meet the TEAM
mike cound
Founder and President
Mike Cound has been representing professional basketball players around the world since 1994. Over the past
30 years, he has negotiated over 1,500 WNBA contracts for players from 50+ U.S. universities and 18
countries, in addition to negotiating 4,000+ contracts for players in Europe, Asia, South America and the
Middle East.
Mike played basketball at Hendrix College, followed by mid-level leagues and tours in Brazil, Spain and
Tunisia. After becoming the youngest high school head coach in Arkansas State history in 1988-1989, he
continued coaching on professional club teams in North Africa. Mike received a Bachelor’s in Spanish from
Hendrix College and his Masters Degree in Hispanic Studies from Auburn University in 1994. He was a
Spanish professor at Auburn and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga for 6 years before becoming a
full-time sports agent in 1997.
Having dedicated half his life to bringing old-school values to next-generation talent, while weathering the ups
and downs of international women’s basketball, under Mike’s leadership, Cound Group Global is just getting
warmed up.
Courtney eldridge
Creative director
tom cross
COACHING REPRESENTATION
Tom partnered with Mike in 2004 and has been involved with every aspect of running CGG since that time. He
has a wide array of experiences in basketball leading up to his work as a player and coaching rep, including
Detroit Shock Assistant Coach under Nancy Lieberman, Greg Williams and Bill Laimbeer. He then went to
coach at Memphis State University for 3 years before moving on to become Assistant General Manager and
Assistant Coach for the Houston Comets. Tom and wife Jae (a former CGG client from Australia) reside in
Houston, Texas with their 4 girls.
international associates
us partners
Career highlights include studying Apparel Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD); working as personal assistant to Oscar-nominated film director Richard Linklater; interviewing Stephon Marbury for the New York Times Magazine; attending Alfred Dunhill “Trafalgar” show in Shanghai; profiling Gabrielle Reece for Opening Ceremony Annual; publishing three books of fiction, one of which won the Prix du Marais for its French translation; and curating her first art exhibit in 2019.
Born an Iowa Hawkeye, raised a Sailor in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, aka Ski Town, USA, and having lived all over the world over the past 25 years, Courtney’s expertise span fashion, art, film and literature, not to mention a lifelong love of sport. Joining Cound Group Global in 2023, her primary goal is to help every CGG player find their own voices and amplify their storytelling—to be their most original and creative self on and off the court.
roni lupu
israel: ron sport
Roni has been our trusted Israeli partner for almost 20 years—a bona fide member of the CGG family. Roni is
President of RonSport and represents both female and male basketball players. Roni, his wife Michal and their
two children, Ilay and Ella, live in Tel Aviv.
Jorgé Mendez
spain: prodep
Jorge took over ProDep, our largest and longest running European partnership in 2018 when our friend and
longtime partner Nicolas San Jose Garcia lost his battle with cancer.
Jorge has expanded the scope of the ProDep network, and collectively, they represent CGG in over 10
European countries and have sent over 25 players to the WNBA with CGG over the years.
lauren neaves
france: gagency
Lauren was a long time CGG player who went to France and never left! She married Remi, a French national,and they now live in Tarbes, France with their 3 kids, Tom, Layla and Benjamin.
After joining GAgency for women in 2016, she partnered with CGG in 2019, and we’re thrilled to be back in business with Lauren Neaves!
paul lee
korea: cgg kr
Paul has worked with CGG since 2002, and has an extensive background in Korean media, including having worked as a sports writer and editor for The Korea Times for nearly 20 years, and as a color-commentator for Time-Warner Cable and a Korean language broadcast of the Los Angeles Lakers game for 3 years. Paul was born in Korea, but currently resides in the Los Angeles area. Together, Paul and CGG have signed several of the top Korean female basketball players, including the young sensation JiSu Park, who currently plays for Las Vegas
in the WNBA.
e.j. kang
korea: cgg kr (assistant)
E.J. has been working with us since 2002, and she is our local representative in Korea. She worked with a prominent Korean sports marketing agency prior to joining us, and is also very well-known in the Korean volleyball community, having successfully brokered many high-profile deals on that side as well.
allesandro schilardi
italy: evolution
Ale has been our CGG partner in Italy since 2005, when our long-time partner, Luigi Gresta, went into
coaching full-time.
Alessandro was a professional player at several levels in Italy for 17 years. He is the absolute epitome of honesty and integrity. Ale and his partner Gianlucca founded Evolution Management and represent CGG players exclusively in Italy and Hungary, along with representing their own male players and top European female players, such as the teenage phenom, Awak Kuier.
murat kurgdolu
turkey: prodep
Murat started handling CGG business in Turkey in 2018 and has been with ProDep since 2010. He was the
head of marketing for Besiktas Sport Club in Turkey before becoming the Besiktas General Manager from
2005–2009. He joined the agent ranks in 2009 and has been growing an already great reputation for knowledge
and hard work since that time.
Turkey is one of the strongest markets for women's basketball in the world and we have one of the best
partners running the show there for us in Murat.
Since 2016, Montenegro-born, Aleks has represented CGG throughout Eastern and Central Europe via her
association with ProDep.
Aleks played professionally all over the world, including Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Bosnia, and France. She
was also on many national teams throughout the years with Yugoslavia, Serbia and then with Montenegro after
2007. She is now the Director of Operations for the Montenegro national team in addition to her work as an
agent. Aleks lives in Podgorica, Montenegro.
Aleksandra Vukovic
montenegro, eastern europe: prodep
Aleks, from Montenegro, represents CGG in most all Eastern European countries and even some Central European countries, via her association with ProDep since 2016.
Aleks played professionally all over the world, including Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Bosnia, and France. She was also on many national teams throughout the years with Yugoslavia, Serbia and then with Montenegro after 2007. She is now the Director of Operations for the Montenegro national team in addition to her work as an agent. Aleks lives in Podgorica, Montenegro.