of complexity.

“The move to Finland was a really positive experience for me. It was hard to move away from family and to move to another country. What I liked though about Finland was how clean and friendly the people were and how safe I felt. But I had a lot of trouble adjusting to the time change and figuring out my sleep schedule.”

When asked about his time at Lahti, Willoughby noted needing to get acclimated to playing at the professional level: “The speed of the game is at a whole different level. Making decisions faster and picking up full court all the time were the two biggest challenges for me. In college, I always got to go back to half court to defend, but now picking up full court and guarding wings is something I needed to get used to.”

On Feb. 27, Willoughby was transferred to Telekom Baskets Bonn who compete in the Basketball Bundesliga, Germany’s highest level of professional basketball. The Bundesliga is considered one of the best professional leagues in the world outside of the NBA and includes storied clubs such as Bayern München (Munich) and Alba Berlin. Bonn currently sits 3rd in the league with just 10 games to play before the playoffs.

On moving to Germany: “I’m excited about the move to Germany. Being able to compete in the highest level of Germany at such an early stage of my career feels like a privilege but I’m here for a reason. I’m also looking forward to competing in the environment here in Germany with sold out crowds. It’s a huge part of the fun.”

Asked what his goals are for his blossoming professional career, Willoughby noted: “My dream is to just put my name on the map in the overseas market. It’s really like my journey from college all over again where the first year or two isn’t going to be easy but it’s setting up a path for success down the road where I can earn more money.”

Rejniak added: “Sahmi does all the little things that you can ask for and does it with a smile on his face. He is an unbelievable teammate and has an incredible work ethic. The culture that was established with him at Marietta is really going to infuse him and carry him to a long career at the professional level whether it’s overseas or back here in the States.”

Willoughby also credits his time at Marietta with teaching him about the hard work needed to succeed at the professional level.

“Getting to this stage was and is a very hard process but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way,” he said. “At Marietta, I was taught hard work and how that work gets you a lot of good things in life. It wasn’t easy and I had to grow a lot to understand that, but once I did, it was easier to succeed. To future Pioneers who have the same dreams that I do, just stay the course and keep working hard. It may not come right away but if you stay motivated, you’ll be rewarded.”

Viel Glück Sahmi.