Matt Mitchell (basketball)

For the basketball coach, see Matthew Mitchell (basketball).
Matt Mitchell
Mitchell in December 2018
No. 21 – Žalgiris Kaunas
PositionPower forward
LeagueLKL
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1999-03-18) March 18, 1999 (age 25)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeSan Diego State (2017–2021)
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2023SIG Strasbourg
2023–2024Beşiktaş
2024–presentŽalgiris Kaunas
Career highlights and awards

Matthew Mitchell Jr. (born March 18, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs.

High school career

As a freshman, Mitchell helped Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California win the CIF Southern Section Division 1A championship.[1] After the season, he transferred to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Eastvale, California. As a senior, Mitchell averaged 25.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, three assists and 2.2 steals per game, recording 16 double-doubles and scoring least 30 points in 10 games. He led Roosevelt to CIF State Division I, CIF Southern California Regional and Big VIII League titles. Mitchell was named HSGametime Player of the Year by The Press-Enterprise.[2] He had success with Dream Vision on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit.[3] Mitchell initially committed and signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Cal State Fullerton.[4] After his senior season, he reopened his recruitment and committed to San Diego State. Mitchell was considered a three-star recruit by most recruiting services.[3]

College career

On November 20, 2017, in his fourth collegiate game, Mitchell scored a career-high 31 points, 26 of which came in the second half, in a 94–63 win over Eastern Illinois. He shot 7-of-11 from three-point range and scored the most points for a San Diego State freshman since Evan Burns in 2003.[5] As a freshman, Mitchell averaged 10.5 points and four rebounds per game.[6] On December 22, 2018, he scored a sophomore season-high 22 points, shooting 9-of-12 from the field, in a 90–81 victory over BYU.[7] As a sophomore, Mitchell averaged 10.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. During the season, he gained about 20 pounds.[8] In the offseason, he cut down his weight by improving his diet and spending more time in the gym.[9] On February 1, 2020, Mitchell scored a junior season-high 28 points, including 24 in the second half, in an 80–68 win over Utah State.[10] As a junior, he averaged 12.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, helping San Diego State achieve a 30–2 record.[11] Mitchell earned first-team and second-team All-Mountain West honors in the coaches and media polls, respectively.[12] On April 26, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[13] Mitchell announced he was withdrawing from the draft on August 1.[14] On December 18, he scored a career-high 35 points in a 72–62 loss to BYU.[15]

At the close of his senior season, Mitchell was named Mountain West Player of the Year.[16] He averaged 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Mitchell declared for the 2021 NBA draft and hired an agent.[17]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Mitchell signed with the San Antonio Spurs for Summer League.[18] On August 2, 2021, Mitchell signed with SIG Strasbourg of the LNB Pro A.[19]

On July 6, 2023, Mitchell signed with Beşiktaş of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[20]

On June 27, 2024, Mitchell signed a two-year (1+1) contract with Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague.[21]

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
2017–18 San Diego State 33 32 26.5 .450 .358 .765 4.0 1.7 1.1 .2 10.5
2018–19 San Diego State 34 33 26.4 .405 .328 .755 4.1 1.8 .7 .2 10.3
2019–20 San Diego State 32 19 25.8 .468 .393 .873 4.8 1.7 1.1 .3 12.2
2020–21 San Diego State 25 24 29.8 .436 .337 .809 5.6 2.0 1.4 .2 15.4
Career 124 108 27.0 .439 .354 .804 4.5 1.8 1.0 .3 11.9

References

  1. ^ "King wins another CIF title". The Press-Enterprise. March 10, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  2. ^ Parenti, Jeffrey (April 22, 2017). "Roosevelt's Matt Mitchell is the HSGametime Boys Basketball Player of the Year". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Zeigler, Mark (August 14, 2017). "Star hoops recruit Matt Mitchell commits to SDSU". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Alexander, Jim (March 19, 2017). "Roosevelt's Mitchell stays cool at end". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Zeigler, Mark (November 21, 2017). "Freshman scores 31 in impressive SDSU win". Daily Press. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  6. ^ "San Diego State Basketball Freshman Report: Matt Mitchell, Jalen McDaniels and Jordan Schakel". Mountain West Wire. May 7, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Watson, Mitchell lead San Diego State to 90-81 win vs BYU". ESPN. Associated Press. December 22, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  8. ^ Betz, Kyle (October 30, 2019). "New men's basketball season stars new transfers". The Daily Aztec. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  9. ^ Zeigler, Mark (July 22, 2019). "San Diego State's Matt Mitchell spending summer slimming down". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  10. ^ Greene, Dana (February 1, 2020). "San Diego State stays unbeaten with 80-68 victory over Utah State". KTVX. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  11. ^ Zeigler, Mark (March 12, 2020). "Aztecs finish season 30-2 as NCAA cancels basketball tournament". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Matt Mitchell". SDSU Athletics. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  13. ^ Zeigler, Mark (April 27, 2020). "SDSU's Matt Mitchell says he's not 'looking to leave this year' for NBA". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  14. ^ "Matt Mitchell forgoes NBA draft to return for senior season at San Diego State". ESPN. Associated Press. August 1, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Honda, Breven (December 18, 2020). "Mitchell scores career-high, Aztecs' comeback bid falls short in upset loss to Brigham Young". The Daily Aztec. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  16. ^ "Mountain West Reveals 2020-21 Men's Basketball All-Conference Teams" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Kalbrosky, Bryan (April 18, 2021). "Source: SDSU's Matt Mitchell has hired an agent, declared for 2021 NBA Draft". The Rookie Wire. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  18. ^ Zeigler, Mark (July 30, 2021). "SDSU's Schakel, Mitchell go undrafted but not unsigned". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Skerletic, Dario (August 2, 2021). "SIG Strasbourg lands rookie Matt Mitchell". Sportando. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  20. ^ "Matt Mitchell Beşiktaş'ta" (in Turkish). Beşiktaş. July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  21. ^ Gillingham, Geoff (June 27, 2024). "Matt Mitchell heads to Zalgiris". EuroLeague. Retrieved June 27, 2024.