COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Former University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball standout student-athlete Padiet Wang (Aurora, Colo.) is continuing his basketball career overseas after signing a professional contract with the Bayer Giants in Leverkusen, Germany.
 
"I think playing with them will help me become a better player and person," said Wang. "I've always wanted to compete at a high level and playing for the Bayer Giants was the right decision to make. The coaching staff has put their trust and belief in me to perform at a high level."
 
Wang graduated from UCCS last month with a Business degree. The 2019-20 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Wang was selected to the All-RMAC Second Team and the RMAC All-Academic First Team the past two years.  A seven-time RMAC Player of the Week selection, Wang was named to the 2017-18 RMAC Honorable Mention and RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll lists.
 
"We are so proud of Padiet for signing with Bayer," commented UCCS head men's basketball coach Jeff Culver.  "They are a team with a great history of success, and excellent player development.  Padiet made great strides through his career at UCCS, and his best basketball is still in front of him.  We are all very excited to follow the start of his professional career!"
 
In four years for the Mountain Lions, Wang started 84 of the 114 games he played in, averaging 10.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.  He shot the ball at a 49.6 clip (420-of-846) and added 2.6 assists per game.  This past season as a senior, Wang averaged 16.6 points per game while tallying 51 steals, 21 blocks and 152 rebounds.
 
Wang leaves the Mountain Lions program ranked No.1 in the career record book for most steals (154), while ranking third overall in points (1,232), assists (301) and blocks (59), and fourth in total rebounds (516).
 
He becomes the eighth Mountain Lion in the past four years to continue his career at the professional level: Jonathan Barnes, Kendall Godley, Ian MacDonald, Dalton Patton, Alex Welsh, Derrick White and Treshawn Wilford.