Denzel Valentine
| No. 45 – Michigan State Spartans | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard | |||||||||
| League | Big Ten Conference | |||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||
| Born | November 16, 1993 | |||||||||
| Nationality | American | |||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | |||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | |||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||
| High school | J. W. Sexton (Lansing, Michigan) | |||||||||
| College | Michigan State (2012–present) | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||
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Medals
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Denzel Valentine (born November 16, 1993) is an American college basketball player who currently plays for the Michigan State Spartans.[1]
High school career
Valentine attended J.W. Sexton School, where he was coached by his father, Carlton Valentine, and played alongside future Michigan State teammate Bryn Forbes. He averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists per game as a senior, leading the Big Reds to a 27-1 record. Valentine was selected to be the Lansing State Journal Player of the Year and Associated Press Class B Player of the Year as a senior.[2]
College career
As a freshman, Valentine averaged 5.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. He improved his averages to 8.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game in his sophomore year. Additionally, he was the only Spartan to appear in all 38 games and was an Honorable-mention All-Big Ten honoree.[2]
On Valentine's Day 2015, he hit the game winning shot in a matchup versus Ohio State and finished with 17 points.[3] As a junior, he was named to the Third Team All-Big Ten.[4] He averaged 14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists as a junior in leading the Spartans to a Final Four berth. In the Final Four, Valentine posted 22 points and 11 rebounds in an 81-61 loss to Duke.[5]
On November 17, 2015, Valentine became the 4th player in Michigan State history to record a triple-double. He had 29 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in Michigan State's 79-73 victory over the fourth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks.[6] It was the first triple-double of the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season.[7] On December 21, it was announced that Valentine would be sidelined for 2-3 weeks after he underwent an arthroscopic knee surgery.[8]
College Statistics
| Season | Team | G | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | 3P% | FT% | MIN | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Michigan State Spartans | 36 | 5.0 | 4.1 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | .445 | .281 | .667 | 20.8 | 2.0 |
| 2013–14 | Michigan State Spartans | 38 | 8.0 | 6.0 | 3.8 | 1.0 | 0.3 | .408 | .377 | .677 | 29.4 | 1.8 |
| 2014–15 | Michigan State Spartans | 39 | 14.5 | 6.3 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | .443 | .416 | .826 | 33.2 | 2.4 |
| 2015–16 | Michigan State Spartans | 12 | 18.5 | 8.3 | 7.1 | 1.0 | 0.3 | .456 | .400 | .851 | 30.6 | 2.7 |
| Career | 125 | 10.2 | 5.8 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.3 | .436 | .389 | .764 | 28.2 | 2.1 | |
Personal life
Valentine was born on November 16, 1993, the son of Carlton and Kathy Valentine. His older brother Drew played collegiate basketball for Oakland University, and is now an assistant coach there.
References
- ↑ "Denzel Valentine Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- 1 2 "Denzel Valentine Bio". MSUSpartans.com. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- ↑ Rodgers, Joe (February 14, 2015). "Michigan State's Denzel Valentine hits game winner on Valentine's Day". The Sporting News. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
- ↑ "2014-15 All-Big Ten Men’s Basketball Team" (PDF). CSTV.com. March 9, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ↑ Quinn, Brendan F. (April 5, 2015). "Ready to return for senior season, Denzel Valentine vows another Final Four run in 2016". MLive.com. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Goodman: Denzel Valentine's triple-double earns a call from Magic". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
- ↑ "Big Ten Men's Basketball Weekly Release: November 23: Ten conference teams to compete in neutral site tournaments this week". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
- ↑ Rexrode, Joe (December 21, 2015). "MSU's Valentine out 2-3 weeks after knee surgery". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 21, 2015.