Samson James Froling (born 10 February 2000)[1] is an Australian professional basketball player for the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays for one season before leaving to play professionally in Australia.
.jpg) Froling in 2018 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 13 – Illawarra Hawks | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center / power forward | ||||||||||||||
| League | NBL | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 10 February 2000 Townsville, Australia | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 213 cm (7 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 109 kg (240 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| College | Creighton (2018–2019) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2020: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2019–present | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Dandenong Rangers | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–present | Illawarra Hawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2023 | Levanga Hokkaido | ||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Taranaki Airs | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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College career
editIn January 2018, Froling committed to play college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays after receiving offers from programs including Wichita State, Arizona and Maryland.[2] In 30 games for Creighton during the 2018–19 season, Froling averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 8.9 minutes a game.[3] On 1 April 2019, Froling announced he would be leaving Creighton to pursue professional opportunities in Australia.[4]
Professional career
editOn the same day as announcing he had left Creighton, Froling was listed on the roster for the Dandenong Rangers of the Australian semi-professional league NBL1.[4] In 16 games for the Rangers during the league's inaugural 2019 season, Froling averaged 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds a game.[5]
On 6 May 2019, Froling signed a three-year deal with the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL.[6] His remaining contract with Illawarra was voided when the club was liquidated on 18 May 2020.[7]
On 22 July 2020, Froling re-signed with the Hawks on a new two-year deal.[8] He re-signed to a new three-year deal on 25 February 2022.[9]
On 22 February 2023, Froling signed with the Levanga Hokkaido of the Japanese B.League.[10]
With the Hawks in the 2023–24 NBL season, Froling won the NBL Next Generation Award.[11][12]
Froling joined the Taranaki Airs of the New Zealand National Basketball League (NZNBL) for the 2024 season.[13] In July 2024, he joined the Indiana Pacers for the NBA Summer League.[14]
National team career
editFroling played for the Australian national junior program between 2015 and 2019.[15] He debuted for the Australian Boomers during the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in 2020. He played for the Boomers in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in 2021 and at the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup.[15]
In November 2024, Froling joined the Boomers for the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.[16]
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 | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Creighton | 30 | 0 | 9.2 | .576 | .250 | .385 | 1.9 | .5 | .1 | .4 | 3.6 |
Personal life
editFroling was born in Townsville, Queensland, to Shane and Jenny Froling as the youngest of four siblings. His father played in the NBL for twenty years, while his mother was a four-time champion in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL).[17] His sisters, Alicia and Keely, have played together in the WNBL, while his brother, Harry Froling, plays in the NBL for the Brisbane Bullets.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Samson James FROLING". FIBA. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ Nyatawa, Jon (15 January 2018). "Recruiting: Australian forward Sam Froling announces commitment to Creighton for 2018". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "Samson Froling Bio". Creighton University Athletics. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ a b Nyatawa, Jon (1 April 2019). "Samson Froling leaves Creighton to pursue professional career in Australia". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "Samson Froling Stats". NBL1. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "Sam Froling Signs With Illawarra Hawks". NBL1. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ Hope, Shayne (18 May 2020). "NBL's Hawks liquidated amid huge debt". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ "Froling Returns to the Hawks". nbl.com.au. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
- ^ "Sam Froling Signs New Three Year Deal With Illawarra". nbl.com.au. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
- ^ "#13 サムソン・フローリング選手 新規入団のお知らせ" (in Japanese). Levanga Hokkaido. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "A rising star of Aussie hoops". twitter.com/NBL. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
- ^ Woods, Dan (24 February 2024). "Tale of the Tape - Froling's Next Generation season". NBL.com.au. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
- ^ "The Taranaki Steelformers Airs have signed Australian forward Sam Froling". facebook.com/NZNBL. 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Sam Froling signs with Indiana Pacers for NBA Summer League". taranakiairs.com. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
- ^ a b "Samson James Froling". fiba.basketball. 16 November 2024. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
- ^ "NBL stars headline Boomers team". NBL.com.au. 30 October 2024. Archived from the original on 16 November 2024.
- ^ "U17 Worlds a family affair for Australian Sam Froling". FIBA. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "Sam Froling Signs in Illawarra". NBL. 7 May 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.