Justin Pitts
No. 3 – HLA Alicante
PositionPoint guard
LeagueLEB Oro
Personal information
Born (1994-10-26) October 26, 1994 (age 29)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Listed weight135 lb (61 kg)
Career information
High schoolBlue Springs South
(Blue Springs, Missouri)
CollegeNorthwest Missouri State (2014–2018)
NBA draft2018: undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–presentHLA Alicante
Career highlights and awards

Justin James Pitts (born October 26, 1994) is an American basketball player for HLA Alicante of the Spanish LEB Oro. He played college basketball for the Northwest Missouri State University. A 5’10” point guard, Pitts was named the NCAA Division II National Player of the Year for the 2016–17 season.

High school career

Pitts played at Blue Springs South High School in Blue Springs, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City. Between his junior and senior seasons, Pitts’ father was transferred from his job to New Orleans. Pitts chose to remain in Blue Springs, moving in with family friends as his family relocated. The move allowed Northwest Missouri State coach Ben McCollum to scout and sign the local player, despite his small size.[1]

College career

Pitts redshirted the 2013–14 season, joining the NCAA Division II Bearcats the next year. He made an immediate impact in his freshman season, averaging 17.2 points per game and earning Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Freshman of the Year and first-team all-conference honors.[2][3] As a sophomore, Pitts continued to improve. He averaged 21.7 points on the way to repeating as a first-team All-MIAA pick, earning conference Player of the Year honors and leading the team to an MIAA Tournament championship.[4]

In his junior season, Pitts became one of the top players in Division II nationally. He averaged 20.9 points and led the Bearcats to MIAA regular-season and tournament championships.[5] At the conclusion of the season, he repeated as MIAA Player of the Year. He also gained national recognition, earning All-America honors from several agencies[6] and was named the National Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and Basketball Times magazine, as well as the Bevo Francis Award for top small college player.[7][8] On the season, Northwest Missouri State compiled a 35–1 record and claimed the school’s first national championship in the 2017 NCAA Division II Tournament. Pitts scored 23 points in the championship game, leading the Bearcats to a 71-61 victory over Fairmont State.[9]

In his senior season, Pitts became the Bearcats all-time leader in points and assists.[10] He scored his 2,000th career point on November 18, 2017, becoming the first player in school history to achieve the feat.[11] He was injured in March 2018 before the Bearcats Central Regional Tournament and missed the remainder of the season.[12]

Professional career

Pitts signed his first professional contract with the PS Karlsruhe Lions of the German ProA.[13] He left the team in the preseason, then signing with HLA Alicante of the Spanish LEB Plata.[14] Pitts was named LEB Oro player of the week on October 20, 2020, after contributing 27 points and four assists in a victory over Bàsquet Girona.[15] He re-signed with the team on October 1, 2021.[16]

References

  1. ^ Echlin, Greg (March 27, 2017). "Northwest Missouri State Basketball Star Faced A Tough Choice His Senior Year". kcur.org. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  2. ^ Brown, Tyler (February 12, 2015). "Freshman guard carries chip on his shoulder". nwmissourinews.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  3. ^ "Northwest Missouri State's Pitts named MIAA freshman of the year". St. Joseph News-Press. March 2, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  4. ^ Palmer, Tod (March 1, 2016). "Former Blue Springs South star Justin Pitts is MIAA men's basketball player of the year". Kansas City Star. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  5. ^ Merrill, David (March 5, 2017). "Bearcats capture second straight MIAA Tournament title". maryvilledailyforum.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  6. ^ Zenner, Brandon (March 21, 2017). "Pitts earns NABC All-America honors". St. Joseph News-Press. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  7. ^ Kerkhoff, Blair (March 23, 2017). "Northwest Missouri's Justin Pitts named NABC player of year". Kansas City Star. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  8. ^ "Bearcats' Justin Pitts named Basketball Times national player of the year". 680kfeq.com. March 23, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  9. ^ "Northwest Missouri claims first Division II basketball national title". Topeka Capital-Journal. Associated Press. March 25, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  10. ^ Cavadi, Wayne (January 5, 2018). "New year, same Bearcats. Justin Pitts has Northwest Missouri State basketball right where they left off". ncaa.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  11. ^ Roush, Chris (November 18, 2017). "Pitts' scores 2,000th career point in Northwest win Friday". kq2.com. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  12. ^ Martin, Derek (March 10, 2018). "Report: Northwest's Justin Pitts to miss remainder of season". KMA Land. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  13. ^ "SPIELER DES JAHRES BEI DEN #PSKLIONS". PS Karlsruhe Lions (in German). August 1, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  14. ^ "Justin Pitts (ex Karlsruhe PS) signs at Lucentum". eurobasket.com. October 24, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  15. ^ "Spanish LEB Gold round 1 best performance: Justin Pitts (by Interperformances)". Eurobasket. October 20, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "Pitts re-signs at Alicante". Eurobasket. October 1, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.

External links

Bevo Francis Award winners
NABC Division II Player of the Year winners
Categories