Former Tennessee basketball player C.J. Watson is headed overseas to play in Italy's "A'' league after signing a contract with Reggio Emilia.

Watson, who led the Vols to the SEC Eastern Division title as a point guard, played six games of summer league basketball in July as a designated free agent with the San Antonio Spurs.

"The Spurs said they liked me, but they didn't have a roster spot open,'' Watson said. "They wanted me to come back to veterans camp later this fall, but there was no point because there was no roster spot.

"I was pretty disappointed at first, but I'm pretty satisfied with this and now I just want to make the best of it.''

Watson didn't disclose the terms of his contract, but he did confirm he was making "six figures.''

Reggio Emilia is a city of 141,383 located in north-central Italy, near the top of the "boot.'' Watson will play his games in an arena seating 3,800.

"I've been to Italy before; when I was in high school we took a team over there and stayed in Venice for two weeks,'' Watson said. "It was a lot of fun, and the country was really pretty. The food was good, but watching TV was hard.''

Watson said he'll leave for Europe Aug. 19, but he plans to return after the season with hopes of signing on with an NBA team.

Mike Griffith covers University of Tennessee men's basketball. He may be reached at 865-342-6289.