João Paulo Lopes "J. P." Batista (born October 29, 1981) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player and current coach. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he played the power forward position. He played college basketball at Gonzaga University and also started his coaching career with the Bulldogs as an assistant coach.
 | |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach |
| League | NBB |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 29, 1981 Olinda, Pernambuco |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2006: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2006–2022 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 13 |
| Coaching career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2006–2008 | Lietuvos rytas |
| 2008 | Barons Rīga |
| 2008–2014 | Le Mans Sarthe |
| 2014–2015 | Limoges CSP |
| 2015–2018 | Flamengo |
| 2018–2019 | Mogi das Cruzes |
| 2019–2020 | Le Mans Sarthe |
| 2020–2021 | Minas |
| 2021–2022 | Flamengo |
| As coach: | |
| 2022–present | Gonzaga (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
| |
Early life
editBatista was born and raised in Olinda, Pernambuco, attended Colegio Atual school in Olinda and was named State Player of the Year as a senior in 2001.
College career
editBatista arrived at Gonzaga in 2004, after spending the first year of his college career at Western Nebraska Community College and the second at Barton County Community College in Kansas, where he mentored teammate and fellow international student Antanas Kavaliauskas. He finished his first season with Gonzaga averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, and was named the top newcomer in the West Coast Conference.
Playing alongside the All-American Adam Morrison, Batista finished the 2005-06 NCAA basketball season averaging over 19 points and 9 rebounds per game, while shooting a remarkable 59 percent from the field and 83 percent from the free-throw line.[1]
Professional career
editDespite his impressive collegiate statistics, Batista was generally ignored by the scouts leading up to the 2006 NBA draft, with his lack of athleticism and his age (he was nearly 25 at the time of the draft, unusually old for a college prospect) hindering his chances of being drafted. Batista played for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves entry in the Las Vegas Summer League,[2] but he was not signed by the team.
He accepted an offer to play for Lietuvos rytas in Vilnius, Lithuania in the LKL and ULEB Cup. With Lietuvos rytas he played in the ULEB Cup and Lithuanian basketball Cup finals, and won the BBL championship. Their 2006-07 ULEB Cup run ended in a loss in the final to Real Madrid, but since Real had already qualified for the 2007-08 Euroleague through their league position, Lietuvos rytas received the Euroleague berth that normally goes to the ULEB Cup winners.
On June 16, 2014, he signed a two-year deal with French club Limoges CSP.[3] With them he won the 2014–15 LNB Pro A championship. On June 25, 2015, he parted ways with Limoges.[4]
On July 16, 2015, he returned to Brazil and signed with Flamengo.[5]
On June 25, 2019, he has signed a contract with Le Mans Sarthe of the LNB Pro A.[6]
Coaching career
editOn August 14, 2022, Batista joined the Gonzaga Bulldogs as an assistant coach, thus returning to his alma mater after 16 years.[7]
EuroLeague career statistics
edit| 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 | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Lietuvos Rytas | 11 | 0 | 8.0 | .516 | .000 | .556 | 1.5 | .2 | .1 | .0 | 3.4 | 2.0 |
| 2008–09 | Le Mans | 10 | 7 | 23.5 | .570 | .000 | .667 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .7 | .4 | 11.4 | 9.9 |
| 2014–15 | Limoges CSP | 10 | 1 | 17.1 | .455 | .000 | .818 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .2 | .2 | 7.8 | 6.0 |
National team career
editBatista represents the senior men's Brazilian national basketball team and he was a part of the 2010 FIBA World Championship squad.
References
edit- ^ Gonzaga Bulldogs Statistics – 2005-06
- ^ Spokesman-Review
- ^ Limoges signs JP Batista
- ^ Jamar Smith, Adrien Moerman and JP Batista leave Limoges CSP
- ^ "JP Batista é o novo atleta do basquete rubro-negro". Site Oficial do Flamengo (in Portuguese). Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- ^ "Le Mans inks J.P. Batista". Sportando. June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Forsman, Cole. "J.P. Batista joins Bulldogs' coaching staff". Gonzaga Nation. Retrieved 2022-08-23.