The University of Mississippi Athletics
Gielo to Compete in FIBA EuroBasket
8/30/2017 | Men's Basketball
2017 FIBA EuroBasket
OXFORD, Miss. - An Ole Miss Rebel will compete in Europe's most prestigious basketball tournament beginning this week. Tomasz Gielo, a member of the 2015-16 men's basketball team, will play for his native Poland in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) EuroBasket Aug. 31-Sept. 17.
Gielo and Poland kick off EuroBasket, commonly known as the European Basketball Championship, against Slovenia on Thursday in the tournament's opening game. The contest will take place at Helsinki, Finland with a tip time slated for 5:45 a.m. CT. Along with Finland, the 18-day competition will have games played in Israel, Romania and Turkey.
In his only season as a Rebel (2015-16) after transferring from Liberty, Gielo played in all 32 games and made 25 starts. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.4 blocked shots and 27.4 minutes per game. His scoring ranked third among Rebels, while he was fourth in rebounding. The Szczecin, Poland, native reached double figures 17 times throughout the season, topping the 20-point mark on two occasions. He scored a career-high 23 points versus Troy (Dec. 2, 2015) and put together a 20-point, eight-rebound game at Florida (Feb. 9, 2016). Making 54 3-pointers at a 35.1 percent clip, Gielo finished second on the team in buckets from beyond the arc.
Following his playing days in Oxford, Gielo signed a professional basketball contract with Joventut Badalona in Spain. He played in 32 games during the 2016-17 campaign, the club is bringing him back for the upcoming season after the conclusion of FIBA EuroBasket.
Gielo is no stranger to competing in major tournaments for his country. Prior to his college career, he played in multiple FIBA World and European Championships from 2009-11. He led Poland to a runner-up finish at the 2010 U17 FIBA World Championship and led the team in scoring with 21 points in the title game against the United States. Later that year, he averaged 11.7 points per game on 58.5 percent shooting, including 42.9 percent from three-point range.
To get the updates on Gielo at 2017 EuroBasket, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMBB. Don't forget to also follow Ole Miss Men's Hoops on Facebook at Ole Miss Men's Basketball and on Instagram at olemissmbb.
