Isaiah Whaley (born March 26, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the MLP Academics Heidelberg of the Basketball Bundesliga. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies.
 Whaley playing for Heidelberg in 2023 | |
| No. 1 – MLP Academics Heidelberg | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | Basketball Bundesliga |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 26, 1998 Gastonia, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | UConn (2017–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2023 | Greensboro Swarm |
| 2023 | Astros de Jalisco |
| 2023–present | MLP Academics Heidelberg |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editWhaley was ruled ineligible for his freshman season after transferring to Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, North Carolina.[1] As a junior, he averaged 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game, leading his team to the Class 3A state title game.[2] For his senior season, he moved to Evelyn Mack Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina. He played a postgraduate season at Mt. Zion Preparatory School in Baltimore, Maryland, averaging 21 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks per game.[3] A three-star recruit, Whaley committed to playing college basketball for UConn over offers from Providence, Seton Hall, Memphis and Georgia, among others.[4]
College career
editAs a freshman at UConn, Whaley averaged 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.[5] He suffered an ankle injury prior to his sophomore season and received limited playing time that year.[6] As a junior, Whaley averaged six points, five rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.[7] He averaged eight points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game as a senior, earning Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. Whaley opted to return to UConn for a fifth year.[8] He was held out of a game against Michigan State on November 25, 2021, after fainting the previous day during a double-overtime win over Auburn.[9]
Whaley was named to the American Athletic Conference's All-Academic Team for the 2018–19 season.[10] He received his Bachelor's degree in Urban and Community Studies in May 2021 and pursued graduate studies during the 2021–22 academic year.[11]
Professional career
editGreensboro Swarm (2022–2023)
editWhaley signed with the Charlotte Hornets on June 24, 2022, on an Exhibit 10 contract. On October 6, 2022, he was waived by the Hornets.[12] On October 23, it was announced that he had been added to the training camp roster of the Greensboro Swarm. On November 4, 2022, he was named to the opening-night roster for the Swarm.[13]
Astros de Jalisco (2023–2023)
editOn April 25, 2023, Whaley signed with the Astros de Jalisco of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional and the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA).[14] He helped them win the 2023 CIBACOPA league title.[15]
MLP Academics Heidelberg (2023–2024)
editWhaley played for the Academics in the 2023–2024 season. He was the team's starting center and posted per-game averages of 11.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.3 steals. He shot 33% from 3-point range, 57.3% on 2-point attempts, and 67.5% from the free throw line.[16]
In July 2024, Whaley joined the Dallas Mavericks for the 2024 NBA Summer League.[17]
Career statistics
edit| 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
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | UConn | 30 | 12 | 13.8 | .558 | – | .679 | 2.2 | .3 | .4 | 1.0 | 2.6 |
| 2018–19 | UConn | 23 | 0 | 3.6 | .667 | – | .333 | 1.0 | .0 | .1 | .2 | .8 |
| 2019–20 | UConn | 30 | 6 | 18.8 | .540 | – | .733 | 5.0 | .6 | .6 | 1.5 | 6.0 |
| 2020–21 | UConn | 23 | 23 | 27.6 | .479 | .348 | .469 | 6.2 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 8.0 |
| Career | 106 | 41 | 16.0 | .518 | .348 | .628 | 3.6 | .6 | .5 | 1.3 | 4.3 | |
References
edit- ^ Wertz, Langston Jr. (March 6, 2015). "Ashbrook's Isaiah Whaley leading Green Wave to memorable season". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Walker, Richard (June 2, 2017). "Former Ashbrook standout Isaiah Whaley is ready for UConn". The Gaston Gazette. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Amore, Dom (May 18, 2017). "UConn Receives Signed Letter From Recruit Isaiah Whaley". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Kidwai, Aman (May 11, 2017). "2017 F Isaiah Whaley Commits to UConn". Rivals. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Amore, Dom (March 15, 2019). "Isaiah Whaley's time finally arrives for UConn men". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ Amore, Dom (July 9, 2019). "Isaiah Whaley bulking up to fight for meaningful minutes with UConn men". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ Carroll, Charlotte (January 11, 2021). "UConn's Isaiah Whaley had to hit rock bottom to turn into the player he could be". The Athletic. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "Senior Isaiah Whaley to return to UConn Huskies for another year". ESPN. Associated Press. April 6, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
- ^ "Isaiah Whaley sits out for No. 22 UConn Huskies after fainting at Atlantis". ESPN. Associated Press. November 25, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
- ^ "Numerous Huskies Named To American All-Academic Team". UConnHuskies.com. University of Connecticut. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ "Isaiah Whaley". UConnHuskies.com. University of Connecticut. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
Graduate Student...Graduated in May, 2021, with a degree in Urban and Community Studies
- ^ "Hornets Waive Isaiah Whaley". NBA.com. October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ "Greensboro Swarm Announce 2022–23 Opening Night Roster". oursportscentral.com. November 4, 2022. Retrieved November 4, 2022.
- ^ "Astros de Jalisco incorpora a Isaiah Whaley a su roster para la CIBACOPA". Milenio.com (in Spanish). April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
- ^ Flores, Vanessa (June 26, 2023). "Astros de Jalisco derrota a Rayos de Hermosillo y es bicampeón de Cibacopa 2023". Telediario.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ "Isaiah Whaley, Basketball Player, News, Stats – Eurobasket".
- ^ "Summer League Roster | NBA.com". www.nba.com.