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Greg Whittington

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Greg Whittington
No. 2 – Sydney Kings
PositionForward
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1993-02-07) February 7, 1993 (age 31)
Columbia, Maryland
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolOakland Mills (Columbia, Maryland)
CollegeGeorgetown (2011–2013)
NBA draft2015: undrafted
Playing career2015–present
Career history
2015–2016Sioux Falls Skyforce
2016–presentSydney Kings
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Greg Whittington (born February 7, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played one and a half seasons of college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas before being suspended for academic deficiencies in January 2013, and then dismissed from the team in November 2013. After sitting out the 2013–14 and 2014–15 seasons, Whittington had an impressive Summer League stint with the Miami Heat in 2015, leading to him signing with the team for training camp. He spent the 2015–16 season with the Heat's NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and helped them win their first ever D-League championship.

High school career

Whittington attended Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, Maryland where he was a four-year letterwinner playing for the basketball team. As a senior in 2010–11, he averaged 23.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 4.4 blocks, 3.0 steals and 2.7 assists per game, while earning All-Met Player of the Year and Howard County Player of the Year honors for leading his team to an undefeated season, finishing 25–0.[1]

College career

As a freshman at Georgetown in 2011–12, Whittington appeared in all 33 games while averaging 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game.[1] After a solid, trouble free first season for the Hoyas, Whittington's sophomore year was filled with turmoil due to academic concerns. He started the 2012–13 season well, averaging 12.1 points and 7.0 rebounds in 13 games up until January 8,[2] before missing the remainder of the season after being suspended for academic deficiencies.[3]

Whittington failed to appear in any games for the Hoyas to begin the 2013–14 season due to a torn ACL suffered during the summer, and was later dismissed from the team on November 30, 2013.[3] In mid-December, he transferred to Rutgers University and committed to playing for head coach Eddie Jordan.[4] However, he caused controversy the following month when he failed to enroll at Rutgers for the spring semester, with no comment given on his decision not to join the school.[5] Whittington subsequently sat out the entire 2013–14 season.

Professional career

2014–15 season

During the 2014–15 season, Whittington spent time with the Westchester Knicks of the NBA Development League, working out with them and practicing in order to get into the flow of the game speed for the NBA level. With his ACL still healing, he was not considered ready to play yet, thus spending another full season out of action.[6]

2015 NBA Draft and Summer League

In May and June 2015, Whittington took part in pre-draft workouts with the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics.[7] The Celtics' director of player personnel, Austin Ainge, said of Whittington, "He came in shape which is good. It's sometimes hard outside an organized program to stay in shape, and he did. He came in, in shape and played pretty well."[8] Whittington ultimately went undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft and joined the Miami Heat for the 2015 NBA Summer League. He struggled in Orlando before turning it around in Las Vegas, where he led the Heat in minutes and rebounds. He also looked much more comfortable on the floor, which helped him to a more impressive offensive showing. He earned high praise from Heat assistant coach Dan Craig, with Craig saying "He's been great at getting us into second situations and then defensively, you can do a lot with him. You can switch him on the perimeters, he can rebound, protect the rim for you, and he can bust out and create breaks so he adds a nice dimension."[9] Over nine total Summer League games for the Heat, Whittington averaged 9.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.[10]

Sioux Falls Skyforce (2015–2016)

On September 3, 2015, Whittington signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Miami Heat.[11][12] He was later waived by the Heat on October 24 after appearing in four preseason games.[13] On November 2, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of the Heat.[14] On November 14, he made his debut for the Skyforce, recording 18 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 1 assist in a 98–95 loss to the Iowa Energy.[15] A week later, he had a season-best game with 30 points and 10 rebounds in a 98–82 win over the Erie BayHawks.[16] His next best game came on December 4, recording 28 points, 7 rebounds and 6 steals in a 115–99 win over the Delaware 87ers.[17] He appeared in all 10 games for the Skyforce to begin the season, helping them to a 7–3 record while averaging 15.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game.[18] However, a hand injury suffered in mid-December forced him to miss over a month of action.[19][20] He returned to the court on February 17, 2016, and played out the rest of the season. On February 25, he had his best game for the Skyforce since returning to the line-up, recording 22 points and 6 rebounds in a 118–114 win over the Iowa Energy.[21] The Skyforce finished the regular season with a league-best record of 40–10. Whittington went on to help the Skyforce reach the D-League Finals, where in the best-of-three series, they defeated the Los Angeles D-Fenders 2–1 to claim their first D-League championship.[22] In the Game 2 loss, Whittington scored a team-high 17 points.[23] In 34 games (27 regular season, 7 playoff) for the Skyforce in 2015–16, he averaged 13.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.[24] At the season's end, he earned NBA D-League All-Rookie Team honors.[25]

