Luke Babbitt
Encyclopedia
Luke Robert Babbitt is an American
basketball
player for the Portland Trail Blazers
of the NBA. He played college basketball at the University of Nevada-Reno for two seasons before declaring for the 2010 NBA Draft
following his sophomore year. He was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
with the 16th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers
.
. At the age of nine his family moved to Reno, Nevada
. Babbitt attended Galena High School, where he was a 3-time All-State performer and a 2-time Gatorade
State Player of the Year in basketball
. As a junior, Babbitt averaged 27.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while leading Galena to a state championship. Babbitt finished his high school career by scoring 2,616 points, breaking future college teammate Armon Johnson
's Nevada state scoring record. Babbitt was ranked the #13 recruit in the nation according to ESPNU
100. He was recruited by University of Nevada-Reno, Ohio State University
, Gonzaga University
, University of Arizona
and University of California, Los Angeles
.
.
In his sophomore season, Babbitt led the team in scoring with 21.9 points per game. He scored a career-high 33 points in the Western Athletic Conference
tournament semifinals on March 13, 2010 versus New Mexico State
. Despite losing that game and ending their hopes of going to the NCAA Tournament
, Nevada was invited to the NIT
, where they lost in the second round to the University of Rhode Island
.
On April 20, 2010, Babbitt hired an agent and declared for the NBA Draft
.
he was selected as the 16th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves
. His rights were traded along with Minnesota forward Ryan Gomes
to the Portland Trail Blazers
in exchange for Martell Webster
. Babbitt signed his rookie contract with the Blazers on July 6, 2010. On December 8, 2010, the Trail Blazers assigned him to the Idaho Stampede
of the NBA D-League. He was recalled ten days later. On March 3, 2011, he was re-assigned to the Idaho Stampede
.
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Portland
| 24 || 0 || 5.7 || .273 || .188 || .333 || 1.3 || .3 || .1 || .1 || 1.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 24 || 0 || 5.7 || .273 || .188 || .333 || 1.3 || .3 || .1 || .1 || 1.5
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player for the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
of the NBA. He played college basketball at the University of Nevada-Reno for two seasons before declaring for the 2010 NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
following his sophomore year. He was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
with the 16th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
.
Early life
Babbitt was born in Cincinnati, OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. At the age of nine his family moved to Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. Babbitt attended Galena High School, where he was a 3-time All-State performer and a 2-time Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
State Player of the Year in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. As a junior, Babbitt averaged 27.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while leading Galena to a state championship. Babbitt finished his high school career by scoring 2,616 points, breaking future college teammate Armon Johnson
Armon Johnson
Armon Deshawn Johnson is a basketball player who was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 34th overall pick at the 2010 NBA Draft. A point guard, Johnson played in college for the Nevada Wolfpack. Johnson signed with the Blazers in August 2010. On January 28, 2011, he was assigned to the...
's Nevada state scoring record. Babbitt was ranked the #13 recruit in the nation according to ESPNU
ESPNU
ESPNU is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced by, affiliated with and owned by parent network ESPN. ESPNU originates out of ESPN Regional Television's ESPNU (often referred to as The U) is a television channel that specializes in college sports, and is produced...
100. He was recruited by University of Nevada-Reno, Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
, Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University is a private Roman Catholic university located in Spokane, Washington, United States. Founded in 1887 by the Society of Jesus, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and is named after the young Jesuit saint, Aloysius Gonzaga...
, University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
and University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
.
College career
After originally verbally committing to Ohio State, Babbitt backed out and decided to attend the University of Nevada-Reno. In his first game, Babbitt recorded a 20 point, 12 rebound double-double versus Montana State. He went on to average 16.9 points per game during his freshman year including a season-high 30 points on March 12, 2009 versus San Jose StateSan José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...
.
In his sophomore season, Babbitt led the team in scoring with 21.9 points per game. He scored a career-high 33 points in the Western Athletic Conference
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
tournament semifinals on March 13, 2010 versus New Mexico State
New Mexico State University
New Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
. Despite losing that game and ending their hopes of going to the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
, Nevada was invited to the NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
, where they lost in the second round to the University of Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island
The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
.
On April 20, 2010, Babbitt hired an agent and declared for the NBA Draft
2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
.
NBA
At the 2010 NBA Draft2010 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2010 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The draft, which started at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time , was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur...
he was selected as the 16th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
. His rights were traded along with Minnesota forward Ryan Gomes
Ryan Gomes
Ryan Anthony Gomes is an American professional basketball forward with the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association....
to the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
in exchange for Martell Webster
Martell Webster
Martell Webster is an American professional basketball player currently a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. The 6' 7" , 235 lbs small forward–shooting guard was nicknamed "The Definition" as a play on his surname , given to him by a personal friend...
. Babbitt signed his rookie contract with the Blazers on July 6, 2010. On December 8, 2010, the Trail Blazers assigned him to the Idaho Stampede
Idaho Stampede
The Idaho Stampede is an American basketball team that plays in the NBA Development League. The team is based in the Boise, Idaho, area and as of 2005 plays at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise. The team was founded as a member of the Continental Basketball Association in 1997 and was league runner-up...
of the NBA D-League. He was recalled ten days later. On March 3, 2011, he was re-assigned to the Idaho Stampede
Idaho Stampede
The Idaho Stampede is an American basketball team that plays in the NBA Development League. The team is based in the Boise, Idaho, area and as of 2005 plays at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise. The team was founded as a member of the Continental Basketball Association in 1997 and was league runner-up...
.
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" | Portland
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
| 24 || 0 || 5.7 || .273 || .188 || .333 || 1.3 || .3 || .1 || .1 || 1.5
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 24 || 0 || 5.7 || .273 || .188 || .333 || 1.3 || .3 || .1 || .1 || 1.5
Awards and recognition
- 2009–10 WAC All-Decade Team
- 2009–10 ESPN The MagazineESPN The MagazineESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
Academic All-American - 2009–10 APAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
All American Honorable Mention - 2009–10 Naismith AwardNaismith AwardNaismith Award is a basketball award named after Dr. James Naismith, and awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.The Naismith Award can be:* Naismith College Player of the Year...
mid seasonfinalist - 2009–10 WAC Player of the YearWestern Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the YearThe Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year is a basketball award given to the Western Athletic Conference's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1980–81 season. Keith Van Horn of Utah and Nick Fazekas of Nevada are the only players to have won...
- 2009–10 WAC 1st Team All- Conference
- 2008–09 WAC Freshman of the Year
- 2008–09 WAC 1st Team All- Conference
- 2008–09 WAC Newcomer of the Year
- 2008–10 2-Time WAC All-Tournament Team