Ioannis Papapetrou leaves Texas, signs with Greek team

Ioannis Papapetrou reportedly left the Texas program and will play in Greece next season. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Texas forward Ioannis Papapetrou has left the team and agreed to play with Greece-based Olympiacos BC, multiple media outlets report.

Papapetrou is originally from Athens and recently played for the Greece national team in the under-20 European championships.  He reportedly has a $2 million deal over five years on the table.

Papapetrou was the team's leading returning scorer and averaged 8.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 34 games last season.  The Longhorns struggled to a 16-18 record last season and missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years.

Longhorns coach Rick Barnes released a statement on Papapetrou:

“We need to be happy for Papi and his family, and all of us wish him the best. There’s no question that Papi wanted to be here at The University of Texas, and it was going to take something very significant for him not to be here. And that’s exactly what happened. We will obviously miss him a lot, not only as a basketball player but more as a person. For me personally, I love the guy and the type of person he has become.”

The professional team in Greece approached Papi and his family again this week before he was set to leave to come back to campus, and the team basically created a contract that catered exactly to his needs and the wishes of his family. In the end, the contract was too much for him and his family to say ‘no’ to in their situation.