KIMBALL - Three-time Summit League Basketball Player of the Year Mike Daum will be playing for a new professional team in Europe next season.

The 2014 Kimball High School graduate signed a contract this week with Bertram Derthona, south of Milan, in Italy.

Daum, who concluded his collegiate career at South Dakota State in 2019 with more than 3,000 points (seventh in NCAA career scoring) and more than 1,000 rebounds, spent the last two seasons with Obradoiro, a militant team in the Liga ACB.

He averaged 9.4 points per game and 4.1 rebounds, while shooting 39 percent from the three-point line and 78 percent at the free throw line.

Daum says his former team, the City of Santiago and Liga ACB will always have a special place in his heart.

"There league over there has got to be one of the best in Europe," Daum told News Channel Nebraska. "Obviously, being able to play against former and current NBA guys, that are either going back-and-forth or have been drafted, has been a fantastic experience for me and helped me mature as a player."

Daum is spending his second-straight summer in the U.S. playing in "The Basketball Tournament." His team, "The House of 'Paign," plays their first game on Saturday at noon MT on ESPN. 

Once finished competing in "TBT," Daum moves to the top league in Italy, Lega Basket Serie A. He says this is the next step in pursuing an opportunity to play in the NBA. 

"The biggest goal of mine is to get back to the United States as fast as I can," Daum said. "Being open and honest with my agent, I always need him to tell me what year is to make the move, what realistically my possibilities are. He was kind of the one who said this is your best bet for increasing your contract amount from last year and pursuing a bigger role on a team."

Daum spent time with the Portland Trail Blazers during the NBA Summer League in 2019.

He helped lead his high school team the Nebraska School Activities Association Boys State Basketball Tournament during his final season with the Longhorns.