Wilson Signs Raffeisen Flyer Wels

Elijah Wilson, a former Coastal Carolina guard, signed a deal with Austrian Basketball Club Raffeisen Flyer Wels on July 13.

Wilson opened up to signing with Wels and the process leading up to the moment.

“I hired an agent right after the season ended,” said Wilson. “From that moment on, he was trying to find places overseas and in July, my agent found a team that felt like it would be the right fit for me and get me playing right away. I thought it was the best situation, and I signed right away.”

Raffeisen Flyer Wels was founded in 2000, winning the Austrian Cup in the 2005-2006 season. In the 2008-2009 season, Flyer Wels won the Austrian Basketball League for the first time in team history. Flyer Wels finished 2nd in the 2015-16 season and in 6th last season. The team was looking for someone who can score and Elijah Wilson met that expectation.

The Wilmington, North Carolina, native finished his career as one of the most successful players to ever grace the court at Coastal Carolina. Wilson scored 1,881 points in his four years at Coastal Carolina and led the Chants to back-to-back Big South Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.

“It was relief once that contract got here and I signed,” said Wilson. “Like I said when the season ended I had hired an agent but I took two weeks off. But after that I got back in the gym, working out twice a day, six days a week. It was great to see that hard work pay off.”

When a player signs to play overseas, most contracts are for a single year, with the occasional two-year deal. Wilson looks forward to the experience, but says he has to work on his German.

“I have no knowledge or know how to speak the language over there,” said Wilson. “The best way to learn is to get thrown into it. That way you have no choice.”

Luckily for Wilson, a majority of the coaching staff speaks English.

“Our coach is actually American,” said Wilson. “So, he will be able to relate to the American players, as far as how it is transitioning and learning the language. That is a little nice relief.”

Wilson arrived in Munich, Germany, on Aug. 24 with Siyani Chambers, a former basketball player at Harvard. Chambers will be Wilson’s teammate at Flyer Wels.

Coastal was recovering from a 14-15 season when Wilson came to Coastal in 2012. His 537 points in 2013-2014 as a freshman is still a Coastal Carolina freshman record and ranks ninth all-time for most points scored in a single season. Wilson was also a part of a program that made four straight postseason appearances with back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2014 and 2015, a CIT Final Four in 2016 and finishing as the runners-up in the 2017 CBI Tournament.

Wilson graduated from Coastal Carolina in May 2017 with a degree in Business Management.