J. P. Batista
João Paulo Lopes "J. P." Batista (born October 29, 1981) is a Brazilian professional basketball player who currently plays for Le Mans Sarthe of the LNB Pro A. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he plays at the power forward position. He played college basketball at Gonzaga University.
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| Le Mans Sarthe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Power forward | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | LNB Pro A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | October 29, 1981 Olinda, Pernambuco | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Brazilian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 270 lb (122 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College |
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| NBA draft | 2006 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2006–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Lietuvos rytas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Barons Rīga | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2014 | Le Mans Sarthe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Limoges CSP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Flamengo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Mogi das Cruzes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–present | Le Mans Sarthe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Early life
Batista was born and raised in Olinda, Pernambuco, attended Colegio Atual school in Olinda and was named State Player of the Year as a senior in 2001.
College career
Batista arrived at Gonzaga in 2004, after spending the first year of his college career at Western Nebraska Community College and the second at Barton County Community College in Kansas, where he mentored teammate and fellow international student Antanas Kavaliauskas. He finished his first season with Gonzaga averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, and was named the top newcomer in the West Coast Conference.
Playing alongside the All-American Adam Morrison, Batista finished the 2005-06 NCAA basketball season averaging over 19 points and 9 rebounds per game, while shooting a remarkable 59 percent from the field and 83 percent from the line.[1]
Professional career
Despite his impressive collegiate statistics, Batista was generally ignored by the scouts leading up to the 2006 NBA Draft, with his lack of athleticism and his age (he was nearly 25 at the time of the draft, unusually old for a college prospect) perhaps hindering his chances of being drafted. Batista played for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves entry in the Las Vegas Summer League,[2] but he was not signed by the team.
He accepted an offer to play for Lietuvos rytas in Vilnius, Lithuania in the LKL and ULEB Cup. With Lietuvos rytas he played in the ULEB Cup and Lithuanian basketball Cup finals, and won the BBL championship. Their 2006-07 ULEB Cup run ended in a loss in the final to Real Madrid, but since Real had already qualified for the 2007-08 Euroleague through their league position, Lietuvos rytas received the Euroleague berth that normally goes to the ULEB Cup winners.
On June 16, 2014, he signed a two-year deal with French club Limoges CSP.[3] With them he won the 2014–15 LNB Pro A championship. On June 25, 2015, he parted ways with Limoges.[4]
On July 16, 2015, he returned to Brazil and signed with Flamengo.[5]
On June 25, 2019, he has signed a contract with Le Mans Sarthe of the LNB Pro A.[6]
EuroLeague career statistics
| Legend | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | ||
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | ||
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating | ||
| Bold | Career high | ||||||
Note: The EuroLeague is not the only competition in which the player participated for the team during the season. He also played in domestic competition, and regional competition if applicable.
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | Lietuvos Rytas | 11 | 0 | 8.0 | .516 | .000 | .556 | 1.5 | .2 | .1 | .0 | 3.4 | 2.0 |
| 2008–09 | Le Mans | 10 | 7 | 23.5 | .570 | .000 | .667 | 3.8 | 1.5 | .7 | .4 | 11.4 | 9.9 |
| 2014–15 | Limoges CSP | 10 | 1 | 17.1 | .455 | .000 | .818 | 2.1 | 1.0 | .2 | .2 | 7.8 | 6.0 |
National team career
Batista represents the senior men's Brazilian national basketball team and he was a part of the 2010 FIBA World Championship squad.
References
- Gonzaga Bulldogs Statistics – 2005-06
- Spokesman-Review
- Limoges signs JP Batista
- Jamar Smith, Adrien Moerman and JP Batista leave Limoges CSP
- "JP Batista é o novo atleta do basquete rubro-negro". Site Oficial do Flamengo (in Portuguese). Retrieved August 3, 2015.
- "Le Mans inks J.P. Batista". Sportando. June 25, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2019.