In the 2016 off-season, Whittington decided against participating in Summer League activities and instead went home to Maryland to work out with his local counterparts. Such players included NBA stars Victor Oladipo and Jerami Grant.[26]

Sydney Kings (2016–present)

On August 13, 2016, Whittington signed with the Sydney Kings for the 2016–17 NBL season.[27] He made his debut for the Kings in their season opener on October 8, but struggled to make an impact offensively in 24 minutes due to foul trouble.[28] He finished with six points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and three blocks in a 77–73 loss to the Brisbane Bullets.[29][30] In the Kings' fourth game of the season on October 20, Whittington recorded a season-high 22 points, seven rebounds, one assist and three steals in a 92–78 win over the New Zealand Breakers.[31][32] On November 5, he grabbed a career-high 16 rebounds in a 64–57 loss to the Cairns Taipans.[33][34]

Personal

Whittington is the son of Gregory and Jana Lisa Whittington, and has an older sister, Hana, and a younger brother, Cortez.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Greg Whittington Bio". GUHoyas.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  2. ^ "Greg Whittington 2012-13 Game Log". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Goodman, Jeff (November 30, 2013). "Hoyas dismiss F Greg Whittington". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  4. ^ Goodman, Jeff (December 15, 2013). "Greg Whittington to play for Rutgers". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  5. ^ Prunty, Brendan (January 31, 2014). "Former Georgetown transfer Greg Whittington will not enroll at Rutgers". NJ.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  6. ^ Fernandez, Surya (July 16, 2015). "Greg Whittington turning heads with his versatility in Summer League". HotHotHoops.com. SB Nation. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "Draft Workouts: Greg Whittington". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 26, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  8. ^ Blakely, A. Sherrod (June 11, 2015). "Whittington trying to take 'difficult path' to NBA". CSNNE.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  9. ^ "Undrafted Greg Whittington making his mark for Heat at summer league". FoxSports.com. July 17, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "2015 Summer League Player Profile – Greg Whittington". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  11. ^ "HEAT Signs Greg Whittington". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  12. ^ Charania, Shams (September 1, 2015). "Greg Whittington To Sign Non-Guaranteed Deal With Heat". RealGM.com. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  13. ^ "HEAT Waive Five Players". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. October 24, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  14. ^ "SKYFORCE ANNOUNCES 2015-16 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  15. ^ "Skyforce Fall Against Energy 98-95 In Home Opener". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  16. ^ "Skyforce Down BayHawks". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 21, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  17. ^ "Skyforce Smoke 87ers". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. December 4, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  18. ^ Isaacson, Ed (December 18, 2015). "D-League Watch: Greg Whittington". HoopsHabit.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  19. ^ Peters, Dan (December 23, 2015). "Skyforce Blank 905 Raptors in Overtime to Capture Win". espn991.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  20. ^ Winderman, Ira (January 13, 2016). "Heat do Hollywood in advance of game against Clippers". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016. Also, Heat training-camp standout Greg Whittington is sidelined for the Skyforce with a wrist injury.
  21. ^ "Sioux Falls Skyforce Sap Iowa Energy". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. February 25, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  22. ^ "Sioux Falls Skyforce Cap Historic Season with First NBA D-League". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  23. ^ "Vander Blue, D-Fenders Spoil Sioux Falls Celebration with Gutty Game 2 Win". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. April 26, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  24. ^ "Greg Whittington D-League Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  25. ^ "NBA Development League Announces 2015-16 All-NBA D-League Teams". NBA.com. April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  26. ^ Chalmers, Steve (August 12, 2016). "Kings add Whittington to ever improving roster". PickAndRoll.com.au. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  27. ^ "KINGS SIGN D-LEAGUE STAR". SydneyKings.com. August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  28. ^ Walker, Sam (October 8, 2016). "Sydney Kings vs Brisbane Bullets: Bullets win by 4, go 2-0". TheRoar.com.au. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  29. ^ "FEROCIOUS COMEBACK FALLS JUST SHORT". SydneyKings.com. October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  30. ^ "Kings vs Bullets". FIBALiveStats.com. October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  31. ^ "IMPRESSIVE KINGS GO TOP WITH NZ WIN". NBL.com.au. October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  32. ^ "Breakers vs Kings". FIBALiveStats.com. October 20, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  33. ^ "PHYSICAL SNAKES SHUT DOWN KINGS IN SLOGFEST". NBL.com.au. November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  34. ^ "Taipans vs Kings". FIBALiveStats.com. November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
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