Matt Walsh (basketball)

Matthew Vincent Walsh (born December 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who played in several leagues across the world for ten seasons. Listed at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he could play both shooting guard and small forward. He played college basketball at Florida.

Matt Walsh
Personal information
Born (1982-12-02) December 2, 1982
Holland, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolGermantown Academy
(Fort Washington, Pennsylvania)
CollegeFlorida (2002–2005)
NBA draft2005 / Undrafted
Playing career2005–2015
PositionShooting guard / Small forward
Number44
Career history
2005Miami Heat
2006Arkansas RimRockers
2006–2007Olympia Larissa
2007–2008Bàsquet Manresa
2008–2009Spirou Charleroi
2009–2010Union Olimpija
2010Aris Thessaloniki
2010–2011ASVEL Villeurbanne
2011–2012UCAM Murcia
2012Caja Laboral
2012Azovmash
2012–2013Spirou Charleroi
2013Brose Baskets
2013–2014Virtus Bologna
2014–2015Eskişehir Basket
Career highlights and awards
06 Heat Championships
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Early years

Walsh was born in Holland, Pennsylvania. He attended Germantown Academy, a private preparatory school in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, where he played high school basketball for the Germantown Academy Patriots. Walsh played high school basketball with future rapper and record producer Pitbull for two seasons, reaching the state semi-finals in 2001.[1]

College career

Walsh accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Billy Donovan's Florida Gators basketball team for three seasons from 2002 to 2005. As a junior, Walsh suffered torn left ankle ligaments and missed several games,[2] but recovered to lead the Gators to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) tournament championship and the second round of the 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

Professional career

The Miami Heat originally signed Walsh as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Florida in 2005. He was then waived on November 18, 2005, after playing in two NBA regular season games. In the 2006 NBA preseason, he was signed by the New Jersey Nets, and they then released him in October.

In the 2006-07 season, Walsh played with Olympia Larissa in the Greek League, having a successful year for both the team and himself. He was considered one of the most valuable players in the Greek League that year, and he was also the second best scorer of the competition, averaging 17.8 points per game.[3] Walsh also played with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Summer League in 2007, and he later signed a one-year contract with Bàsquet Manresa of the Spanish ACB League.[4]

In August 2009, Walsh signed with the Adriatic League club Union Olimpija.[5] In February 2010, he joined the Greek League club Aris.[6] On October 25, 2010 he signed a one-year contract with ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne in France.[7]

In November 2011 Walsh signed with UCAM Murcia in Spain.[8] On January 6, 2012, he signed with Saski Baskonia, also in Spain.[9]

In August 2012, Walsh signed with Spirou Charleroi of Belgium.[10] In February 2013, he joined Brose Baskets Bamberg.[11] On August 2, 2013, he signed a two-year deal with Virtus Bologna.[12] On August 13, 2014, he signed with Eskişehir Basket.[13]

On September 24, 2015, Walsh officially announced his retirement from professional basketball.[14]

On February 25, 2018, it was announced that Walsh was heading a consortium to purchase the New Zealand Breakers of the NBL, along with business partners Adam Goodman, Romie Chaudhari, former NBA All-Star Shawn Marion, and Barstool Sports bloggers Dan "Big Cat" Katz, PFT Commenter, and Hank Lockwood.[15]

See also

References
  1. https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2016/07/pitbull-miami-rapper-global-brand-ambassador. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. Walsh suffered torn ankle ligaments
  3. Matt Walsh, el hombre afortunado, ACB.com. (in Spanish)
  4. El alero Matt Walsh cierra la plantilla del Ricoh Manresa para la ACB 07-08, ACB.com. (in Spanish)
  5. Union Olimpija tabs Matt Walsh.
  6. Eurocupbasketball.com - ARIS BSA 2003 adds Matt Walsh. Archived February 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ASVEL Villeurbanne signs Matt Walsh Archived October 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  8. Matt Walsh inks in Spain with UCAM Murcia
  9. "Caja Laboral bring in Matt Walsh". Eurobasket.com. January 6, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  10. SPIROU CHARLEROI, Walsh reunite Archived February 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  11. BROSE BASKETS bring in swingman Walsh
  12. "Virtus Bologna officially signs Matt Walsh". Sportando.net. Retrieved August 2, 2013.
  13. "Edirne signs Matt Walsh". Sportando.net. August 13, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  14. "Matt Walsh officially retires from basketball". Sportando.net. September 24, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  15. http://www.espn.com/nbl/story/_/id/22579502/nbl-new-zealand-breakers-former-nba-players-majority-shareholders. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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