L.J. Thorpe

L. J. Thorpe
No. 2 – Juventus Utena
PositionPoint guard
LeagueLithuanian Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1999-05-06) May 6, 1999 (age 25)
Royal Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolRoyal Palm Beach
(Royal Palm Beach, Florida)
CollegeUNC Asheville (2017–2022)
NBA draft2023: undrafted
Playing career2022–present
Career history
2022–2023Tampereen Pyrintö
2023–2024BC Šiauliai
2024Brampton Honey Badgers
2024–presentJuventus Utena

Leonard "L. J." Thorpe (born May 6, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Juventus Utena of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He played college basketball for the UNC Asheville Bulldogs.

High school career

Thorpe graduated from Royal Palm Beach High School in Royal Palm Beach, Florida. In his junior year he averaged 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game. As a senior he averaged 14.1 points, 7.2 assists and 6.7 rebounds per game. After both his junior and senior years, he was named conference player of the year and first team all-state.[1] Thorpe committed to UNC Asheville after graduating.[2]

College career

Thorpe played only one game before getting injured and redshirted during the 2017–18 season.[1] On 9 February 2019, he scored a then career-high 24 points against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers.[3] On 18 January 2020, Thorpe scored a career-high 31 points against the Hampton Pirates, however Hampton's Ben Stanley outscored Thorpe by putting up 33 points and managed to lead Hampton to an 88–86 victory.[4]

On 10 February 2020, L.J. Thorpe became the second player in program history to record a triple-double (the first one being Kenny George). He led the team with 17 points, recorded a career-high 13 rebounds and career-high 10 assists as the Bulldogs fell 80–70 to the Hampton Pirates.[5]

Professional career

Tampereen Pyrintö (2022–2023)

On August 8, 2022, he signed with Tampereen Pyrintö of the Korisliiga in Finland.[6][7] During his stay with the team he averaged 12.7 points and 4.9 assists per game.[8][9]

BC Šiauliai (2023–2024)

On July 18, 2023, he signed with BC Šiauliai of the Lithuanian Basketball League.[9][10][11] On October 26, 2023, Thorpe scored 28 points and hit five three-pointers in a 104–93 win over Pieno žvaigždės Pasvalys.[12]

Brampton Honey Badgers (2024)

On May 8, 2024, Thorpe signed with the Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[13]

Juventus Utena (2024–present)

In July, 2024, Thorpe signed with Juventus Utena of the Lithuanian Basketball League.[14]

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 UNC Asheville 1 0 6.0 .500 .000 .750 1.0 2.0 4.0 0.0 5.0
2018–19 UNC Asheville 16 6 23.9 .385 .268 .679 3.5 2.5 2.5 0.1 8.6
2019–20 UNC Asheville 31 31 28.6 .486 .404 .686 6.4 2.3 1.4 0.2 13.9
2020–21 UNC Asheville 20 16 25.1 .500 .405 .714 4.1 3.0 0.7 0.2 11.6
2021–22 UNC Asheville 32 27 24.2 .494 .400 .739 3.8 3.7 0.9 0.2 14.1
Career 100 80 25.5 .479 .366 .708 4.6 2.9 1.0 0.2 12.5

References

  1. ^ a b "LJ Thorpe - Men's Basketball". UNC Asheville Athletics. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  2. ^ "McDevitt Announces Addition of Thorpe to 2017-18 Men's Basketball Roster". UNC Asheville Athletics. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  3. ^ "Charleston Southern 85-75 UNC Asheville (9 Feb, 2019) Game Recap - ESPN (UK)". ESPN. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  4. ^ "Stanley lifts Hampton over UNC Asheville 88-86". The Seattle Times. 2020-01-18. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  5. ^ "Career Night from Thorpe Not Enough as Bulldogs Fall to Pirates on the Road". UNC Asheville Athletics. 2020-02-10. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  6. ^ "LJ Thorpe signs a professional contract to play in Finland". UNC Asheville Athletics. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  7. ^ "LJ Thorpe Pyrintöön". Pyrintö (in Finnish). 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  8. ^ "L.J. Thorpe". www.basket.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  9. ^ a b ""Šiauliuose" Sabeckį keičia amerikietis". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  10. ^ ""Šiaulių" ekipą papildė gynėjas iš JAV". krepsinis.net (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  11. ^ "LJ Thorpe Inks Contract with BC Šiauliai". UNC Asheville Athletics. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  12. ^ "Galingas "Šiaulių" puolimas nepaliko vilčių "Pieno žvaigždėms"". basketnews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 2023-12-30.
  13. ^ Warrener, Kyle (May 8, 2024). "HONEY BADGERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH GUARD THORPE". HoneyBadgers.ca. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  14. ^ "Buvęs "Šiaulių" lyderis L.J. Thorpe keliasi į Uteną". UtenosJuventus.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved August 10, 2024.