Georgia Tech Basketball Transfer Kristan Sjolund Commits To UTEP

The Miners added another transfer to their roster overhaul with Georgia Tech forward Kristian Sjolund committing to UTEP on Wednesday.

Sjolund, a 6-foot-8 versatile big, sat out the 2019-20 season to "gain strength and develop his skills," according to a report from Atlanta News Now.  He will be immediately eligible to play for the Miners with three years of eligibility under his belt.

As a true freshman at Georgia Tech, Sjolund played 198 minutes in 21 games, scoring 63 points. He had two double-figure games in his first season—11 points against both Virginia Tech and Florida State.

The Houston product enrolled at Georgia Tech after a mighty prep career at Obra D. Tompkins High School, where he helped his squad to a Texas 6A state championship finals appearance. He was rated a 3-star prospect on 247Sports and a 4-star prospect by ESPN (No. 17 ranked player in Texas).

Plus, he has international playing experience too. Sjolund played for Norway in the 2015 FIBA U16 European Championships, averaging 18.7 points and 5.9 rebounds a game. In 2017, he played in the U18 Nordic Championship and scored 7.2 points a game.

Coming out of high school, he had racked up 30 scholarship offers, including interest from Baylor, Colorado, Tulsa and Ole Miss, among others.

While he doesn't have as much playing experience at the Division I level, Sjolund has the ability to stretch the floor with a jumper and runs the floor well. Coaches like his athleticism and his 6-foot-10 wingspan.

“Kristian is very skilled for his size, with great understanding of the game. He’s got a high IQ and can really shoot the ball. Just like the other two, a great fit for our culture at Georgia Tech,” said Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner.

The Miners now have added three players this offseason to supplement the six players that left the program. Sjolund joins North Alabama transfer Christian Agnew and Salt Lake Community College transfer Adam Hess as the three transfers on the team. UTEP saw Kaden Archie, Deon Stroud, Anthony Tarke, Jordan Lathon, Nigel Hawkins and Kaosi Ezeagu enter the transfer portal this year.

Sjolund will hope to add strength to the UTEP frontcourt made up of leading scorer Bryson Williams, Tydus Verhoeven, Efe Odigie and Eric Vila. The Miners now have three scholarships remaining after the addition of Sjolund.