James Hunter (basketball)
| Southland Sharks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Centre |
| League | NBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
19 June 1992 Nowra, New South Wales |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Listed height | 208 cm (6 ft 10 in) |
| Listed weight | 113 kg (249 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Cranbrook School (Sydney, New South Wales) |
| College |
Gillette CC (2011–2012) Washington State (2012–2014) South Dakota (2014–2015) |
| NBA draft | 2015 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
| 2009–2011 | Sydney Comets |
| 2015 | Manawatu Jets |
| 2015–2016 | CB Zamora |
| 2016 | Ballarat Miners |
| 2017– | Southland Sharks |
James Paton Hunter (born 19 June 1992) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Southland Sharks of the National Basketball League (NBL). He also holds a New Zealand passport that he obtained as a teenager.[1]
Early life
Hunter was born in Nowra, New South Wales but spent much of his childhood living with his grandmother in Taumarunui, New Zealand.[1] He attended Cranbrook School in the eastern suburbs of Sydney where he was selected to represent Australia as part of the Australian Schoolboys' basketball team which traveled to the United States to compete in tournaments throughout North Carolina over a two-week period. He was also selected for the NSW Schoolboys State team and competed in the School Sport Australia Basketball Championship. Hunter also played rugby during his time at Cranbrook.[2]
Between 2009 and 2011, Hunter also played in the Waratah League for the Sydney Comets.[3]
College career
In 2010, Hunter moved to the United States to attend Gillette College. After redshirting the 2010–11 season, he joined the Pronghorns men's basketball team for a lone season in 2011–12. He transferred to Washington State in 2012[4][5] where he played for the Cougars over two seasons, appearing in 18 games and totalling 17 points and seven rebounds.[6]
In May 2014, Hunter transferred again, this time to South Dakota where in 2014–15, he averaged 5.8 points and 3.5 rebounds in 32 games.[6]
Professional career
On 30 April 2015, Hunter signed with the Manawatu Jets for the rest of the 2015 New Zealand NBL season.[7] After replacing Nick Horvath on the Jets' roster in mid-May, Hunter made his debut as a professional athlete and for the club on 22 May against the Southland Sharks, recording 14 points and 8 rebounds in a loss. In eight games for Manawatu, he averaged 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.[8]
In September 2015, Hunter signed with Grupo INEC Zamora of the Spanish Liga EBA for the 2015–16 season.[9] On 2 February 2016, he signed with the Ballarat Miners for the 2016 SEABL season.[10] He was awarded SEABL Player of the Week for Round 19, as the Miners finished the season outside the playoffs with an 11–13 record.[11] In 15 games for the Miners, he averaged 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.[12]
In September 2016, Hunter joined the Wellington Saints for their Asia Basketball Club Championships campaign in Seoul, South Korea.[13]
On 9 November 2016, Hunter signed with the Southland Sharks for 2017 New Zealand NBL season.[14]
Personal
Hunter is the son of musicians Todd Hunter and Johanna Pigott.[1] He also has an older brother, Harry, and a younger brother, Joey.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 James Hunter just as skilled at music as basketball
- 1 2 "#13 James Hunter". wsucougars.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ "Player statistics for James Hunter – Waratah". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ WSU Signs Another Aussie, James Hunter From JC
- ↑ James Hunter: WSU makes it official
- 1 2 "#50 James Hunter". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ James Hunter signs with Hub Jets NZ
- ↑ "Player statistics for James Hunter – NZNBL". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ↑ El CB Zamora ficha al australiano James Hunter (Spanish)
- ↑ Hunter Becomes a Miner
- ↑ ROUND 19 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
- ↑ "Player statistics for James Hunter – SEABL". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved 16 August 2016.
- ↑ Hyslop, Liam (15 September 2016). "Wellington Saints to play in Asia Basketball Club Championship in South Korea". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ↑ Savory, Logan (9 November 2016). "Southland Sharks sign naturalised Kiwi". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 9 November 2016.