Sekou Sylla signs contract to play professional basketball in Australia
By: Courtney Ott, Deputy Sports Editor
Sekou Sylla of the Towson Men’s Basketball team signed a professional contract with North-West Tasmania Thunder to compete in the NBL One League, the team announced on April 23.
After transferring from Nova Southeastern University, the guard graduate student had used his fifth and last year of eligibility with the Tigers in the 2022-23 season.
“I’m super stoked about being able to play professionally, especially this early,” Sylla said in a statement. “Usually, guys don’t start off right away in April but rather towards the end of the summer so I’m blessed to have this opportunity present itself and plan on making the most of it.”
At Towson, Sylla played in every game but one, averaging 5.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.8 minutes. Sylla shot 48.8% from the field. He scored a season-high 19 points in the first game of the season against the University at Albany.
Sylla helped Towson excel past the University of Delaware in the CAA quarterfinals, contributing 16 points and three rebounds. Sylla also helped the Tigers reach a 20-win season for the second-straight year.
At Nova Southeastern, Sylla was named the 2021-22 DII Player of the Year, D2CCA South Region Player of the Year, SSC Player of the Year and SSC Newcomer of the Year after averaging 22.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
The Tasmania Thunder is located in Ulverstone, Tasmania, in Australia. The NBL One League has five conferences, and the Thunder competes in the Southern Conference with 18 other teams. Currently, the Thunder are ranked 15th in their conference.
The Thunder is excited to bring Sylla to the team.
“We are excited to welcome to the Thunder a super exciting prospect with a pretty amazing resume,” the team’s Instagram post reads. “Sekou comes ready to show us a genuine team-first and hardworking approach along with being a weekly thread of a Double-Double.”
Sylla, who has already moved to Australia, will finish his semester online. Sylla is the 12th player under Head Coach Pat Skerry at Towson to have signed a professional contract to continue their basketball career since 2020.
