CARROLLTON, Ga. – After playing three years with the University of West Georgia basketball program, forward Jalen Sasser signed a professional basketball contract with Jarvenpaa Finland on Wednesday.

Jarvenpaa Finland is a 1A divisional team in the Raiders Basket which is located in Keski-Uusimaa, Finland.

"I'm very excited and blessed to be able to compete at the next level," said Sasser. "It's always been a dream of mine to become a pro and travel the world, playing the game that I love. It's truly a blessing."

Sasser enters the overseas professional basketball scene after averaging 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds on 58.8% shooting over his three seasons with UWG. In his last season with the Wolves, Sasser averaged 9.8 points, a career-high 6.2 rebounds, and a career-high 1.1 steals on 54.5% shooting. The forward also racked up a career-high four double-doubles, propelling UWG to a 21-10 record and their second NCAA South Region Semifinal appearance in the last three years.

"We are very proud of Jalen and excited for him to take the next steps in his basketball journey," stated head coach Dave Moore. "He was a big-time contributor on two NCAA Tournament teams here at UWG, completed his degree in Sport Management, and has shown tremendous growth as a person over his three years at West Georgia. We can't wait to see what the future holds for Jalen."

Sasser becomes the 5^th West Georgia player to turn pro under coach Moore in Moore's five-year tenure with the program, joining Marquill Smith, Kadeim Jones, Seth Brown-Carter, and Michael Zabetakis.