Wake Forest forward Dinos Mitoglou will forgo his senior season with the Demon Deacons and sign with Panathinaikos, one of the top clubs in European basketball. The deal is a four-year contract worth over two million dollars.
Mitoglou becomes the second member of the 2016-17 Wake Forest squad to sign a multi-million dollar deal as a professional, joining John Collins, who was the first round selection of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2017 NBA Draft.
“We are proud of Dinos and know that this is a great opportunity for him to return home and play for one of the best clubs in the world,” said head coach Danny Manning. “He bought into our development plan and it has paid off for him. Just like John, Dinos is a great kid who wasn’t a highly-ranked recruit, but by working hard at Wake Forest he was able to achieve his dream of playing as a professional. Although we are disappointed to see them leave our program, we are proud that we were able to help them reach a point where they could sign a contract that will change their families for generations to come.”
A member of Manning’s first recruiting class at Wake Forest, Mitoglou has developed from a two-star recruit when he arrived in Winston-Salem into a call-up with the Greek National Team. The 6-10, 255-pound native of Thessaloniki, Greece, is currently on the 16-player Greek squad for FIBA EuroBasket 2017. It marks Mitoglou’s first camp with the senior national team after playing for Greece at several youth levels.
Mitoglou appeared in 96 games over his three seasons at Wake Forest, making 75 starts. He averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds as a Demon Deacon, scoring in double figures in 40 games, including six double-doubles. Mitoglou made 123 career 3-pointers, ranking 12th in program history.
Mitoglou posted four 20-point games at Wake Forest, including a career-high 28 points vs. LSU last season. In that game, he was 8-11 from 3-point range, making the third-most 3-pointers in a game by a Demon Deacon.
Panathinaikos has won a record 35 Greek Championships and six EuroLeague Championships. In addition to featuring numerous top Greek players, the club’s history also includes stints by former NBA players Dominique Wilkins, Byron Scott, Antonio Davis and Dino Radja
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