Tomas Woldetensae

Andriu Tomas Woldetensae (born 30 April 1998) is a six foot five Eritrean/Italian professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Varese of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Indian Hills Warriors and the Virginia Cavaliers.

Tomas Woldetensae
Woldetensae in 2020
No. 8 – Pallacanestro Varese
PositionShooting guard
LeagueLega Basket Serie A
Personal information
Born (1998-04-30) 30 April 1998
Bologna, Italy
NationalityEritrean/Italian
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High schoolVictory Rock Prep
(Bradenton, Florida)
College
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Chieti Basket 1974
2021–presentPallacanestro Varese
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team NJCAA All-American (2019)

Early life and high school career

Woldetensae was born and raised in Bologna, Italy, the son of an Eritrean mother Zaid Woldetensae. Growing up, he played basketball, soccer, and swimming but is also interested in art. Woldetensae played two seasons at Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Florida, the only American high school that responded to him.[1] He received a scholarship offer from UMKC, but ran into NCAA issues and instead committed to play at Indian Hills Community College[2] in Ottumwa, Iowa.

College career

As a freshman at Indian Hills, Woldetensae averaged 8.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.[3] He averaged 17.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as a sophomore, shooting 47.6 percent from three-point range, which helped his team get to the NJCAA National Tournament's second round.[4] However, was forced to miss the last four games, including the NJCAA Tournament, due to a broken bone in his wrist. He was named a First Team NJCAA All-American, the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Division I Player of the Year and was a First Team all-region selection. Woldetensae committed to Virginia, after receiving interest from Arizona, UCF, Maryland and Oregon.[5]

On 15 February 2020 he scored 18 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining in a 64–62 win at North Carolina.[6] As a junior, Woldetensae averaged 6.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.[7] He averaged 4.4 points and 1.3 rebounds per game as a senior.[8] On 7 April 2021 Woldetensae announced that he would turn professional rather than take advantage of the additional season of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

Professional career

On 21 July 2021 Woldetensae signed his first professional contract with Chieti Basket 1974 of the Serie A2 Basket.[10] In 16 games, he averaged 8.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. On 11 February 2022 Woldetensae signed with Pallacanestro Varese of the Lega Basket Serie A.[11]

National team career

Woldetensae was a candidate for the 2020 Italy men's OQT basketball team, but did not make the final roster.[12]

References
  1. "An Eritrean from Italy: College basketball star making noise with the defending NCAA champions UVA". Eri-internationalsports.org. July 20, 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  2. Barber, Mike (February 10, 2020). "From Bologna to Charlottesville, a mother's love drives UVA's Tomas Woldetensae". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  3. "Men's Basketball Signs Tomas Woldetensae". Virginia Cavaliers. May 13, 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  4. Bain, Matthew (May 8, 2019). "Iowa junior college guard Tomas Woldetensae commits to national champion Virginia". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  5. Jackson, Scott (May 8, 2019). "JUCO basketball: Woldetensae commits to Virginia". Ottumwa Courier. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  6. Wood, Norm (February 15, 2020). "U.Va.'s Tomas Woldetensae turns disaster into delight in closing seconds at UNC". Daily Press. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  7. Brennan, Eamonn (April 9, 2020). "Thirteen thoughts on an established, exciting Virginia roster". The Athletic. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  8. Centenari, Andrea; Yahyabeyoglu, Fersu (July 21, 2021). "Chieti tabs rookie Tomas Woldetensae in his first year in pro basketball". Eurobasket. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  9. Oakes, Jamie (April 7, 2021). "Tomas Woldetensae will not return to UVA for additional year of eligibility". 247 Sports. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  10. "Ufficiale, Tomas Woldetensae è un nuovo giocatore della Chieti Basket 1974". Basket Marche (in Italian). July 21, 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  11. Centenari, Andrea; Yahyabeyogu, Fersu (February 11, 2022). "Tomas Woldetensae joins Varese". Eurobasket. Archived from the original on 2022-03-14. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  12. "FIBA OQT. I 16 convocati del CT per il raduno di Milano e il torneo di Amburgo. Sacchetti: "Cominciamo ad aggregare atleti di esperienza"" (in Italian). Fip.it. June 13, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
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