Written by Seth Rubinroit, USC blog contributor
USC basketball fans may remember David Bluthenthal as a three-point sharpshooter and hard-nosed rebounder who helped lead the Trojans to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament in 2001.
He is still lighting it up from beyond the arc, averaging 9.3 points per game for Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv on 50.9 percent shooting, including 36.8 percent from three-point territory, but he now goes by David Blu after shortening his last name to make life easier for his son and two daughters.
"When I was growing up in LA, it was hard for me to have a name like Bluthenthal," Blu said. "Nobody could pronounce it. People would make fun of me, and I was always so self-conscious about it."
Maccabi Electra narrowly lost to FC Barcelona Regal on Wednesday, 70-67, but will still advance to the quarterfinals of the Euroleague playoffs after finishing in second place in Group H of the round of 16.
"We have another tough opponent, Panathinaikos, that is similar to Barcelona," Blu said. "The fact that we have a chance to compete for the Euroleague Final Four is a great feeling."
After the season, Blu plans on returning to USC to complete his degree, and eventually hopes to become a sports commentator or an actor.
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