| Position | Forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 8 1⁄4 in (2.04 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| League | Basketball Bundesliga |
| Team | Telekom Baskets Bonn |
| Born | November 14, 1984 Boston, Massachusetts[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| College | University of Massachusetts |
| Draft | Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2009–present |
| Career history | Hapoel Gilboa Galil Elyon (2009) Boston Celtics (2010) Türk Telekom B.K. (2010) Utah Flash (2011) Telekom Baskets Bonn (2011-present) |
Anthony Joseph Gaffney Jr. (born November 14, 1984 in Boston) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball at the University of Massachusetts. During the 2008–2009 season, he received numerous honors from the Atlantic 10 Conference including Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defensive Team, and Second Team all conference. He was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers summer league team during the 2009 pre-season and an inactive member of the Boston Celtics during their playoff run in 2010.
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Gaffney was born in Boston, Massachusetts on November 14, 1984, and grew up in Berkley, Massachusetts. He played four years of high school basketball at Somerset High School in Somerset, Massachusetts. In his senior season, Gaffney helped turn a 2–20 Raiders team into the 21–4 Massachusetts Division 2 South Sectional Champions. That season Gaffney averaged 23 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 11 blocks a game. He was rewarded for his strong play in his senior season with the title of the Eastern Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player. After his senior season, Gaffney played a prep season at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Mount Hermon, Massachusetts. He averaged 13 points a game along with 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks.[2]
In his 2004–05 freshman season, Gaffney played in all 29 games for Boston University.[2] He averaged 15.6 minutes, 3.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1 assist and 0.8 blocks a game. During the 2005–06 season, Gaffney averaged 17 minutes a game, 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.5 blocks. After the season Gaffney transferred to the University of Massachusetts. NCAA transfer rules forced him to sit out the 2006–07 season. He returned in 2007–08 to play thirty-three games with eight starts while averaging 20 minutes, 3.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.7 blocks a game.[3]
Gaffney dominated in his senior season at UMass. In thirty games in 2008–09 he averaged 33.9 minutes, 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 2 steals, and 3.8 blocks. Gaffney's 3.8 blocks a game ranked him third in the nation in 2008–09. He is also the first person since Shelden Williams to have more than 100 blocks and 50 steals in one season. Gaffney's strong defensive play earned him the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year award, a spot on the A-10 All-Defensive Team, and a spot on the A-10 Second Team.
Gaffney trained at the IMG Basketball Academy with coach David Thorpe for the 2009 NBA Draft. After going undrafted, Gaffney joined the 2009 Lakers Las Vegas Summer League team.[4] Thanks to his strong play in Las Vegas, Gaffney was invited to the 2009–10 Los Angeles Lakers training camp.[5] He was the final player waived (on October 25, 2009) to reach the opening day roster.[6]
Gaffney then played for the Hapoel Gilboa Galil Elyon club in Israel, but, after injuring his foot, returned to the United States for treatment.
On April 13, 2010, Gaffney signed a contract with the Boston Celtics for the rest of the regular season and playoffs, and a non-guaranteed contract for the 2010–2011 season.[7] Gaffney was waived on October 1, 2010.
In October 2010, he signed with Türk Telekom B.K. in Turkey[8], but left the team two months later.
On January 5th, 2011 it was reported that Gaffney was signed by the Utah Flash of the NBDL.[9] Flash officials said they expect him to contribute right away, and he produced 11.5 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in being named NBDL All-Defensive First Team and honorable mention All-League.
In July 2011 Gaffney was signed by Telekom Baskets Bonn, BBL Germany.[10]