Georgios Tsalmpouris turns pro

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Kelby Wingert/Iowa State Daily

Forward/center Georgios Tsalmpouris makes his way to the basket during Iowa State’s game against Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 31, 2014. The 83-33 win was Fred Hoiberg’s 100th win as coach of the Cyclones.

Ryan Young

ISU sophomore Georgios Tsalmpouris won’t be returning to campus this fall.

Tsalmpouris will instead turn pro. He has reportedly signed a deal on Monday to play with AEK BC — a professional club based out of Athens, Greece.

“We are happy for Georgios and his family that he’ll have the opportunity to realize his dream of playing professionally,” ISU coach Steve Prohm said in a release Monday. “We appreciate his contributions to the program. Georgios will always be a Cyclone and we wish him the best at the professional level.”

The native from Katerini, Greece, played in just eight games for the Cyclones last season, averaging 1.4 points per game.

Tsalmpouris has been overseas in Greece this summer playing for a national team. His status with the Cyclones had been in question ever since coach Fred Hoiberg accepted the head-coaching job with the Chicago Bulls in June.

However, the loss of the center may not be as bad as it seems. The Cyclones recently picked up commitments from forwards Brady Ernst and Simeon Carter, the latter of which Prohm called a “home run” addition.