Zach Auguste

Zachary Elias Auguste (Greek: Ζαχαρίας Ηλίας "Ζακ" Όγκαστ;[1] born July 8, 1993) is a Greek-American[2][3] professional basketball player for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He is a 6'10" (2.08 m) center.[4] Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Auguste started playing high school basketball for Marlborough. In 2011, he moved to the university preparatory New Hampton School in New Hampshire, where he was nominated for the 2012 McDonald's All-American Game. After graduating from New Hampton, Auguste enrolled in the University of Notre Dame, to play college basketball for the Fighting Irish. Spending his freshman and sophomore seasons mainly as a reserve player, Auguste rose to prominence during his junior season in 2014–15, when his team won the ACC Tournament title, and went to the NCAA Elite Eight.

Zach Auguste
Auguste (front), playing against Georgia Tech
No. 8 – Panathinaikos
PositionCenter
LeagueGreek Basket League
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1993-07-08) July 8, 1993
Cambridge, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican / Haitian / Greek
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight239 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeNotre Dame (2012–2016)
NBA draft2016 / Undrafted
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Uşak Sportif
2017–2018Panathinaikos
2018–2020Galatasaray
2020–presentPanathinaikos
Career highlights and awards

High school career

Auguste played at Marlborough High School for three seasons, growing 3 inches in each of these seasons.[5] As a junior in 2009–10, Auguste averaged 22 points and received All-Star accolades from the Mid-Wachusett (Central Massachusetts) league and local newspapers the Telegram & Gazette and The MetroWest Daily News.[6][7] He scored a total 631 points throughout his career at Marlborough.[6]

He moved to university preparatory New Hampton School after that season, reclassifying to the class of 2012.[8] He cited his desire to get academically and physically ready for college as the main factors behind that decision.[5] After adapting to the higher competition level, he improved dramatically in time, putting on 28 pounds and developing his post game to transition from a perimeter player to a forward.[8][9] He finished with an average of 15 points and 8 rebounds for his senior season.[6] Nominated for the 2012 McDonald's All-American Boys Game,[10] he didn't make the final selection.[11]

Soon after joining New Hampton, he was noticed by Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) conference Notre Dame's assistant coach Anthony Solomon,[8] however he later cut the school from his selection list, which included Division I schools West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Florida and Marquette.[12][13] Despite this, Solomon's steadfast attempts to recruit the player, widely ranked a 4-star recruit,[14][15][16][17] convinced Auguste to visit the campus; he committed to Notre Dame on the spot in September 2011.[12][13]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Zach Auguste
PF		 Marlborough, MA New Hampton School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sep 23, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 22 (PF)   Rivals: 97, 23 (PF)  247Sports: 101, 27 (PF)  ESPN: 25 (PF)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Notre Dame 2012 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  • "2012 Notre Dame Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  • "2012 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  • "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015.

    College career

    Auguste made his debut for Notre Dame in a November 12, 2012 victory against Monmouth, contributing 4 points and 3 rebounds in 3 minutes.[18] After two ankle sprains during pre-season practice, Auguste had difficulty breaking into the already established team.[19] Finding himself behind Jack Cooley and Garrick Sherman in the rotation,[20] he averaged 10.7 minutes per game in 25 games.[6][21] Notable were games against Kennesaw State (12 points and 7 rebounds in 12 minutes)[19] and Marquette (a season-high 15 points with 5 rebounds and 3 steals in 21 minutes), for a freshman season average of 3.7 points and 2.7 rebounds.[6][21]

    For the 2013–14 season, Auguste was expected to play a larger role after Cooley graduated and coach Mike Brey cited him as a major player.[12] Though he did start 13 games out of 30,[6][21] he stayed third choice with Sherman and Tom Knight preferred. He recorded his first college double-double against Clemson having 14 points and 12 rebounds,[22] followed by no-shows.[23][24] He finished his sophomore season with 6.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in nearly 17 minutes per game on average.[6][21]

    Tabbed as a starter during the preseason, Auguste, as one of the team's few post options,[23][24] established himself as a starter during his junior season with good performances early in the season, albeit against weaker opposition. A memorable December 13, 2014 game against Florida State, in which he scored a career-high 26 points, started what coach Brey described as a run of key contributions from the forward,[25][26] with Auguste quickly recouping from his bad performances.[27] In January 2015, Auguste was sidelined by Notre Dame due to academic issues, with the length of the suspension undisclosed.[28] It would ultimately only last three days, with the unknown reason later described as minor by the player.[29] Auguste was seen as a major contributor to the Irish's 2015 ACC Tournament title contributing 16 points and 13 rebounds in the final against North Carolina (for an average of more than 11 points and 9 rebounds in the whole tournament).[20][26][30]

