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A. J. Granger
Aaron Joseph Granger (born April 24, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. College careerGranger attended Liberty-Benton High School in his hometown of Findlay, Ohio, where he won the Division IV basketball championship in 1995[1] and was an all-state selection in 1995 and 1996.[2] As a junior he averaged 15 points per game, and as a senior he posted averages of 22 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists per game.[3] He also competed in track and field, and he was Ohio State Champion in discus throw in 1996.[4] He committed to Michigan State in 1996 and coach Tom Izzo played him consistently, giving him the starting nod in 7 games at the end of his freshman season.[5] His sophomore year saw him play all 30 games, averaging 12 minutes per game as a reserve,[6] and he averaged 2.6 points. He showed improvement in his shooting, especially his 3-point shooting: while he shot 0/1 in all his freshman season, he started to take more shots in his second year, attempting a total of 19 shots and scoring 5.[5] The 3-point shooting became one of the characteristics of Granger's game.[7] At the end of his sophomore year he received the Scholar-Athlete Award by his university, an award he would receive also in his senior season.[8] His junior year saw an increased playing time and a further improvement in his stats, and he recorded a 53.2 field goal percentage. He also shot significantly better from the free throw line, going from 59% in his sophomore year to 71% in his junior year. Granger averaged 6.6 points and shot 50% from the 3-point line (62.1% during the NCAA Tournament). His performances during the 1999 NCAA Tournament earned him a selection in the 1999 All-Midwest team.[5] Granger's senior season was his most successful: he was named team captain and he became one of the main players of the Spartans team.[5][7] His combination of size, post game and 3-point shooting made him hard to guard for the opposing teams,[7] and despite starting the year as a reserve, he became a starter as the season progressed.[5] He started 35 out of 39 games,[9] and averaged 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds for the season, shooting 89.3% from the free throw line and 45% from 3. In the 2000 championship game against Florida won by Michigan State he played 34 minutes, scoring 19 points (a career high) along with 9 rebounds and 1 assist.[10] He was again selected in the NCAA All-Regional Team[11] and he also was part of the NCAA All-Tournament Team.[12] At the end of his career he was 4th in Michigan State history in 3-point field goal percentage with 44% of made shots.[5] College statistics
Professional careerAt the end of his senior year, Granger was automatically eligible for the 2000 NBA draft. At the 2000 NBA Draft Combine He was measured at 6 ft 7.5 in without shoes, with an 8 ft 7 in standing reach, a 6 ft 9.5 in wingspan and weighted 227 lbs.[13] He went undrafted and after briefly participating in a camp with the Vancouver Grizzlies, he signed for the Greek team Milon BC.[14] In 20 games in the 2000–01 Greek Basket League he averaged 17.0 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He then transferred to Italy, where he signed for Adecco Milano. In 5 games played he averaged 12.2 points and 3.8 rebounds. In 2003 he joined Artland Dragons in Germany.[15] During the 2003–04 season he averaged 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 25 games played.[16] References
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