Giorgi Shermadini

Giorgi Shermadini
No. 17 – Unicaja
Position Center
League Liga ACB
Personal information
Born (1989-04-02) 2 April 1989
Natakhtari, Georgian SSR,
Soviet Union
Nationality Georgian
Listed height 7 ft 1.5 in (2.17 m)
Listed weight 265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
NBA draft 2008 / Undrafted
Playing career 2005–present
Career history
2005–2008 Maccabi Tbilisi
2008–2010 Panathinaikos
2010–2011 Union Olimpija
2011–2012 Bennet Cantù
2012 Maccabi Tel Aviv
2012–2013 Olympiacos
2013 CAI Zaragoza
2014 Olympiacos
2014 CAI Zaragoza
2014–2015 Pallacanestro Cantù
2015–2017 MoraBanc Andorra
2017–present Unicaja
Career highlights and awards

Giorgi Shermadini (Georgian: გიორგი შერმადინი) is a Georgian professional basketball player, who plays for Unicaja of the Spanish Liga ACB. He was born in the village of Natakhtari, in the then Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic on April 2, 1989. He is 2.17 metres (7 ft 1.4 in) tall,[1][2] and he plays at the center position.

Early career

In the 2004–05 season, Shermadini was the top scorer of the Georgian Youth League. His highest point total in one game was 89 points scored against the Sokhumi State University team, and he also had a 76 point, 16 rebound, and 6 assist game as well.[3] He also had a 52 point game, a 54 point game, and another game, where he scored 60 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. He also participated in the Adidas Superstar Camp. His performance at the Adidas Superstar Camp earned him a selection to the World All-Star Team. In January 2005, he had his first practice with Maccabi Tbilisi’s Junior Team.

Professional career

Shermadini started playing basketball professionally when he was 16 years old, on the senior men's Georgian basketball team, Maccabi Tbilisi. In his first season in the Georgian Super League, during the 2005–06 season, he averaged 28.5 points per game, 14.7 rebounds per game, 2.8 assists per game, 3.0 blocks per game, and 1.2 steals per game, at the age of 17. Following the 2005–06 season, Shermadini was invited to the "Basketball Without Borders" (BWB) Europe camp, conducted at Vilnius, Lithuania, from June 30 to July 3. During the 2006–07 season, at 18 years old, he averaged the highest points per game ever in the Georgian Super League. He averaged 35.1 points per game, 16.4 rebounds per game, 4.7 assists per game, 3.4 blocks per game, and 2.6 steals per game. This included a game where he scored 60 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists. During the 2007–08 season, at the age of 19, he averaged 33.5 points per game, 18.4 rebounds per game, 4.8 assists per game, 3.2 blocks per game, and 2.3 steals per game, in the Georgian Super League.[4]

In April 2007, Shermadini was invited to the "Nike Hoop Summit" World Select Team. Unfortunately, he did not play with the World Select Team, due to an injury to his meniscus, which required surgery. He declared as an early-entry candidate for the NBA draft in 2008, but he failed to be selected in the 2008 NBA draft, as some concerns still remained among NBA scouts over his injury.

Shermadini signed with the EuroLeague giants, the Greek League club Panathinaikos, in 2008.[5] He debuted on 29 November 2008, in the game against Egaleo, playing for 6 minutes, and scoring 4 points. His EuroLeague debut came on 17 December 2008, playing for 10 minutes, and scoring 1 point against SLUC Nancy. His next game came in the Greek League, on 15 February 2009, against Trikala 2000. He scored 9 points (a personal high for him to that date while at Panathinaikos), with two dunks and 5/5 free throws. He surpassed his personal best again, although playing only for 12 minutes, by scoring 13 points in a home game against Union Kavala-Panorama, on 15 April 2009.

In October 2010, he was sent by Panathinaikos, on a one-year loan, to Union Olimpija of the Adriatic League.[6] In October 2011, he was again loaned by Panathinaikos, this time to the Italian league club Cantù.[7] In June 2012, he signed a two-year deal with the Israeli Super League club Maccabi Tel Aviv.[8]

In December 2012, he signed a deal with the Greek League club Olympiacos. With Olympiacos, he won the 2012–13 season championship of the EuroLeague. In the summer of 2013, he signed with CAI Zaragoza, a team of the Spanish League. He left the team in February 2014, in order to come back to Olympiacos.[9] On August 9, 2015, he signed with MoraBanc Andorra.[10]

National team career

Georgian junior national team

In June 2005, despite his brief playing experience, Shermadini was selected to the Under-16 Junior National Team of Georgia, and he played at the Youth Olympic Games, in Moscow. Later in 2005, he played at the 2005 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, in Bulgaria.

Following his surgery and rehabilitation, for his meniscus injury that he suffered in 2007; he was invited to the Under-20 Junior National Team of Georgia. At 18 years old, he played at the 2007 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, in Nova Gorica, Slovenia. Despite playing at much less than full strength, due to his recent surgery and rehabilitation, he was the top scorer on the Georgian Under-20 National Team, averaging 12.5 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game, in 23.8 minutes played per game. He was also the second-leading shot blocker in the Under-20 European Championship, averaging 2.1 blocked shots per game.[11] At the 2008 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, Shermadini shot 74% from the field, averaged 21.5 points per game, 10.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, and 3.7 blocks per game.[12]

Georgian senior national team

In August 2006, Shermadini was the youngest player ever selected to the senior men's Georgian national basketball team, when he made the men's senior national team at the age of just 17. He played alongside teammates, Zaza Pachulia (Atlanta Hawks), Nikoloz Tskitishvili (Teramo Basket), Shammond Williams (Valencia), Viktor Sanikidze (Tartu Ülikool/Rock), Manu Markoishvili (Olimpija Ljubljana), and Vladimir Boisa (Menorca Bàsquet).

With the Georgia's senior national team, he played at the 2013 EuroBasket and the 2017 EuroBasket.

Player profile

Shermadini is a legitimate seven-footer who understands well how to use his body to maintain good positioning. He possesses a nice jump hook shot and he has excellent fundamentals and offensive skills. He is a defensive presence with his long wingspan and his shot-blocking ability.

Awards and accomplishments

References

  1. ↑ SHERMADINI, GIORGI HEIGHT: 2.17.
  2. ↑ "Giorgi Shermadini" (in Spanish). acb.com. Retrieved 30 June 2018. posiciòn | altura: P | 2.17 m
  3. ↑ 76 points, 16 rebounds, 6 assists game.
  4. ↑ NBA.com player bio.
  5. ↑ Euroleague.net PAO signs Shermadini.
  6. ↑ Union Olimpija lands Giorgi Shermadini on loan. Archived 2012-03-10 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ (in Italian) LA BENNET INGAGGIA GIORGI SHERMADINI.
  8. ↑ Giorgi Shermadini: 'I had an offer from Barça, but I chose Maccabi'.
  9. ↑ Olympiacos Piraeus brings back Shermadini; Euroleague.net, 26 February 2014.
  10. ↑ MoraBanc Andorra announces Giorgi Shermadini.
  11. ↑ 2007 Under-20 Championship stats.
  12. ↑ 2008 Under-20 Championship stats.
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