Walter Pitchford

Walter Pitchford
Personal information
Born (1992-04-24) April 24, 1992 (age 32)
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight237 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High schoolSummit Christian
(East Lansing, Michigan)
College
Playing career2015–2017
PositionPower forward
Career history
2015Raptors 905
2016–2017BC Olimpi Tbilisi
2018Sudbury Five
2018–2019Saint John Riptide

Walter Pitchford V (born April 24, 1992) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for Florida and Nebraska before joining Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League in 2015.

College career

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Pitchford initially played college basketball for the Florida Gators, but transferred to Nebraska in 2012. As a junior playing for the Cornhuskers in 2014–15, he averaged 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 30 games.[1]

Professional career

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On April 2, 2015, Pitchford declared for the 2015 NBA draft, forgoing his final year of college eligibility.[2] However, on June 15, he withdrew his name from the draft, deciding instead to play overseas.[3] He did not manage to secure an overseas contract, and instead tried out for the newly established NBA Development League franchise, Raptors 905. He was successful in earning a training camp roster spot, joining the squad in early November.[4][5] Pitchford went on to make the final opening night roster for the start of the 2015–16 season, but after appearing in just five games over the first month and a half of action, Pitchford announced his retirement from professional basketball on December 26. Walter then returned to action and began training to become an NBA prospect once again.[6][7]

Pitchford signed with BC Olimpi Tbilisi of the Georgian Superliga in 2016. He averaged 8.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in the Georgian league.[8] He initially signed with the Moncton Magic of NBL Canada in 2018, but was traded to the Sudbury Five in October 2018.[9] In December, he was acquired by the Saint John Riptide.[10]

References

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  1. ^ #35 Walter Pitchford
  2. ^ NU's Walter Pitchford declares for NBA draft
  3. ^ Rosenthal, Brian (June 15, 2015). "Basketball: Pitchford withdraws name from NBA Draft, plans to play overseas". JournalStar.com. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  4. ^ Pitchford earns D-League invite to Raptors
  5. ^ "Raptors 905 Announces NBA D-League Draft Results, Training Camp". OurSportsCentral.com. October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  6. ^ "Raptors 905 Waive Nick Wiggins; Walter Pitchford Retires". NBA.com. December 26, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  7. ^ Murphy, Blake (December 26, 2015). "Raptors 905 waive Nick Wiggins, Walter Pitchford retires". RaptorsRepublic.com. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  8. ^ Hardesty, Matt (April 25, 2021). "Previous NU basketball player gives back to Lincoln community". The Daily Nebraskan. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Sudbury Five acquire big man Pitchford". Sault This Week. October 18, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  10. ^ "Saint John Riptide sink The Five in overtime". Sudbury.com. December 7, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
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