T. J. Cline

T. J. Cline
Cline with Richmond, 2015
No. 6 – Hapoel Holon
Position Power forward / Center
League Israeli Premier League
FIBA Champions League
Personal information
Born (1994-07-22) July 22, 1994
Plano, Texas
Nationality American / Israeli
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school Plano West (Plano, Texas)
College
NBA draft 2017 / Undrafted
Playing career 2017–present
Career history
2017 Galatasaray
2017–present Hapoel Holon
Career highlights and awards

Timothy Joseph "T. J." Cline (born July 22, 1994) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Hapoel Holon of the Israeli Premier League. A power forward/center, he played college basketball at the University of Richmond. Cline is the son of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player Nancy Lieberman.

College career

After playing three years of junior varsity basketball at Plano West Senior High School, Cline re-made his game (and grew four inches to 6'8") and starred his senior season, earning conference offensive player of the year honors. He was able to obtain a NCAA Division I scholarship to Niagara. As a freshman, he earned Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference all-rookie team. When coach Joe Mihalich left Niagara for Hofstra, Cline chose to transfer to Richmond.[1]

At Richmond, Cline built a reputation as a scorer. In his senior season, he averaged 18.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. A skilled passer, Cline averaged 5.7 assists per game, unusual for a player his size. At the close of the year, Cline became the second Spiders player to be named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year.[2]

Despite playing only three seasons at Richmond, Cline finished his career ranked eighth in points and seventh in assists in Spider history.[3]

Professional career

Galatasaray (2017)

On August 6, 2017, Cline signed with Turkish team Galatasaray for the 2017–18 season.[4] On November 15, 2017, he parted ways with Galatasaray after appearing in 5 games.

Hapoel Holon (2017–present)

On November 15, 2017, Cline signed a two-year deal with Israeli team Hapoel Holon.[5][6] On November 23, 2017, Cline received an Israeli passport.[7] On February 15th, 2018, Cline won the Israeli Cup with Holon after beating perennial cup holders Maccabi Tel-Aviv, 86-84 in the final game of the competition. On March 4, 2018, Cline recorded a season-high 16 points, shooting 7-for-8 from the field, along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists in a 105–88 win over Maccabi Ashdod.[8] Cline helped Holon to reach the 2018 Israeli League Final, where they eventually lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

On July 2, 2018, Cline joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2018 NBA Summer League.[9]

Personal life

Cline is the son of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame player Nancy Lieberman.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 Auerbach, Nicole (February 13, 2015). "Richmond's T.J. Cline, Nancy Lieberman's son, creates own identity". USA Today. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  2. ↑ O'Connor, John (March 7, 2017). "A-10 honors Spiders T.J. Cline, De'Monte Buckingham as player, rookie of year". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  3. ↑ Richmond Spiders men's basketball
  4. ↑ "Galatasaray signs rookie big man Cline". Eurocupbasketball.com. August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  5. ↑ "TJ Cline signs with Hapoel Holon". Sportando.com. November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  6. ↑ "ממשיכה להתחזק: טי.ג'יי קליין חתם בחולון". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). November 15, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  7. ↑ "טי ג'יי קליין קיבל אזרחות ישראלית, יירשם לליגה". One.co.il (in Hebrew). November 23, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Winner League, Game 18: UNET Holon Vs Maccabi Ashdod". basket.co.il. March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Bucks Announce 2018 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
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