Greg Stiemsma



Gregory Stiemsma (born September 26, 1985) is an American professional basketball center with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. Stiemsma is listed at 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) and 260 lbs. (117.9 kg). Stiemsma played his high school basketball for Randolph High School in Randolph, Wisconsin. He later attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, playing for four years before declaring for the 2008 NBA Draft, where he remained undrafted. As an NBA player Stiemsma is known for his shot blocking ability and defense. {| class="toc" id="toc"

Contents
[hide] *1 Early life
 * 2 High School Career
 * 3 College Career
 * 4 Professional Career
 * 4.1 Turkey (2008)
 * 4.2 South Korea (2009)
 * 4.3 Sioux Falls Skyforce (2009-10)
 * 4.4 Minnesota Timberwolves (2010)
 * 4.5 Cleveland Cavaliers (2010)
 * 4.6 Turkey (2010-11)
 * 4.7 Sioux Falls Skyforce (2011)
 * 5 NBA Career
 * 6 International Career
 * 7 College Statistics
 * 8 D-League Statistics
 * 9 International Statistics
 * 10 Notes and references
 * 11 External links
 * }

[edit]Early life
Stiemsma was born and raised in Randolph, Wisconsin.

[edit]High School Career
Stiemsma played for the Randolph Rockets and led them to three consecutive high school state basketball titles in Division 4, at that time, the smallest division in Wisconsin.[1] In his final year of High School, Stiemsma was ranked #37 nationally for high school prospects, ahead of NBA players such as Al Horford, Dorell Wright, Andray Blatche, Roy Hibbert, Jeff Green, and Joakim Noah.

[edit]College Career
Stiemsma played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Madison with the Badgers. In January of 2006, Stiemsma’s grades forced him to become academically ineligible for the teams final fifteen games of the season. His poor academic performance led to Stiemsma being diagnosed with depression.[2]

[edit]Turkey (2008)
In 2008 Stiemsma signed a contract with Oyak Renault of the Turkish Basketball League.[3] He played in 17 games and averaged 7.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. [4] He left in February 2009.

[edit]South Korea (2009)
Stiemsma was drafted with the 2nd overall pick in the 2009 Korean Basketball League's international player draft.[5] He signed a lucrative deal with the Seoul SK Knights and averaged 14.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game in 16 appearances. [6]

He also played with Busan KT Sonicboom of the Korean Basketball League.

[edit]Sioux Falls Skyforce (2009-10)
Stiemsma signed with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League for the 2009-10 season 45 games, averaging 8.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game in 45 appearances. He was a key player for the Skyforce and won the 2010 NBA Development League Defensive Player of the Year Award.

[edit]Minnesota Timberwolves (2010)
On April 13, 2010 Stiemsma was signed to a contract by the Minnesota Timberwolves for the remainder of the 2009-10 season and for the 2010-11 season.[7] However, he was waived on September 10, 2010 and did not appear in a game. [8]

[edit]Cleveland Cavaliers (2010)
On September 24, 2010, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Stiemsma to a 10 day contract. On October 3, 2010, Cleveland waived him. [9]

[edit]Turkey (2010-11)
In October 2010 Stiemsma signed a two-year contract with Türk Telekom B.K. in Turkey.[10] He played 29 games and averaged 6.0 points, 4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. He also played 5 EuroChallengegames and averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. [11]

[edit]Sioux Falls Skyforce (2011)
In October 2011 Stiemsma returned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce [12] and played 4 games before being signed by the Boston Celtics.

[edit]NBA Career
On December 19, 2011, he was signed by the Boston Celtics for the rookie minimum contract. He made his NBA debut on December 28, 2011, against the New Orleans Hornets, playing 20 minutes and recording 2 points, 6 blocks, and 4 rebounds. His 6 blocks were a Celtics franchise record for a debut. [13] His contract was fully guaranteed for the remainder of the season on February 8, 2012.[14]

He signed a sponsorship deal with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc. Nike] in March 2012.[15]

[edit]International Career
In 2011, he earned a bronze medal with Team USA at the Pan American Games [16] Stiemsma lead the tournament in Field Goal Percentage (.889) and was second in the tournament in blocked shots with 11 as Team USA went on to win the Bronze medal. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16">[17]

[edit]Notes and references

 * 1) ^ Cullen, Eric (March 22, 2004). "Stiemsma’s Randolph Rockets secure 3rd-straight title". Badger Herald. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
 * 2) ^ Davis, Seth (September 27, 2006). "SI.com - Writers - Seth Davis: Wisconsin's Stiemsma is back on track - Wednesday September 27, 2006 11:54AM". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
 * 3) ^ http://www.bigtennetwork.com/news/article.asp?list_id=11&story_id=2464026
 * 4) ^ Turk Telekom signed Greg Stiemsma for 2 seasons
 * 5) ^ Update: Pro Badgers Around the Globe
 * 6) ^ Turk Telekom signs Greg Stiemsma to a two-year contract
 * 7) ^ "Wolves Sign Greg Stiemsma". NBA.com. 2010-04-13. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
 * 8) ^ Timberwolves Waive Greg Stiemsma
 * 9) ^ Cavaliers Waive Stiemsma
 * 10) ^ Turk Telekom inks big guy Greg Stiemsma
 * 11) ^ Gregory Stiemsma Basketball Profile
 * 12) ^ Stiemsma To Return To Skyforce
 * 13) ^ NBA Celtics Gamenote
 * 14) ^ Greg Stiemsma’s Contract To Become Fully Guaranteed
 * 15) ^ Stiemsma signs with Nike
 * 16) ^ http://www.teamusa.org/news/2011/10/26/u-s-men-win-team-bronze-medal-at-2011-pan-am-games/45214
 * 17) ^ Full Stiem Ahead: Celtics Rookie Stiemsma Recognizes Dream