Eugene German

Eugene German (born December 2, 1997) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Northern Illinois Huskies and left as the program's all-time leading scorer.

Eugene German
Personal information
Born (1997-12-02) December 2, 1997
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school21st Century
(Gary, Indiana)
CollegeNorthern Illinois (2016–2020)
NBA draft2020 / Undrafted
PositionPoint guard
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-MAC (2020)
  • 2× Second-team All-MAC (2018, 2019)
  • MAC All-Freshman Team (2017)

High school career

German grew up in crime-ridden Gary, Indiana and played basketball from an early age under his father's guidance. At age 10, he was noticed by an Amateur Athletic Union coach at a church camp tournament and began playing around the state and country.[1] German started high school at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana but moved to Theodore Roosevelt High School in Gary, Indiana before playing a basketball game for Andrean. He did not play for Roosevelt either due to a left hip fracture.[2]

For his sophomore season, German transferred to 21st Century Charter School in Gary, averaging 17.4 points per game.[3] As a junior, he averaged a state-high 32 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game and was named to the Small School All-State team.[4][5] After the season, he committed to play college basketball for Northern Illinois.[6] As a senior, German averaged 33.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and four assists per game, helping 21st Century win a regional title. He had nine 40-point games and scored 51 points in a loss to national powerhouse La Lumiere School.[7] He led the state of Indiana in scoring for a second straight year, becoming the first player to do so since Deshaun Thomas in 2009 and 2010.[8] German earned Post-Tribune Player of the Year and Small School All-State honors.[3] German finished his high school career as 21st Century's all-time leading scorer with 2,020 points.[9]

College career

On February 18, 2017, German scored a freshman season-high 27 points in an 88–80 overtime loss to Toledo.[10] As a freshman, he averaged nine points per game and was named to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) All-Freshman Team.[3] German gained about 15 pounds after his freshman season and had breakout success as a sophomore.[11] On February 17, 2018, he scored a season-high 31 points in a 75–67 win over Western Michigan.[12] In his sophomore season, German led the MAC with 20.6 points per game while averaging 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists and was named to the second team All-MAC.[3]

On November 28, as a junior, he recorded a career-high 33 points and five rebounds in an 85–83 loss to Green Bay.[13] German averaged 20.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game to earn second-team All-MAC honors. He was also named to the MAC All-Tournament Team after averaging 27 points per game at the 2019 MAC Tournament.[3] Against Miami (Ohio) on February 1, 2020, as a senior, German passed T. J. Lux as Northern Illinois' all-time leading scorer and became the first player in program history to score 2,000 career points.[9] In his senior season, he averaged a MAC-leading 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.[3] German was named to the Lou Henson All-America Team by Collegeinsider.com and to the first team All-MAC. He finished his career at Northern Illinois with 2,203 points, which ranked fifth in MAC history.[14]

Personal life

German's father, David German Sr., played basketball for Horace Mann School in the 1980s.[9] His mother, Eugenia, ran track for Mann. German's sister, Princess, played college basketball for Milwaukee and Indianapolis. His brother, David Jr., played basketball for 21st Century Charter School.[8]

References
  1. Pfeifer, Ben (May 6, 2020). "Empty gyms and one empty seat: The shaping of Eugene German". The Rookie Wire. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  2. Hutton, Mike (December 10, 2015). "Well-traveled Eugene German a basketball shepherd for 21st Century". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  3. "Eugene German". NIU Athletics. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  4. Smith, Greg (April 2, 2015). "The Times 2014-15 Boys Basketball All-Area Team". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  5. Neddenriep, Kyle (March 26, 2015). "Several local players make IBCA all-state honors". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  6. Hanlon, Steve (September 21, 2015). "E.C. Central's Damien Jefferson visits New Mexico, verbally commits to play for the Lobos". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  7. Neddenriep, Kyle (June 8, 2016). "State's top scorer Eugene German opening eyes with Indiana All-Stars". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  8. Hanlon, Steve (January 14, 2016). "Eugene 'The Truth' German continues to amaze at 21st Century". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  9. Ferguson, Aaron (February 6, 2020). "German attributes NIU scoring record to Gary upbringing". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  10. "Huskies Rally Before Falling in Overtime to Toledo". NIU Athletics. February 18, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  11. Osipoff, Michael (March 26, 2018). "Eugene German wants to take next step after breakout sophomore season at Northern Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  12. "German Nets Career High As Huskies Down Western Michigan". NIU Athletics. February 17, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  13. "Late Run Comes Up Short at Green Bay". NIU Athletics. November 28, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  14. "Eugene German Named to Lou Henson All-America Team". NIU Athletics. March 26, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
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