MOREHEAD, Ky. – Former Morehead State men's basketball forward Lyonell Gaines has agreed to a deal to play professionally for the Regatas de Lima hoops club in Lima, Peru.
 
The team plays in the Liga Sudamericana's Group D. Regatas de Lima is seeking its fourth time as the Peruvian League champion, having also won championships in 2002, 2003, and 2011. The club is notorious for providing Peru's national basketball team with a majority of its key players.
 
"It's a blessing to continue my professional career," said Gaines. "Being able to involve myself in the different cultures as a pro, having played in England and now South America, has really let me develop as both a basketball player and a human being."
 
Gaines played a crucial role in the Eagles' success late in his senior year (2015-16), with him collecting double figure performances in nine of his last 11 games. During that span, he averaged 14.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per tilt. In four of those contests, he put up double-doubles.
 
His best career performance came on March 28^th, 2016 versus Nevada. In Game 1 of the CBI Championship Series in Johnson Arena, Gaines netted 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting, while collecting 14 rebounds, six of them offensive.
 
Alongside frontcourt mates Anthony Elechi and Dejuan Marrero, Gaines helped bolster a unit that led the OVC in several categories, including scoring margin (+4.6), rebounding offense (37.3 per game), rebounding margin (+5.0), steals (8.2 per contest), turnover margin (+2.3), offensive rebounds per game (14.6), and offensive rebound percentage, where the Eagles recovered 39 percent of their missed shots.
 
In 2015-16, Gaines helped take the Eagles to a 11-5 record in OVC play and a 23-14 record overall, the latter of which is the fourth-best record in the history of Morehead State University men's basketball.
 
"I'm thankful for everyone who has helped play a role in helping me get to the point I am right now. I have been here for about three weeks now and have enjoyed my experience thus far."