Justin Brian Melton (born April 7, 1987), popularly known as QuickMelt, Mouse, The Flying Minion, and Minion is a Filipino-American professional basketball player currently playing for the Star Hotshots in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was drafted 13th overall by the San Mig Coffee Mixers in the 2013 PBA draft.[1]
Early years
High School
Justin Melton played high school basketball at Tabb High School in Yorktown, Virginia. After playing one year of junior varsity basketball, Melton played three years of varsity basketball, capturing Bay Rivers District 1st Team Honors in his junior and senior seasons. In his senior season, he was awarded Bay Rivers District "Player of the Year," along with 1st Team All-Region and All-State honors. Melton also excelled in track and field, placing 2nd in the Virginia High School AA State Track Meet in the triple jump event with a distance of 45 feet 6 inches.[2]
College
Melton studied and played basketball on a full scholarship at Mount Olive College, in Mount Olive, North Carolina where he was very successful. Justin was a very tough player in college and was the leader and motor of the team for the last 3 seasons. He is extremely athletic can finish strong at the rim. He shot over 40 percent from the 3-point line in his senior year. Melton possessed above-average athleticism for a person of his size and was very quick. He is also featured on his college's official website because of being featured on an Yahoo! Sports article.[3]
He played more than 20 minutes a game in his college years.[4]
Playing overseas
Artur Noguira spark
He played in Brazil for the AABI CLineSP Artur Noguira, but months later, he was waived.
ABL
He played for Malaysia in the ASEAN Basketball League, as an import.[5]
PBA career
Melton was picked 13th overall by the Mixers in the 2013 PBA draft. Melton was noticed as one of the most athletic players in his draft class, and he showcased that athleticism very fast with his team mates. Though measured at just 5-foot-9 in socks, Melton finished with several rim-rattling slams during practice. His energy was also on display on defense.
Melton struggled in his first conference, the 2013–14 PBA Philippine Cup, due to injuries on the finger, but bounced back and even won the Best Player of the Game honors.[6]
He shocked the whole PBA, by winning the 2014 PBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest held in the Mall of Asia Arena. He and Rey Guevarra had a head-to-head matchup on that battle, they have been tied for three rounds on the championship round, at last, they have been declared co-champions, because the process is going on and on.[7]
He has a high vertical leap, which allows him to jump very high despite of his 5'9" height. Melton is also a decent outside shooter, who shot at 67% in his first season.
References
- ↑ COMPLETE 2013 PBA DRAFT RESULTS | Philippine Basketball Association PBA
- ↑ "Melton a Tabb alumni, dreams of building courts and houses after his PBA stint". Rappler.com. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ↑ "Mount Olive alumni featured on Yahoo Sports!". Mount Olive College Official Website. Retrieved October 28, 2013.
- ↑ "The quick rise of Justin 'QuickMelt' Melton". Jane Bracher, Rappler. February 2, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Gilas cadet member joining Malaysia ASEAN team". Reuben Tallado, Spin.ph. February 14, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ↑ "San Mig's injury woes deepen as rookie Melton fractures left ring finger". Richard Dy, Spin.ph. November 21, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ↑ "Melton, Guevarra declared co-champions of slam dunk contest". Renee Fopalan, GMA News. April 4, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
|
|---|
| | First round | |
|---|
| | Second round | |
|---|
| | Third round | |
|---|
|
_-_Justin_Melton-Star_-_2015-1225_(23967452716).jpg)