Tony Gaffney

Tony Gaffney
No. 3 – Hapoel Jerusalem
Position Forward
League Ligat HaAl
Personal information
Born (1984-11-14) November 14, 1984
Boston, Massachusetts
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school Somerset
(Somerset, Massachusetts)
Northfield Mount Hermon
(Northfield, Massachusetts)
College Boston University (2004–2006)
UMass (2007–2009)
NBA draft 2009 / Undrafted
Playing career 2009–present
Career history
2009 Hapoel Gilboa Galil Elyon
2010 Türk Telekom B.K.
2011 Utah Flash
2011–2012 Telekom Baskets Bonn
2012–2013 Joventut Badalona
2013–2014 Telekom Baskets Bonn
2014–present Hapoel Jerusalem
Career highlights and awards
  • NBDL All Defensive First Team (2011)
  • 2× BBL All-Star (2012, 2014)
  • Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year (2009)
  • Second-team All-Atlantic 10 (2009)
  • Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team (2009)

Anthony Joseph "Tony" Gaffney, Jr. (born November 14, 1984) is an American professional basketball player currently with Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts. During the 2008–09 season, he received numerous honors from the Atlantic 10 Conference including Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive Team, and Second Team all conference.

Early life and High School

Gaffney was born in Boston, Massachusetts[1] on November 14, 1984, and grew up in Berkley, Massachusetts. He played four years of high school basketball at Somerset High School in Somerset, Massachusetts. In 2002, Gaffney helped turn a 2–20 Raiders team into the 21–4 Massachusetts Division 2 South Sectional Champions. That season Gaffney averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 11 blocks a game. He was rewarded for his strong play in his senior season with the title of the Eastern Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player, All State honors, and Rivals Massachusetts Player of the Year. After his senior season, Gaffney played a prep season at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Mount Hermon, Massachusetts. He averaged 13 points a game along with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks.[2]

College

In his 2004–05 freshman season, Gaffney played in all 29 games for Boston University.[2] He averaged 15.6 minutes, 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1 assist and 0.8 blocks a game. During the 2005–06 season, Gaffney averaged 17 minutes a game, 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.5 blocks. After the season Gaffney transferred to the University of Massachusetts. NCAA transfer rules forced him to sit out the 2006–07 season. He returned in 2007–08 to play thirty-three games with eight starts while averaging 20 minutes, 3.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks a game.[3]

Gaffney dominated in his senior season at UMass. In thirty games in 2008–09 he averaged 33.9 minutes, 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2 steals, and 3.8 blocks. Gaffney's 3.8 blocks a game ranked him third in the nation in 2008–09. He is also the first person since Shelden Williams to have more than 100 blocks and 50 steals in one season. Gaffney's strong defensive play earned him the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year award, a spot on the A-10 All-Defensive Team, and a spot on the A-10 Second Team.[2]

Pro career

Gaffney trained at the IMG Basketball Academy with coach David Thorpe for the 2009 NBA Draft. After going undrafted, Gaffney joined the 2009 Lakers Las Vegas Summer League team.[4] Thanks to his strong play in Las Vegas, Gaffney was invited to the 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers training camp.[5] He was the final player waived (on October 25, 2009) to reach the opening day roster.[6]

Gaffney then played for the Hapoel Gilboa Galil Elyon club in Israel, but, after injuring his foot, returned to the United States for treatment.

On April 13, 2010, Gaffney signed a contract with the Boston Celtics for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, and a non-guaranteed contract for the 2010–11 season.[7] Gaffney was waived on October 1, 2010 having never played a game for the Celtics.[8]

In October 2010, he signed with Türk Telekom B.K. in Turkey,[9] but left the team two months later.

On January 5, 2011 Gaffney was signed by the Utah Flash of the NBDL.[10] Flash officials said they expected him to contribute right away, and, though signing at the All-star break,he produced 11.5 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in being named NBDL All-Defensive First Team and honorable mention All-League.

In July 2011 Gaffney was signed by Telekom Baskets Bonn, BBL Germany, playing in the league's All Star game at the midway point of the Baskets' season, then ending the regular season as the only player in the top ten in the league both in blocks (1st) and steals (5th), averaging 13 points and 6 rebounds. Tony was named All League by Eurobasket and to the 1st Team All League Defensive Team as well.[11]

In July 2012 he was signed by Spanish side Joventut Badalona., a team he left on March 14 when, after a long period of no resolution, the team defaulted on his contract due to financial issues. At the end of the season, Gaffney was in the top 7 in the ACB league in rebounding (5.91), efficiency (15.3), and in the top 4 in both blocked shots and steals while averaging 11.5 ppg, the only player in the league in the top 10 in each category. Gaffney had been named in the weekly Top 6 four times and MVP once.

In September 2013, Gaffney signed with the Memphis Grizzlies.[12] However, he was waived on October 26, the final player to be waived before the regular season.[13]

Gaffney returned to Germany to play for Telekom Baskets Bonn, where his all around play was rewarded when he was voted in by the fans as a starter in the 2013–2014 BBL Germany All-Star game, and named to the All Defensive First Team by Eurobasket. Leading Bonn in minutes and calling the defenses from the floor, Tony ended the season averaging 12 points, 6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals per game as Bonn was eliminated in the playoffs by Oldenburg.

In September 2014, Gaffney signed a two year contract (with a player option for year two) to play with Hapoel Jerusalem B.C., where Jerusalem won the Championship for the first time in league history. With league limitations as to foreign players on the floor simultaneously, Gaffney was awarded 6th Man of the Year and was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Player Bio: Tony Gaffney".
  2. 1 2 3 http://www.umassathletics.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/gaffney_tony00.html
  3. ↑ http://insider.espn.go.com/nbadraft/draft/tracker/player?draftyear=2009&playerId=19431
  4. ↑ http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/06/tony_gaffney_never_imagined_he.html
  5. ↑ http://www.nba.com/lakers/roster/index.html
  6. ↑ http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/091024_gaffneywaived.html
  7. ↑ http://www.heraldnews.com/sports/x998220698/Gaffney-signs-with-Cs
  8. ↑ The Celtics dump local hero Tony Gaffney
  9. ↑ Turk Telekom signs Tony Gaffney
  10. ↑ http://www.cbs3springfield.com/sports/localsports/UMass-Gaffney-to-Play-for-Utah-Flash-112962917.html?skipthumb=Y
  11. ↑ "Telekom Baskets Bonn announces Tony Gaffney". Sportando. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  12. ↑ Grizzlies Sign Byars, Ely, Gaffney
  13. ↑ Memphis Grizzlies waive Andre Barrett, Melvin Ely, Tony Gaffney and Willie Reed
  14. ↑ http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/israel/134093/hapoel-jerusalem-signs-tony-gaffney-and-joseph-jones.html

External links

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