Hardwood Rebels Add Transfer Forward Gielo for 2015-16 Season

Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy announced the addition of 6’9″ Liberty forward transfer Tomasz Gielo Monday. Gielo, a member of the Polish National Team, will join the Rebels for the 2015-16 academic year.

A native of Szczecin, Poland, Gielo averaged 10.9 pgg and a team-best 5.9 rpg as a junior for Liberty in 2013-14. The 6’9″, 230 pound forward started 31 games for the Flames and finished 10th in the Big South in rebounding, while shooting 40.4 percent from behind the arc and 77.5 percent from the line. Gielo finished third on the team in scoring, posting 19 double-figure scoring games, including a career-high 20 points three times, and has 34 double-figure scoring games in his career.

“Last season was the first time that we opted to bring in a postgraduate transfer with the additions of M.J. Rhett and Terence Smith,” Kennedy said. “Both of these young men were tremendous additions to our program that experienced success both on and off the court, helping our team advance in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years. Last year’s experience has us very excited to announce Tomasz Gielo has decided to join our program after graduating from Liberty University. Tomasz is an athletic, 6-9 forward, who adds versatility to our frontcourt. His offensive capabilities give us the ability to run offense through him because of his skill set and high basketball intelligence. Tomasz will, undoubtedly, have an immediate impact on Rebel Basketball.”

Gielo averaged 12.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg in just seven games for Liberty last year, including 23 points and 10 boards against Delaware and 13 points and 3 rebounds against Virginia Tech, before a non-surgical stress fracture ended his season and he received a medical redshirt. As a sophomore, he started 20 games for the Flames and averaged 7.1 points, pulled down 4.3 boards a game and helped lead his team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2004. He posted 3.4 ppg and 2.0 rpg in 15 starts as a freshman.

Gielo will graduate from Liberty with a degree in business administration with a concentration in international business in May and will have one season of eligibility for the Rebels.

A member of the Polish National Team, Gielo plays alongside Washington Wizards center Marcin Gortat and Gonzaga big man Przemek Karnowski. He helped his team finish fourth in the 2009 U16 FIBA European Championship and competed in the 2010 U17 FIBA World Championship in Hamburg, Germany as a junior, averaging 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 blocks a game to help team reach the finals. He scored 21 points in the championship finals against the United States en route to a second-place finish.

Gielo participated in the 2010 U18 FIBA European Championship in Vilnius, Lithuania, finishing sixth in the tournament, and was Poland’s leading scorer, averaging 11.7 points on 58.5 percent shooting, including 42.9 percent from three-point range. He also represented Poland in the 2011 U19 FIBA World Championships in Riga, Latvia and was a member of the Polish national team in the 2011 U18 FIBA European Championship, finishing in sixth place. He played for SMS Cetniewo Sports Academy in Poland, averaging 13.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game his senior year and was ranked among the top 25 European prospects.

Courtesy Ole Miss Athletics