Tom Wilson signs in Serbia with Partizan Belgrade
After a brief stint in US college, promising Australian guard Tom Wilson has signed his first professional contract and will play for Serbian club Partizan Belgrade.
https://twitter.com/agentmoldovan/status/879968000119496704
The dynamic guard has signed a multi-year deal according to his agent via social media, set to play under Partizan's new head coach Miroslav Nikolic.
Wilson, who announced his decision to turn pro after playing briefly with Southern Methodist University before transferring to Boise State, has signed with one of the most respected clubs in Serbia, one in which helped launch fellow Australian Aleks Maric's European career, while Nathan Jawai has also played for the club.
Before heading to college, Wilson made his name at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championships, where he posted 12.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. This included a standout performance in the gold medal game against the USA, where Wilson put up 23 points.
Currently playing for the Melbourne Tigers in the SEABL where he is averaging 20.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, Wilson only managed 6.1 minutes per game for SMU before leaving the program.
The 196cm guard has been in great form with the Tigers in the SEABL, and heads to Serbia following the same pathway as Jonah Bolden who left UCLA early to sign his first professional contract with rivals FMP Belgrade.
Partizan played in the Basketball Champions League (BCL), Adriatic League and Serbian KLS during the 2016-17 season. They fell to PAOK Thessaloniki in the BCL playoff qualifiers, third in the Adriatic League regular season before falling to Cedevita in the semifinals, and second in the KLS before falling to Jonah Bolden's FMP Belgrade in the semifinals. Next season, Partizan will be making a return to the EuroCup in place of the BCL, the same league that Ryan Broekhoff (Lokomotiv Kuban) and Ben Madgen (Lietkabelis) played in last season.
Wilson will be hoping he receives a similar chance to shine as Maric was provided when he burst onto the scene for Partizan, and more recently Bolden with FMP whose outstanding season saw him drafted to the NBA at pick 36 by the Philadelphia 76ers. Eligible to participate in the 2018 NBA Draft, he will be hoping to improve his stock with a breakout showing of his own at Partizan next season.