Former Jackrabbits Michael Orris and AJ Hess signed their first professional contracts over the summer and are headed for Europe this month to begin their careers.

Orris, the steady point guard, will move to Hverageroi, Iceland to play for the Hamar Basketball Club, a Division I club in the Icelandic Basketball Federation while Hess is bringing his sharpshooting talents to Basel, Switzerland with the Basel Starwings of the Ligue Nationale de Basketball in the Swiss Basketball Federation.

The pair signed with their respective agencies after the 2017-18 season, and through the last six months have explored different options before settling on their current roles.

"It's been a waiting game through the NBA Draft, the NBA Summer League, etc., and I just waited until my number was called," Orris said. "I was contacted by a few different teams, but my agent knew the Icelandic coach and really sold me on it."

Orris was contacted by Hamar's coach, Peter Ingvarsson, through Facebook messenger, and after hearing that the coach had already scouted Orris, read up on him and "wanted Michael Orris," it was a no-brainer decision to sign.

"It's nice to know he picked me and wanted me," Orris said. "Going into my first year, I know how important it is to have the right people beside me, and to go to a great country with a good coach and good team, it's the perfect start."

Orris, who left for Iceland on August 28, talked with excitement about the journey ahead.

"I've been doing a lot of research on Iceland and the city, and it's absolutely beautiful," Orris said. "It's 30 miles outside the capital, Reykjavik, and it's a town known worldwide for its hot springs."

With all the change, though, some anxieties remain for Orris - especially in the country's cuisine.

"Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm the biggest eater there is," Orris said. "I love food and am probably eating food on the hour, every hour. It may sound weird, but one of the biggest anxieties for me is food and what I'll eat because they're primarily seafood."

Still, the travel bug in Orris won out, and he knows he's well prepared.

"I'm not one who's anxious or scared being away from home," Orris said. "I love that stuff, it intrigues me. I'll miss my family, but that stuff doesn't bother me. I'm going to embrace the culture, travel, go see places and enjoy the experience."

Hess went home to Arizona shortly after the season to train with other professionals and college players, confident his agent would land him in the right place.

"From what I've heard from those who have done this before, the first year isn't about money but rather getting yourself in the best position possible for the rest of your career," Hess said.

When the opportunity to play with Basel arose, Hess reached out to those around him for their insight.

"My agent is from Switzerland himself, and has a lot of connections with the league, so he spoke highly of the coach and the program," Hess said.

Beyond his agent, Hess spoke with his personal trainer, who knew a number of players in the league, and the coach of Basel, Roland Bavlovski.

"Speaking with the coach, he seemed like a great guy and talked a lot about the roster they were building, the style of play they wanted and it was going to be a great fit," Hess said.

The Carefree, Arizona native is headed overseas this week, but over the summer had a trial run of life abroad while playing with the Armenian National Team in the FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers.

"It was a great experience," Hess said. "I met a lot of new friends and had the chance to experience a new culture, and I'm glad I did it."

Hess, who is part Armenian, said the opportunity calmed his anxieties about life abroad, giving him a glimpse of life in another culture and adapting to European-style basketball.

With the previous experience and the chance to continue doing what he loves, Hess is excited to go abroad and continue his basketball career.

"It's going to be an awesome experience being overseas," he said. "I get to do what I love and live in an amazing country. It'll be different, and being on a different clock than family and friends is hard, but I think if I go into it with an open mind and the idea that I'm going to enjoy myself, it's going to be great."

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George Marshall is headed to Bosnia for the 2017-18 campaign, where he will play with Siroki. Last year, Marshall was in Holland and averaged 13.8 points and 3.6 assists per game with Aris Leeuwarden.