Franklin Regional grad catches on with DuBois team for 'The Basketball Tournament'

Nick Novak will see if a Dream can come true.

The former Franklin Regional and Pitt-Johnstown basketball standout who played seven years professionally overseas plans to play in “The Basketball Tournament” with the DuBois Dream, a semi-pro team in the Premier Basketball League.

Novak also played in the event in 2018 for Team Sideline Cancer out of Bradenton, Fla.

The Dream is pulling him out of retirement, in a sense.

“Well, I am 4 for 4 since October in men’s league championships,” Novak said. “I just bought a house in Wexford, and we have another baby coming in August, so very exciting stuff.”

Still, Novak keeps in shape and is always game ready. He hopes to be ready to win some money.

The Tournament, which features more than 60 teams, many with former pro and college players, offers a $1 million winner-take-all prize. It will be played in July and August with the semifinals and final at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.

Novak is a Dream alum. He played for the team in 2020 and took the league by storm, scoring 55 points in his debut game.

He played seven seasons in Europe, with SSV Lol Bernau (Germany), AD Ovarense (Portugal), SCU Craiova (Romania), Oviedo (Spain) and Vitoria SC Guimaraes (Portugal).

“I told (Dream owner) Albert (Varacallo) if they needed a body, I’d make it happen, and he trusts me and what I bring to the table,” Novak said. “Knowing I can score, but also knowing I can handle high-level games and running the operation.”

One of his teammates in the tournament will be Latrobe and Shippensburg alum Jake Biss, who played his first pro season last year in the Netherlands.

Biss also recently signed to play with the Dream.

TBT PLAYER SIGNING

Our next signing is no stranger to the Dream or @thetournament as we have added Nick Novak back on our Dream TBT roster! @Nicky_Nov1 pic.twitter.com/fJ7Ca2bzOO

— DuBois Dream (@DuboisDream) June 15, 2023