Elijah Mitrou-Long

Elijah Isa Mitrou-Long (born December 15, 1996) is a Canadian professional basketball player for PAOK of the Greek Basket League. He played college basketball for Mount St. Mary's, Texas, and UNLV.

Elijah Mitrou-Long
Mitrou-Long with UNLV in 2019
No. 55 – PAOK Thessaloniki
PositionPoint guard
LeagueGreek Basket League
Personal information
Born (1996-12-15) December 15, 1996
Mississauga, Ontario
NationalityCanadian
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2020 / Undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentPAOK Thessaloniki
Career highlights and awards

Early life and high school career

Mitrou-Long grew up in Mississauga, Ontario. He played football and hockey but focused his attention on basketball. At the age of 15, he enrolled at The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland, and lived with a host family.[1] As a junior, he averaged 10 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. Mitrou-Long averaged 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a senior. He competed for CIA Bounce in AAU play.[2]

College career

Mitrou-Long began his college career at Mount St. Mary's. He averaged 5.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a freshman.[3] Mitrou-Long scored a career-high 29 points including a late go-ahead layup on February 18, 2017, in a 79–74 win against Fairleigh Dickinson.[4] As a sophomore, he averaged 15.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game, earning First Team All-NEC honors.[5] Mitrou-Long helped lead the team to a NEC regular-season and tournament championships, scoring 22 points in the tournament title game against St. Francis (PA) and earned NEC Tournament MVP honors.[6] He transferred to Texas after the season, the only school he visited, and redshirted the 2017–18 season per NCAA regulations.[1]

As a redshirt junior, Mitrou-Long started nine games averaging 5.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game for a team that finished 21-16 and won the NIT. Following the season, he transferred to UNLV where he was eligible immediately as a graduate transfer.[5] Mitrou-Long joined former Mount St. Mary's teammate Jonah Antonio at UNLV, who told him that coach T. J. Otzelberger was very honest and straightforward.[7] On November 30, 2019, Mitrou-Long tied his career-high with 29 points in a 72–65 overtime loss to Cincinnati.[8] Mitrou-Long missed 12 games in December 2019 and January 2020 with a broken thumb, and his season ended after sustaining a knee injury during a February 29 win against San Jose State.[9] As a senior, Mitrou-Long averaged 12.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.[10]

Professional career

On July 29, 2020, Mitrou-Long signed his first professional contract with PAOK of the Greek Basket League.[11]

Personal life

Mitrou-Long is the son of Jersey Long and Georgia Mitrou. His father is of Trinidadian descent while his mother is a Greek Canadian. Mitrou-Long has three siblings and six half-siblings.[12] His brother, Naz Mitrou-Long, played college basketball for Iowa State and later in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers.[3] One of his favorite players is former UNLV forward Anthony Bennett, who mentored Mitrou-Long growing up.[7]

References
  1. Moyle, Nick (February 20, 2019). "From Ontario to Austin: UT's Elijah Mitrou-Long enjoying the journey". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  2. "Mount St. Mary's Men's Basketball Adds Elijah Long to Roster". Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers. August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  3. Montz, Dylan (November 13, 2016). "Iowa State set to host Mount St. Mary's and Naz Mitrou-Long's brother, Elijah". The Gazette. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  4. "Long's 29 rallies Mount St. Mary's past Fairleigh Dickinson". ESPN. Associated Press. February 18, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  5. "Texas Transfer Elijah Mitrou-Long To Join Runnin' Rebel Program". UNLV Runnin' Rebels. May 14, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  6. Stoetzer, Pat (April 21, 2017). "Men's Basketball: Top scorer Long planning to leave Mount St. Mary's". Carroll County Times. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  7. Grimala, Mike (May 14, 2019). "Grad transfer Elijah Mitrou-Long commits to UNLV basketball". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  8. "Cincinnati overcomes UNLV in 72-65 free-for-all OT win". ESPN. Associated Press. November 30, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  9. Grimala, Mike (March 2, 2020). "Elijah Mitrou-Long's status unknown for MWC tourney". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  10. Mammides, Chris (July 29, 2020). "Mitrou-Long starts his pro career at PAOK Thessaloniki". Eurobasket. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  11. "Paok announces Elijah Mitrou-Long". Sportando. July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  12. Dibie, Max (December 3, 2015). "The power of a name: Naz Mitrou-Long". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
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