Raphiael Putney
| No. 31 – Guaiqueríes de Margarita | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | Liga Profesional de Baloncesto |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
April 21, 1990 Fairmont, West Virginia |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Woodbridge (Lake Ridge, Virginia) |
| College | UMass (2010–2014) |
| NBA draft | 2014 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2014–present |
| Career history | |
| 2014–2015 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League) |
| 2015 | Al-Ittihad Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) |
| 2015 | Perth Redbacks (Australia) |
| 2015 | NS Matrix (Malaysia) |
| 2015–2016 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League) |
| 2016–present | Guaiqueríes de Margarita (Venezuela) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Raphiael Rashad Putney (born April 21, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for Guaiqueríes de Margarita of the Venezuelan Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (LPB). He played college basketball for the UMass Minutemen.
High school career
Putney attended Woodbridge High School in Lake Ridge, Virginia for coach Chad Anderson, averaging 9.0 points per game as junior.[1]
College career
Putney played college basketball for UMass Minutemen playing 131 games and starting 86 overall, with averages of 7.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.2 blocks. His best year was as a junior, with averages of 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.[1][2]
Professional career
Rio Grande Valley Vipers
After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Putney was acquired by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League on November 2, 2014 after a successful tryout.[3] On November 14, he made his professional debut in a 112–101 loss to the Idaho Stampede, recording two points, three rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 17 minutes.[4] He was deactivated twice by the Vipers during the 2014–15 season,[5] and subsequently played in just 24 games, averaging 6.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.[6]
2015 off-season
In April 2015, Putney moved to Saudi Arabia where he joined Al-Ittihad Jeddah for the remainder of the season. On June 13, 2015, he signed with the Perth Redbacks for the rest of the 2015 State Basketball League season.[7] He struggled with his shot early on for the Redbacks, making just 20-of-62 from the field over his first four games. Despite his shooting woes, he was still effective on the defensive end, recording an eight-block game in just his third outing, and recording a double-double in seven of his nine games for the Redbacks. Over those nine games, he averaged 19.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.6 blocks per game.[8] He and teammate Ray Turner were a dominating big man pair but could not lead the Redbacks to the playoffs, finishing the season outside the top eight with a 10–16 win/loss record. Later that year, he joined Malaysian club NS Matrix and helped them win the 2015 Seri Mutiara Champions Cup.[9] He also earned MVP honors for the championship game.[10]
Second stint with Rio Grande Valley
On November 2, 2015, Putney returned to the Rio Grande Vipers for the 2015–16 season[11] and had a marked improvement in his second campaign for the team. On January 12, 2016, he was named NBA D-League Performer of the Week for games played Monday, January 4 through Sunday, January 10. Putney led the Vipers to a 2–1 week while averaging 28.3 points (third in the league) on 47 percent shooting (29-of-62) to go with a league-leading 15.7 rebounds and 3.7 blocks (third).[12] On January 29, he was named in the West All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game.[13][14] On March 31, he was suspended for five games without pay for violating the terms of the league's Anti-Drug Program.[15] The suspension ended his season with the Vipers, and in 48 games for the team, he averaged 17.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 2.3 blocks per game.
Venezuela
On April 16, 2016, Putney signed with Guaiqueríes de Margarita of Venezuela for the rest of the 2015–16 LPB season.[16] That night, he made his debut for the club in a 91–61 quarter-final Game 2 loss to Bucaneros de La Guaira, recording nine points, five rebounds and one block in 23 minutes.[17][18]
Personal life
Putney is the son of Richard and Latisha Putney, and has a brother named Ravel.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 "Raphiael Putney Bio". UMassAthletics.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Raphiael Putney - RealGM". RealGM.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Vipers Announce 2014-15 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. November 2, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "RGV Vipers Split Weekend Series With Idaho Stampede". NBA.com. November 14, 2014. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "NBA D-League 2014-15 Transactions". NBA.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
- ↑ Malone, Daniel (January 11, 2016). "UMass coach Derek Kellogg on Raphiael Putney's D-League breakout season: 'I think he's going to play in the NBA'". MassLive.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "REDBACKS SET FOR COUNTRY CLASH". Facebook.com. June 13, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Player statistics for Raphiael Putney". FoxSportsPule.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Raphiael Putney Highlights in Malaysia". YouTube.com. October 14, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ Schlosser, Keith (January 22, 2016). "How Raphiael Putney Is Working To Expedite His Road To The NBA". RidiculousUpside.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Vipers Announce 2015-16 Training Camp Roster". OurSportsCentral.com. November 2, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Raphiael Putney Named NBADL Performer of the Week". NBA.com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Sixteen NBA Veterans Headline Rosters for NBA Development League All-Star Game Presented By Kumho Tire". NBA.com. January 29, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ Malone, Daniel (January 29, 2016). "Former Minuteman Raphiael Putney named to NBA D-League All-Star game". MassLive.com. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Vipers' Putney Suspended". OurSportsCentral.com. March 31, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ↑ Ojeda, Leo (April 16, 2016). "Guaiqueríes se arma con el alero Raphiael Putney". GuaiqueriesDeMargarita.com (in Spanish). Retrieved April 17, 2016.
- ↑ Ojeda, Leo (April 16, 2016). "Guaiqueríes regresa a la Isla con la serie igualada". GuaiqueriesDeMargarita.com (in Spanish). Retrieved April 17, 2016.
- ↑ "Quarter-Finals Round 2: Bucaneros - Guaiqueries 91-61". Eurobasket.com. April 16, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.