    In the Round of 64 of the following 2015 NCAA Tournament, Auguste scored 25 points against Northeastern, including two under-pressure free-throws in the final minute of a 69-65 close-fought win.[20][26][31] In the next round tie against Butler, he committed a double dribble that conceded possession with two seconds left on the clock in a tied 55-55 game. Butler did not score, and in overtime Auguste blocked a shot before grabbing a rebound - a team-leading 13th - as Notre Dame won to reach the Sweet 16.[32][33] A comfortable win over Wichita State followed (15 points, 6 rebounds and 1 block for Auguste in 26 minutes) and Notre Dame qualified to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1979.[34] Auguste, described as "Notre Dame's only true post player", was predicted to play an important role in the game against undefeated Kentucky, who - in Karl-Anthony Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein - had some of the biggest forwards of the tournament.[29][35] He had 20 points and nine rebounds in the game, while mostly defended by Towns. In defense against the same player, he could not stop him from scoring 25 points in a to-the-wire 66-68 loss to the favorites.[36] Auguste finished the tournament with 16.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game,[37] with 12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in around 24 minutes for the whole 2014-15 season.[6][21]

    Auguste was elected captain by his teammates for his senior season.[38] He was also voted to the Preseason All-ACC second team.[39] Seven games into the 2015-16 season, Auguste tallied his fifth double-double of the season, tying the total of his first three seasons.[40] He was named as one of ten finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award,[41] also earning third team all-ACC honors for the season.[42] In the quarter final of the 2016 ACC Tournament Auguste led his team to an 84–79 win versus Duke, posting a double-double with 19 points and 22 rebounds,[43] setting the Notre Dame's record for most rebounds in a game and tying Tim Duncan's second best performance in the ACC Tournament.[44]

    College statistics
    Legend
      GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
     FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
     RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
     BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

    Source:[6][21][45]

    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2012–13 Notre Dame 25010.7.520.000.6822.7.2.4.53.7
    2013–14 Notre Dame 301316.3.509.000.4834.3.3.4.46.7
    2014–15 Notre Dame 373624.4.619.000.6366.5.8.7.712.9
    2015–16 Notre Dame 363629.6.560.000.62810.71.1.61.114.0
    Career 1288521.3.567.000.6136.4.6.5.710.0

    Professional career

    2016–2017 season

    After not being drafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Auguste joined the Los Angeles Lakers' summer league squad for the 2016 Las Vegas Summer League.[46] He appeared in 4 games, and averaged 5.3 points and 4 rebounds per game.[47] On August 29, 2016, he signed a contract with the Lakers,[47] but he was waived on October 12, without playing in any regular season NBA games with the team.[48]

    On October 27, he signed with Muratbey Uşak Sportif of the Turkish Super League, for the 2016–17 season.[49] He made his professional debut on November 5, 2016, going scoreless against İstanbul BŞB, in a Turkish BSL game.[50] In January 2017, Auguste scored 31 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, to help his team get past Polish team Rosa Radom, which earned him the Game Day 11 MVP award of the Champions League 2016–17 season.[51]

    He averaged 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game, in 23 games played in the Turkish Super League. He also averaged 13.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, in 11 games played in the European-wide 3rd-tier level Champions League. After his club was parachuted down into the European-wide 4th-tier level FIBA Europe Cup, he averaged 17.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game, in 4 games played in the FIBA Europe Cup 2016–17 season.

    2017–2018 season

    Auguste then played with the Miami Heat's summer league squad for the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League. He averaged 10 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in the Las Vegas Summer League, and 7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game in the Orlando Summer League. On June 30, 2017, Auguste signed a one-year deal with Greek club Panathinaikos,[52] at a salary of €500,000 euros net income.[53]

    2018–2019 season

    Auguste signed with Galatasaray of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL) and the EuroCup on August 7, 2018.[54]

    2019–2020 season

    On August 7, 2019, Auguste renewed his contract with Galatasaray for another season.

    2020–2021 season

    On July 20, 2020, Auguste officially returned to the Greek Basket League and Panathinaikos for a second stint with the EuroLeague club, signing a two-year (1+1) contract.[55]

    National team career

    Auguste was selected to the senior Greek national basketball team's 16 man preliminary squad for the EuroBasket 2017.[56][57]

    Personal life

    Auguste was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Jean Bazile Auguste and Lea Tzimoulis.[6] His father, was a former semi-professional soccer player,[12][58] from Haiti, whose uncle is Christophe Dardompre, a former Colonel of the Haitian Army.[59] His mother is of Greek heritage through her grandfather Louis, who immigrated to the U.S. from Agia Sotira, Greece in 1949.[60][61]

    Auguste has dual citizenship with the United States and Greece.[2][3] He has stated that he speaks Greek and Haitian Creole fluently, in addition to his native English.[62] He has a son born in August 2020.

