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Hunter Hale

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Hunter Hale
Hale with AEK Athens
No. 77 – AEK Athens
PositionShooting guard
LeagueGBL
BCL
Personal information
Born (1997-06-25) June 25, 1997 (age 27)
Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolKalamazoo Central
(Kalamazoo, Michigan)
College
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Nelson Giants
2021–2023Borac Čačak
2023–2024Promitheas Patras
2024–presentAEK Athens
Career highlights and awards

Hunter Hale (born June 25, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for AEK of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). He played college basketball for Central Michigan, Grand Valley State, and Winthrop.

High school career

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Hale attended Kalamazoo Central High School, where Isaiah Livers was a teammate of his. He trained in basketball with his uncle at the Bronson Athletic Club in Kalamazoo, Michigan, alongside older brothers H'Ian and Herschal. Hale was undersized and lightly recruited out of high school.[1] He was nominated to the McDonald's All-American Game.[2] Hale averaged 14 points, three rebounds and three assists per game as a senior, leading Kalamazoo Central to a 23–2 record and its second consecutive appearance in the Class A regional finals.[3]

College career

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Hale walked on to the basketball team at Central Michigan.[1] He scored a total of eight points in 11 games as a freshman. After Marcus Keene was recruited to the team, Hale redshirted his sophomore season and subsequently opted to transfer to Division II Grand Valley State.[4] He was named to the Second Team All-GLIAC as a sophomore after averaging 12.9 points per game.[5] As a junior, Hale helped the Lakers win a GLIAC championship and he was named tournament MVP.[1] He averaged 17.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game, earning First Team All-GLIAC honors.[6] Hale was noticed by Pat Kelsey at Winthrop, and he decided to transfer to the Eagles for his final year of eligibility. Despite leading his conference in steals, he said he needed to improve his defense when coming to Division I.[1] On January 2, 2020, he scored a career-high 29 points in a 91–67 win against Longwood.[7] Hale led the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game, while also averaging 3.6 assists per game on a team that finished 24–10.[8] He was named Big South Tournament MVP after leading Winthrop to a championship. However, the NCAA Tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

Professional career

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Nelson Giants (2021)

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Hale went undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft. On February 11, 2021, Hale signed his first professional contract with the Nelson Giants of the New Zealand National Basketball League.[9] On May 22, he scored 41 points in an overtime win against the Otago Nuggets.[10] Hale led the league in scoring with 26.9 points per game, and was named to the NBL All-Star Five.[11]

Borac Čačak (2021–2023)

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On August 6, 2021, Hale signed with Borac Čačak of the Basketball League of Serbia and the ABA League.[12] In 2021-22 season, Hale averaged 13.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists over 26 ABA League regular season games. In his second season with the team, Hale was named the 2022–23 ABA League First Division Top Scorer with average of 22.3 points over 26 regular season games.[13][14] In the relegation playoffs, Borac prevailed over Helios Suns with 2–1 record to stay in the league. Hale averaged 31 points and 5 assists on 52.6% shooting from the field in the series.

Promitheas Patras (2023–2024)

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On July 24, 2023, Hale signed with Greek club Promitheas Patras.[15]

AEK Athens (2024–present)

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On August 14, 2024, Hale signed with AEK Athens.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Zietlow, Alex (March 15, 2020). "Winthrop star Hunter Hale excelled at every stage, except the one he never played on". The Herald. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Dacey, Justin (January 14, 2015). "Kalamazoo Central's Hunter Hale, Paw Paw's Tanner Eubank nominated for McDonald's All-American game". MLive. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  3. ^ Dacey, Justin (June 5, 2015). "Kalamazoo Central guard Hunter Hale joins Central Michigan men's basketball as preferred walk-on". MLive. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Ricard, Louis (January 25, 2018). "Transfer Hunter Hale making the most of second chance with GVSU men's basketball". Grand Valley Lanthorn. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  5. ^ "GVSU's Van Tubbergen is GLIAC Freshman of Year". The Holland Sentinel. March 3, 2018. Archived from the original on July 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  6. ^ "Men's Basketball Adds More Talent With Transfer Hunter Hale". Winthrop Eagles. May 3, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  7. ^ Zietlow, Alex (January 2, 2020). "Hunter Hale steals show early, helps Winthrop defeat Longwood in conference opener". The Herald. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  8. ^ "Nelson Giants sign young American import duo for NBL". NZ Sports Wire. February 12, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  9. ^ O'Connell, Tim (February 11, 2021). "Clearance for Giants American imports gets huge thumbs up". The Nelson Mail. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Egan, Brendon (May 23, 2021). "NBL: Hunter Hale erupts for 37 and 41 points in Nelson Giants' wins". The Nelson Mail. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  11. ^ "Saints' Dion Prewster wins MVP award as best National Basketball League player". The Nelson Mail. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  12. ^ "Borac lands Hunter Hale, ex Giants". Eurobasket. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  13. ^ "Čačak ponovo ima najboljeg strelca – Hanter Hejl najbolji u ABA". zurnal.rs (in Serbian). April 25, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "HUNTER HALE RECEIVED THE TOP SCORER AWARD". aba-liga.com. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  15. ^ "Hunter Hale agreed terms with Promitheas". eurobasket.com. July 18, 2023. Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  16. ^ Skerletic, Dario (August 14, 2024). "Hunter Hale joins Aek Athens - Sportando". Sportando. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
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