Asante Gist

Asante Gist
Free agent
PositionPoint guard
Personal information
Born (1997-01-20) January 20, 1997 (age 27)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Maine Celtics
Career highlights and awards

Asante Jamar Gist (born January 20, 1997) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and the Iona Gaels.

High school career

Raised in East Orange, New Jersey,[1] Gist began his high school career at Roselle Catholic High School and won the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions as a freshman. For his junior season, he transferred to Marist High School due to the emergence of Isaiah Briscoe.[2] Gist averaged 14.8 points per game in 13 games. He transferred to St. Anthony High School for his senior season.[3] Gist helped lead the Friars to a 32–0 record and a victory in the Tournament of Champions. He scored 16 points in the title game against Linden High School.[4] In November 2015, Gist committed to playing college basketball for Eastern Kentucky over offers from Miami (Florida) and UCF in large part because of the recruiting pitch of coach Dan McHale.[2]

College career

As a freshman, Gist averaged 15.9 points and 3.8 assists per game. He suffered from a right ankle injury and played in six games as a sophomore, averaging eight points and 2.7 assists per game. On January 18, 2018, Gist transferred to Iona and received a waiver from the NCAA for eligibility in December.[5] As a junior, he averaged 12.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.[6] Gist appeared in 15 games as a redshirt junior before missing the rest of the season with an injury. He averaged 10.1 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.[7] Gist was limited by surgery on his finger and a debilitating back injury during his senior season.[8] He helped Iona win the 2021 MAAC tournament, earning MVP honors after scoring 18 points in the title game against Fairfield, and reach the NCAA Tournament.[9] Gist averaged 13.4 points and 3.6 assists per game.[10] He was named to the Second Team All-Met by the Met Basketball Writers Association.[11]

Professional career

Gist played for the Washington Wizards in the 2021 NBA Summer League and was selected in the third round of the 2021 NBA G League draft by the Westchester Knicks.[12] He was waived on December 2, 2021, before appearing in a game.[13] On December 17, Gist was acquired by the Maine Celtics and scored 11 points in his debut in a 111–99 win against the Long Island Nets.[14] He was waived on February 1, 2022. Gist was re-acquired by the team on February 21.[15] Gist was then later waived on February 28, 2022.[16]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Eastern Kentucky 31 29 31.8 .374 .339 .735 2.5 3.8 .9 .0 15.9
2017–18 Eastern Kentucky 6 5 27.5 .309 .389 .467 3.0 2.7 .5 .0 8.0
2018–19 Iona 33 20 29.6 .408 .360 .784 2.4 2.3 .6 .0 12.5
2019–20 Iona 15 13 29.7 .383 .359 .700 2.2 2.6 .5 .1 10.1
2020–21 Iona 16 14 29.3 .349 .333 .892 2.0 3.6 .8 .1 13.4
Career 101 81 30.1 .378 .350 .769 2.4 3.0 .7 .0 13.1

Personal life

His uncle KayGee is a member of hip-hop group Naughty by Nature and his father James served as KayGee's road manager before managing other artists such as Jaheim.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ Zagoria, Adam. "Former N.J. high school star hoping to make history with Rick Pitino at Iona", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, March 22, 2020. Accessed December 18, 2024. "After speaking to the Eastern Kentucky players, Pitino pulled East Orange native Asante Gist aside for a one-on-one chat."
  2. ^ a b Zagoria, Adam (January 17, 2016). "Eastern Kentucky-Bound Asante Gist Leads St. Anthony's Over St. Patrick's in Rivalry Game". ZagsBlog. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  3. ^ Schneider, Jeremy (August 24, 2019). "Boys Basketball: Marist guard Asante Gist transfers to St. Anthony". NJ.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Canova, Dan (January 18, 2018). "Former St. Anthony hoops star transfers to Iona". NJ.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  5. ^ Zagoria, Adam (January 18, 2018). "Iona lands Eastern Kentucky transfer Asante Gist". ZagsBlog. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  6. ^ Welser, Joel (August 3, 2019). "#95 IONA MEN'S BASKETBALL 2019-2020 PREVIEW". College Sports Madness. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  7. ^ "Towson vs. Iona odds, line: 2020 college basketball picks, Dec. 29 predictions from proven model". CBS Sports. December 29, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  8. ^ Zagoria, Adam (March 19, 2021). "March Madness 2021: Iona's Asante Gist, N.J. native, eyes NCAA Tournament upset of Alabama to cap medical comeback". NJ.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  9. ^ "Iona Wins the 2021 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship". Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. March 13, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  10. ^ Zagoria, Adam (August 8, 2021). "Brooklyn Nets sign ex-Patrick School star DeAndre' Bembry; Former Roselle Catholic, St. Anthony's standout Asante Gist to play Summer League with Wizards". NJ.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  11. ^ Rapay, Eugene (April 27, 2021). "Iona's Ross, Gist, Seton Hall's Espinoza-Hunter highlight Division I All-Met awards". The Journal News. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  12. ^ "Asante Gist: Will play for Westchester". CBS Sports. October 25, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  13. ^ "Asante Gist: Cut loose by Westchester". December 2, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  14. ^ Eid, David (December 17, 2021). "Maine Celtics top the Long Island Nets 111-99". WGME. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  15. ^ "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  16. ^ "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. February 28, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.