A trailblazer and a pro basketball player: M.J. Randolph is doing just that in Austria
All M.J. Randolph has wanted to do was be a trailblazer.
A trailblazer, and a basketball player.
From his days at Booker T. Washington High School, to Division I Florida A&M, and now in Europe playing professional basketball, Randolph wants to show younger players – especially from his hometown of Pensacola – there’s opportunities if you put the work in.
“I want to have an impact on younger kids to show them it’s possible to come from Pensacola and play professional basketball,” Randolph said.
Randolph isn’t just playing basketball. Quite honestly, he’s excelling at it. He’s currently in his first season with SKN St. Pölten, which plays in the Austrian Basketball Superliga. The team is currently in sixth place in the league with a 13-18 record, and Randolph is starting at shooting guard.
He’s leading the team, averaging 23 points a game in 31 games, totaling 712 points. She’s also shooting 54.4% from the field, and 76.8% from the free-throw line. This comes a year after playing in Ireland, where he played for the UCC Demons in the 2022-23 Irish Super League season after signing with the team in December 2022.
He averaged 34.7 points per game in three wins that December, and was named Player of the Month in both December and February. That was capped off by being named the league’s Player of the Year after averaging 30.8 points per game, leading the Demons to the league semifinals, but falling to Ballingcollig.
“To have an immediate impact, it showed I could have success over here, while trying to get to where I want to go. I’m playing professional basketball, but I still have aspirations,” Randolph said. “It’s always a work in progress.”
‘An up-and-down process’
Things didn’t always come easy in the transition to Europe, however.
Randolph described himself as a very family-oriented person. He grew up in Pensacola, played at the Malcolm Yonge Gym and on a Salvation Army team growing up. That’s when he met, and became best friends with, Shawndarius Cowart. The two also played on an AAU team in Orlando together.
Eventually, the pair became rivals. Cowart played at Pensacola High, and Randolph became a star at Booker T.
“Washington allowed me to be the player I am today,” Randolph said.
Randolph was a three-time all-area selection from the PNJ, and averaged 21.4 points per game his senior season.
“That was my favorite memory because I couldn’t make the first game against PHS, because my sister was graduating from FAMU. … She wanted me to be at her graduation. I remember having tears in my eyes because it was a rivalry game,” Randolph said. “I felt like I had let my teammates down. The second time we played them, for that to happen, it was great.”
He only had one offer to play Division I basketball by the time he graduated, and it was just a few hours away in Tallahassee at FAMU. Playing for the Rattlers brought success – and a unique journey – as well. Randolph got to experience different parts of the world and country, playing in places like Montego Bay, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Eventually, Randolph found himself in the spotlight again when he was named the SWAC Player of the Year his senior year, averaging 18.9 points per game. The Rattlers finished fourth in the SWAC that season.
“It was a great opportunity for a great collegiate career,” Randolph said. “I’m very thankful for FAMU and the things that it showed me.”
Randolph went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft, eventually training with some G League teams – including the Birmingham Squadron that summer. He got waived a few weeks later, and was at home in Pensacola “praying” for his next opportunity.
That’s when Ireland came knocking.
He was nervous at first, being away from home. It wasn’t just a few hours like it was in Tallahassee. It was an ocean and a long flight away.
“But when I got there, the people were welcoming. It wasn’t a weird experience. Everyone was so nice,” Randolph said. “I would go to my teammates’ houses to watch NBA games. It was a good experience. That’s when I thought, ‘Maybe I could do something with this.’”
It wasn’t easy. But it was worth it.
“I had a long process, an up-and-down process,” Randolph said of finding the opportunity in Europe. “It never crossed my mind (to play in Europe). Being a kid in America, our minds get stuck on the NBA. Now I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Basketball and lifestyle adjustments
Basketball is evolving and growing, Randolph said. There’s no doubt about it.
Look at the NBA, as more and more players come from Europe and become stars – such as current players Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Dončić (Serbia) and Nikola Jokic (Serbia). And while those stars are bringing European style basketball to the states, it goes the opposite way as well.
Randolph said in America, it’s more of an “iso ball” style of play, allowing players to go one-on-one with defenders, utilizing the pick-and-roll. But in Europe, it’s more of a team game, moving the ball around constantly.
“If it’s late in the game, that’s when they like to play iso ball here,” Randolph said. “That’s what I like about it, learning a different style of play and mixing the two to become a better player.”
At the end of the day, “basketball is basketball,” Randolph said. Leagues in Europe are starting to get more talent from the United States, as older NBA players who want to keep playing professionally or players from the NBA G League want a bigger opportunity, make the jump overseas, too.
“I have teammates from Turkey, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Russia, it’s crazy. All these people are trying to reach one goal – either the NBA or the Euro League,” Randolph said. “You always have to work and not be satisfied with what you done.”
But, while he was adjusting to on-the-court life in Ireland and Austria, he was also learning a completely new lifestyle in Europe.
Randolph noted Ireland wasn’t “that much of a culture shock” since they speak English, but the Irish accent threw him off every once and awhile. He also had to learn conversions and things of that nature – like kilometers per hour instead of miles per hour.
He called Ireland a good “warm up” to living in Europe.
Now he’s starting to understand German a little bit in Austria.
“But I started picking things up that I can use every day. I’m not saying I’m fluent in German, but I know a few words,” Randolph said. “But having that experience in Ireland helped. Because even I know what it says on a sign, I can use my context clues from when I was familiar with things in Ireland. …
“I had to pull out Google translate a lot,” Randolph said with a laugh.
Most importantly, Randolph had to adjust to being away from family.
“So sometimes the holidays feel longer than other days, because I can’t be with my family,” Randolph said. “But I have a great team to help me out.”
‘What I’ve been working for since I was a kid’
Now that he’s got his feet wet in Europe, Randolph wants to be a resource for kids, especially in an area like Pensacola that doesn’t have too many names that go on to play Division I basketball, let alone professionally.
That’s where he and some of his friends, like Cowart, come into play.
“I’m always open to players asking questions about overseas. It provides kids with more options because they don’t have to be stuck on the NBA, because that’s how my mind was,” Randolph said. “When they start to think about playing basketball after college, now they can reach out to me or Shawndarius who play pro basketball not in the NBA.”
Despite the time difference, Randolph said he tries to watch as many games from back home as possible to keep up with the younger players. The struggle is if a game starts at 7 p.m. in Pensacola, it might not end until 4 a.m. in Austria – and Randolph admitted sometimes he falls asleep during the game, laughing a bit.
“But I try to watch as many as I can,” Randolph said.
As he watches those kids make a name for themselves, looking to play at the next level, Randolph is doing the same. It’s not like he’s trying for a college scholarship, but he knows there’s opportunities he’s working for.
There’s goals of playing in the EuroLeague, which is widely regarded as the top-tier men’s basketball league in Europe. But that’s not to say Randolph isn’t opposed to coming back to the U.S., looking for an opportunity in the G League – or even in the NBA.
“Some days are good, some days are bad. I still have dreams and aspirations, whether that’s the G League, the NBA or the Euro League. And I’m learning more about the Euro League and how to get there. That’s definitely my goal,” Randolph said. “I want to play at the highest level of basketball. That’s why I’m here, sacrificing away from my family, trying to stay focused, because I want to be at the top level of basketball – no matter where it is.
“That’s what I’ve been working for since I was a kid.”
Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Former Washington, FAMU basketball star MJ Randolph excelling in Europe
