VEF Rīga Begins New Season Roster with Return of Experienced Mareks Mejeris and Aigars Šķēle

Latvian Basketball League club VEF Rīga has announced the first additions to its roster for the upcoming season – experienced Latvian basketball players Mareks Mejeris and Aigars Šķēle are returning to the team.

Mareks Mejeris played for VEF Rīga from 2014 to 2019, with a stint in France at Elan Chalon during the 2016/17 season. After leaving VEF, he played for Parma in the VTB United League, Pesaro in Italy, Hapoel Jerusalem, U-BT Cluj-Napoca in Romania, and most recently for Stal Ostrow Wielkopolski in Poland. In 30 league games last season, he averaged 12.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 32.5 minutes per game.

Aigars Šķēle previously played for VEF in the 2014/15 season and 2020/21. After that, he moved to Germany and Poland. The last two seasons were complicated due to health issues. Šķēle expressed his joy at returning home and promised to do everything to bring VEF back to the top of Latvian basketball, as well as to bring his brother Armando to the stands after an eight-year break.

Club president Gatis Jahovičs stated that the return of Mejeris and Šķēle is an important step in building the team, as both are long-time Latvian national team players with international experience. They will bring quality, leadership, and a winning mentality, which will be crucial for the young players and the club's pursuit of success.

It should be noted that after an unsuccessful previous season, VEF changed its head coach – Mārtiņš Gulbis was replaced by Jevgeņijs Kosuškins. Artūrs Šēnhofs has been appointed as sports director, and the club's structure has been changed from an association to a company. VEF plans to participate in the FIBA Champions League qualification; if they fail to qualify, they will play in the FIBA Europe Cup.