Georges Niang

Georges Niang
No. 32 – Indiana Pacers
Position Forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1993-06-17) June 17, 1993
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school Tilton School
(Tilton, New Hampshire)
College Iowa State (2012–2016)
NBA draft 2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50th overall
Selected by the Indiana Pacers
Playing career 2016–present
Career history
2016–present Indiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards

Georges Niang (born June 17, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an All-American college player for Iowa State University.

High school career

A three-year starter and two-year team captain, Niang capped off his career as one of the greatest players in The Tilton School history, amassing a school-record 2,372 points. He was a three-time First-Team All-NEPSAC Class AA pick, Niang was the 2012 NEPSAC Class AA Player of the Year.[1] He averaged 25.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a senior, averaged 24.2 points and 8.2 rebounds as a junior and led his team to the 2011 NEPSAC Class AA championship with a 72-56 win over St. Mark’s. He was named outstanding player of the tournament, scoring 23 points on 11-of-11 shooting from the field in the championship game. His team lost in the 2011 National Prep Championship to Notre Dame Prep (87-85), as Niang scored 31 points.[2] He played for the Boston-based BABC AAU team, the same program that featured former Cyclone and NBA player Will Blalock. His BABC squad won the 2011 Nike Peach Jam, one of the best AAU tournaments in the country.[3] He was teammates at Tilton and in AAU with Nerlens Noel, they won four NEPSAC titles, one national prep championship, one AAU national championship and one Nike EYBL title in his career.

Georges was considered one of the best players on the East Coast, ending his prep career as a consensus national top-100 recruit. He was ranked No. 42 by Lindy’s, No. 56 by ESPNU,[4] No. 69 by Scout.com, No. 69 by Rivals.com,[5] No. 73 by Sporting News, and No. 81 by CBS Sports in the 2012 prep national rankings. He also had offers from Iowa, Providence, Texas A&M, and Seton Hall, eventually committing to Iowa State.

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Georges Niang
F		 Methuen, MA The Tilton School (NH) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) May 5, 2011 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 6, 16 (F)  ESPN: 56, 2 (NH), 14 (F)
  • 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:

College career

Niang was named to the Big 12 All-Rookie Team in his freshman year in 2013. In the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, Niang broke the fifth metatarsal in his right foot, forcing him to sit for the remainder of the event.[6] As a sophomore, he averaged 16.7 points and 4.5 rebounds as the third most prominent offensive weapon for Iowa State behind Melvin Ejim and DeAndre Kane.[7]

Niang cut back on his calorie consumption in the 2014 offseason and consequently slimmed down to 230 pounds from 260 pounds.[7] As a junior, Niang led the team in scoring with 15.3 points per game to go along with 5.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. Seeded third in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the Cyclones were upset by 14th seeded UAB in the round of 64 despite 11 points and seven rebounds from Niang. He considered entering the 2015 NBA Draft, but instead decided to return for his senior season. "I was weighing it, but I want to be loyal to the program and didn't want to go out this way," Niang said. "I didn't want to leave my mark like that."[8]

Niang surpassed the 2,000-point threshold as a senior, averaging 20.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.[9] He was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith College Player of the Year on February 11.[10]

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Iowa State 35 23 25.1 .515 .392 .700 4.6 1.8 .7 .2 12.1
2013–14 Iowa State 34 34 30.1 .474 .327 .721 4.5 3.6 .6 .6 16.7
2014–15 Iowa State 34 34 30.7 .461 .400 .808 5.4 3.4 .5 .5 15.3
2015–16 Iowa State 34 34 33.2 .546 .390 .813 6.2 3.3 .9 .6 20.2
Career 121 109 29.2 .490 .375 .762 5.1 3.0 .6 .5 15.4

Professional career

Indiana Pacers (2016–present)

On June 23, 2016, Niang was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 50th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. He joined the team for the 2016 NBA Summer League, where his early play drew praise from Larry Bird.[11] On July 11, 2016, he signed with the Pacers.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "2011 - 2012 NEPSAC Boys' Basketball All-New England Selections". NEPSAC.org. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  2. ↑ Finkelstein, Adam (March 10, 2011). "National Prep Championship recap". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ Powers, Ian (July 19, 2011). "2011 Nike Peach Jam: Top Prospects". NBADraft.net. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Georges Niang recruiting profile". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Georges Niang profile". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Georges Niang Bio". Cyclones.com. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Forgrave, Reid (October 17, 2014). "Gorgeous Georges? Iowa State's Niang will look a lot different this season". Fox Sports. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Iowa State's Georges Niang says he's returning next season". Sports Illustrated. March 30, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Men's Basketball: Niang overtakes Hoiberg, hits 2,000-point mark". Amestrib.com. February 17, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  10. ↑ Payne, Terrence (February 11, 2016). "Naismith Trophy midseason list announced". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  11. ↑ "NBA Summer League; Niang earns praise from Bird". EagleTribune.com. July 5, 2016. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Georges Niang Signs with Pacers". NBA.com. July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2016.

External links

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