Until Sunday night, Brandon Rush and Jamiya Neal were names known mostly to those who follow FMP closely, pay attention to college basketball, or keep track of Europe’s smaller leagues. After a 90-89 win over Crvena zvezda, they are no longer anonymous. The two Americans scored 53 of FMP’s 90 points and played the biggest roles in ending a remarkable streak: Red Star had won the previous 44 meetings, while FMP had been waiting for a victory since May 18, 2011.
Neal finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists without a turnover in just over 32 minutes. He made five of his 10 3-point attempts and was involved in organizing the offense for most of the night. Rush added 26 points, three rebounds and three assists. His 3-point shot was not falling, as he went 3-for-11, but he made up for it by attacking off the dribble and getting to the free-throw line, where he converted seven of eight attempts.
Rush was announced in early June as FMP’s first signing of the offseason, with Neal arriving shortly afterward. The club was looking for two perimeter players capable of creating offense on their own, but with different profiles and responsibilities.
Rush Built His Career the Long Way
Rush is the more natural scorer. A 191-centimeter left-hander from Warrensville Heights, Ohio, he did not reach Železnik through a major college program or the NBA development system. His career has been built gradually, from Fairleigh Dickinson to Youngstown State and then through Slovakia and Hungary. He is 25 years old, and FMP is already his third European club.
At Fairleigh Dickinson, he averaged fewer than five points as a freshman before gradually earning a larger role. His breakthrough came after transferring to Youngstown State. In 2022-23, he averaged 13.9 points while shooting 47.8 percent from the field and 37.9 percent from 3, making 77 triples. He was named to the All-Horizon League Third Team, while Youngstown State won the conference regular-season title for the first time in program history. Rush finished his college career with 151 3-pointers in two seasons at Youngstown State, placing him among the top 10 in school history in that category at the time.
Europe Quickly Confirmed His Scoring Ability
His first European contract came with Komarno. By early October 2024, he had already produced a 53-point game against Iskra Svit in just over 30 minutes. Rush shot 17-for-25 from the field, including 13-for-18 from 3. During the same season, he also had games of 40, 36, 32 and 31 points, and finished the year averaging around 24 per game.
At Honved, his role remained largely the same. Rush was the team’s leading scorer at close to 20 points per game while making roughly three 3-pointers a night. FMP therefore brought him in as an established professional scorer. Against Red Star, he reached 26 points even though his outside shot never really arrived, with 3-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc. He attacked off the dribble, used space coming off screens and finished through contact.
Neal Arrived Through a Very Different Route
Neal’s route to FMP was different. Born in Toledo in 2003, the 196-centimeter guard spent much of his development moving between backcourt and wing roles. He played his first two high school seasons at St. Francis de Sales, then moved to Rogers before finishing at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona. There, he averaged 18 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Unlike Rush, Neal immediately got an opportunity at a high-major college program. He spent three seasons at Arizona State under Bobby Hurley. After coming off the bench during his first two years, he started 31 of 32 games in his third season and averaged 11 points and 5.4 rebounds. He also made 39 3-pointers that year, 10 more than he had made over his first two seasons combined.
Creighton Expanded His Role as a Creator
After transferring to Creighton, his role became much broader. Neal started all 36 games, averaging 12 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists, and was one of only two players in the Big East to finish among the conference’s top 10 in both rebounds and assists.
In 93 games at Arizona State, Neal never recorded more than five assists. In his lone season at Creighton, he reached at least six assists 10 times. Against Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Neal scored a career-high 29 points and added 12 rebounds. After the season, he was selected for the NABC senior All-Star Game held during Final Four weekend.
Neal went undrafted, earned an opportunity with the Charlotte Hornets in Summer League and then began his professional career with Ironi Kiryat Ata in Israel before a brief stint with the Rip City Remix, the Portland Trail Blazers’ G League affiliate. FMP signed him at 23, at a point when he was still looking to establish exactly where he belongs in the professional game.
His six assists without a turnover against Red Star were almost as significant as his 27 points. At 196 centimeters, he can see over smaller guards, push the ball after a rebound, initiate offense, attack closeouts or finish possessions himself.
Neal’s Shooting May Determine How High His Ceiling Goes
His shooting remains an area worth monitoring. Neal made 28.5 percent of his 3-pointers over his college career and improved to 31.2 percent in his final season at Creighton. Against Red Star, he went 5-for-10. If he can stabilize his shot enough to force defenses to respect him consistently from behind the 3-point line, he will have more room to use the parts of his game that are already effective with the ball.
FMP brought the two Ohio natives together this summer and immediately gave both significant roles. Against Crvena zvezda, their contrasting styles created the biggest problems for the home defense. Rush kept looking for ways to score even without his outside shot, while Neal combined his scoring with control over a large part of FMP’s offense.
That combination was enough to end a run of 44 consecutive Red Star wins and give FMP an early indication of what its new backcourt can provide.