    See also

    References
    1. Man to man Ολυμπιακού και Παναθηναϊκού στον Ζακ Ογκουστ που τρελαίνει την Τουρκία! (in Greek).
    2. Zach Auguste got the Greek passport.
    3. Έλληνας και επίσημα ο Όγκαστ! (in Greek).
    4. "ZACH AUGUSTE player profile". Eurobasket.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
    5. Doyle, Bill (February 19, 2015). "Homecoming for Notre Dame's Auguste". Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
    6. "Zach Auguste". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    7. O'Malley, Tim (November 10, 2011). "Success pays off". Scout.com. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
    8. Cagen, Dan (February 19, 2012). "High School Notebook: Irish eyes eagerly await Auguste". The Milford Daily News. Marlborough. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
    9. Perry, Phil (March 25, 2012). "Marlborough's Auguste well prepped for Notre Dame". The Boston Globe. Marlborough. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
    10. "Local McDonald's All-American Nominees". ESPN Boston. January 18, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
    11. Bien, Louis (March 28, 2012). "2012 McDonald's All-American Game Rosters: Shabazz Muhammad Leads, Kyle Anderson Lead Talented West, East Backcourts". SB Nation. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
    12. Turner, Tayler (October 24, 2013). "Ready To Step Up". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    13. "New Hampton's Auguste picks Notre Dame". ESPN. September 23, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
    14. "Zach Auguste". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
    15. "Zach Auguste". ESPN. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
    16. "Zach Auguste, New Hampton, Power Forward". 247Sports.com. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
    17. "Zach Auguste - recruiting". Scout.com. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
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    19. Noie, Tom (December 20, 2012). "Notre Dame men's basketball: Auguste adds intrigue to rotation". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
    20. "Marlborough's Zach Auguste packs punch for Notre Dame". The Boston Globe. March 21, 2015. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
    21. "Zach Auguste - player profile". ESPN. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
    22. Owens, Andrew (February 11, 2014). "ND Tops Clemson In Double Overtime". 247Sports.com. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
    23. Noie, Tom (August 23, 2014). "Time is here for Auguste". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
    24. Owens, Andrew (October 29, 2014). "Notre Dame Hopes Zach Auguste Follows Program's Year Three Trend". 247Sports.com. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
    25. "Zach Auguste hits career-high 26 to help Notre Dame to 83-63 victory". Chicago Tribune. December 13, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
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    28. Johnson, Chris (January 15, 2015). "Notre Dame passes first test without Zach Auguste but tougher foes await". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    29. Wolken, Dan (March 27, 2015). "Not losing Zach Auguste leads to wins for Notre Dame". USA Today. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    30. Ironside, Nick (March 15, 2015). "Three Points: Notre Dame vs. North Carolina". 247Sports.com. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
    31. "Notre Dame hangs on to edge Northeastern 69-65 in NCAA Tournament". Pittsburgh: Daily News (New York). March 19, 2015. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    32. Gentille, Steven (March 22, 2015). "How Zach Auguste and the Irish turned 'dumb mistake' into triumph". Pittsburgh: Sporting News. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    33. Greene, Dan (March 22, 2015). "Notre Dame overcomes adversity on, off court in OT win over Butler". Pittsburgh: Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    34. Ahern, Gerry (March 26, 2015). "Hot-shooting Notre Dame drubs Wichita State to reach Elite Eight". USA Today. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    35. Wright, Branson (March 28, 2015). "Notre Dame's Zach Auguste could become center of Kentucky's attention: 2015 NCAA Tournament". Cleveland: The Plain Dealer. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    36. Tucker, Kyle (March 29, 2015). "Analysis: Towns, UK outlast Notre Dame 68-66". Cleveland: The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
    37. "NCAA Tournament 2015: Real-Time Player Rankings Through Elite Eight 6. Zach Auguste". Bleacher Report. March 29, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
    38. Rallo, Curt (November 16, 2015). "Auguste Cherishes His Commonwealth Roots". Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
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    41. Chiari, Mike (February 5, 2016). "2016 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award: Full Finalist List, Comments and Reaction". bleacher report. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
    42. "ACSMA Announces Basketball Postseason Awards, All-ACC Teams". Atlantic Coast Conference. March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
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    44. "Notre Dame tops exhausted Duke 84-79 in OT in ACC tourney". ESPN. March 11, 2016. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
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    52. "Zach Auguste signs with Panathinaikos". Sportando.com. June 30, 2017. Retrieved June 30, 2017.
    53. Auguste stays with Panathinaikos after turning down NBA offers.
    54. "Galatasaray signs Zach Auguste". Sportando. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
    55. "Zach Auguste officially signs with Panathinaikos". Sportando. July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
    56. MISSAS ANNOUNCES PRE-SELECTION ROSTER FOR EUROBASKET.
    57. A LOOK AT GREECE’S 16-MAN PRE-SELECTION ROSTER.
    58. Press, ed. (July 13, 2016). "Un nouveau basketteur haïtien en passe de rejoindre la NBA" (in French). Le Nouvelliste. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
    59. Press, ed. (September 6, 2016). "It's official: Lakers Sign Haitian-American Zach Auguste". Le Floridien. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
    60. Zach Auguste - Student. Athlete. Irish. University of Notre Dame. February 25, 2014. Event occurs at 0:50. Retrieved March 30, 2015. My mother and my father took me to Haiti, because that's where he comes from. He was born in Haiti.
    61. "Louis A. Tzimoulis, 91". Community Advocate. Marlborough. August 15, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
    62. "Providence offers New Hampton's Auguste". ESPN. June 8, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
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