Taveion Hollingsworth

Taveion Hollingsworth
Hollingsworth with Western Kentucky in 2018
No. 11 – AEK Larnaca
PositionPoint guard
LeagueCypriot League
Personal information
Born (1998-08-14) August 14, 1998 (age 26)
Pontiac, Michigan
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolPaul Laurence Dunbar
(Lexington, Kentucky)
CollegeWestern Kentucky (2017–2021)
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Traiskirchen Lions
2022–2023KK Dubrava
2023–presentAEK Larnaca
Career highlights and awards

Taveion Hollingsworth (born August 14, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for AEK Larnaca of the Cypriot League. He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.

Early life and high school career

Hollingsworth grew up in Pontiac, Michigan and started playing basketball at age six. In second grade, he moved with his family to Lexington, Kentucky.[1] He attended Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington. As a junior, he led his team to its first state championship, scoring 20 points in the title game and earning tournament most valuable player honors.[2] Hollingsworth averaged 28.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.1 steals per game as senior. He was named Kentucky Mr. Basketball and Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year.[3][4] A three-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Western Kentucky over an offer from UAB.[5] He had also received a conditional scholarship offer from Kentucky.[6]

College career

On February 15, 2018, Hollingsworth scored a freshman season-high 30 points, the most by a Western Kentucky freshman since 1955,[7] and grabbed seven rebounds in a 102–94 overtime win over North Texas.[8] On March 21, he scored 30 points for a second time with eight rebounds in a 92–84 quarterfinal win over Oklahoma State at the 2018 National Invitation Tournament.[9] As a freshman, Hollingsworth averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game despite playing several games with a broken nose. He earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors and surpassed Courtney Lee for Western Kentucky's freshman scoring record.[10] Hollingsworth was suspended from an exhibition game prior to his sophomore season for a violation of team rules, after being cited for marijuana possession.[11] As a sophomore, he averaged 14.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He was named to the Third Team All-Conference USA as well as the All-Tournament Team.[12]

On February 27, 2020, Hollingsworth posted a career-high 43 points, six rebounds and three assists in a 95–91 overtime win over Louisiana Tech. He scored the most single-game points by a Western Kentucky player since Jim McDaniels in 1971.[13] Five days later, he was named Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week.[14] As a junior, Hollingsworth averaged 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, earning First Team All-Conference USA honors.[15] He averaged 13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game as a senior and was named to the Second Team All-Conference USA. Hollingsworth announced he was turning professional rather than use the fifth year of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He finished his career fifth on Western Kentucky's all-time scoring list with 1,896 points, set the school record with 131 games started, and ranked in the top 10 in career steals, free throws made, free throws attempted and free-throw percentage.[16]

Professional career

On August 6, 2021, Hollingsworth signed his first professional contract with the Traiskirchen Lions of the Austrian Basketball Superliga.[17] He subsequently joined KK Dubrava of the Croatian league and averaged 19.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. On February 23, 2023, Hollingsworth signed with AEK Larnaca B.C. of the Cyprus Basketball Division A.[18]

Career 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

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Western Kentucky 38 37 34.5 .480 .378 .791 3.4 1.9 1.0 .1 13.3
2018–19 Western Kentucky 34 34 36.8 .418 .318 .771 4.4 2.2 1.2 .2 14.4
2019–20 Western Kentucky 30 30 34.9 .471 .308 .843 4.2 2.7 1.3 .1 16.6
2020–21 Western Kentucky 29 29 31.4 .421 .329 .859 3.8 2.4 1.2 .2 13.9
Career 131 130 34.5 .447 .336 .818 3.9 2.3 1.2 .2 14.5

Personal life

Hollingsworth is the son of Kathy Sweatt and Maurice Hollingsworth. Both of his parents were standout basketball players at Harlan High School in Harlan, Kentucky.[1] He has a daughter, Aubrey, who was born in 2017.[19]

References

  1. ^ a b Bishop, Chad (January 5, 2018). "On pace to become one of the highest-scoring freshmen in WKU history, Hollingsworth plays for more on and off the court". WBKO. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. ^ "Paul Dunbar wins first-ever state basketball title". Kentucky New Era. The Associated Press. March 20, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  3. ^ Moore, Josh (March 20, 2017). "Taveion Hollingsworth named Kentucky Gatorade Boys' Basketball Player of the Year". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  4. ^ "Hilltopper signee Hollingsworth named 2017 Kentucky Mr. Basketball". The Daily News. March 24, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Stephens, Brad (November 9, 2016). "In-state Class of '17 guard Hollingsworth commits to WKU". The Daily News. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  6. ^ Story, Mark (February 22, 2018). "Thriving at WKU, Hollingsworth has no regrets about UK". Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  7. ^ Stephens, Brad (March 31, 2018). "'Sky's the limit' for Hollingsworth after remarkable freshman year". The Daily News. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  8. ^ "Hilltoppers Ride Hollingsworth, Free Throws to Overtime Win at North Texas". Western Kentucky University Athletics. February 15, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  9. ^ "Hollingsworth leads Western Kentucky past Oklahoma State into NIT semis". WYMT-TV. March 21, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  10. ^ Stephens, Brad (March 14, 2018). "Hollingsworth breaks Lee's WKU freshman scoring record". The Daily News. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  11. ^ "WKU's Taveion Hollingsworth cited for marijuana possession". WBKO. November 1, 2018. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  12. ^ "Hilltoppers Picked to Win League; Hollingsworth, Bassey Named to Preseason Team". Western Kentucky University Athletics. October 17, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  13. ^ Wells, Elliott (February 27, 2020). "Taveion Hollingsworth's career-high 43 points sends WKU past Louisiana Tech in overtime classic". College Heights Herald. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  14. ^ "Hollingsworth Named USBWA National Player of the Week". Western Kentucky University Athletics. March 3, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  15. ^ "Tops Picked as C-USA Favorite; Hollingsworth, Bassey Named to Preseason Team". Western Kentucky University Athletics. November 5, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  16. ^ "Hollingsworth Set to Begin Professional Basketball Career". Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. May 10, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  17. ^ "Arkadia tabs rookie Taveion Hollingsworth". Eurobasket. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
  18. ^ "Taveion Hollingsworth (ex Dubrava) agreed terms with AEK Larnaca". Eurobasket. February 23, 2023. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  19. ^ Estes, Gentry (December 31, 2018). "Taveion Hollingsworth a shooting star at WKU, one that got away for UK". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved December 2, 2020.