Torrey Craig

Torrey Craig
No. 2 – Brisbane Bullets
Position Small forward / Shooting guard
League NBL
Personal information
Born (1990-12-19) December 19, 1990
Columbia, South Carolina
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school Great Falls (Great Falls, South Carolina)
College USC Upstate (2010–2014)
NBA draft 2014 / Undrafted
Playing career 2014–present
Career history
2014–2016 Cairns Taipans
2015–2016 Wellington Saints
2016–present Brisbane Bullets
Career highlights and awards

Torrey Craig (born December 19, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Brisbane Bullets of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for the University of South Carolina Upstate where he was named an honorable mention All-American and Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2012.

College career

Craig came to USC Upstate from Great Falls High School in Great Falls, South Carolina, after winning 1A state Player of the Year honors in his senior season.[1] As a freshman, Craig entered the starting lineup and quickly made an impact, averaging 14.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game en route to winning Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman of the Year honors.[2]

In his sophomore season, Craig led the A-Sun in scoring at 16.4 points per game and helped the Spartans win 21 games. Craig was named the conference Player of the Year[3] and an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.[4] As a junior, Craig once again led the A-Sun in scoring at 17.2 points per game. He was named first team All-Atlantic Sun.[1]

Prior to the start of his senior season, Craig was named preseason Player of the Year in the Atlantic Sun.[5] On February 10, 2014, Craig reached the 2,000 career point milestone with a 22-point game against East Tennessee State.[6]

Professional career

Cairns Taipans

2014–15 season

On August 6, 2014, Craig signed with the Cairns Taipans for the 2014–15 NBL season.[7] On December 10, 2014, he was named Player of the Week for Round 9 after his double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds helped the Taipans over the line against the Adelaide 36ers on December 6.[8] On December 19, he scored a season-high 28 points in a 90–86 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.[9] Craig helped lead the Taipans to a win over the New Zealand Breakers in the final game of the regular season on February 22 to finish on top of the ladder for the first time in club history with a win/loss record of 21–7. After sweeping the Perth Wildcats in the semi-finals, the Taipans faced the Breakers in the Grand Final series, going on to lose the series 2–0 following a game-winning shot by Ekene Ibekwe in Game 2.[10] In 32 games for the Taipans in 2014–15, he averaged 8.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game coming off the bench as a back-up small forward to Stephen Weigh.[11][12]

2015–16 season

On August 7, 2015, Craig recommitted to the Cairns Taipans, re-signing with the club for the 2015–16 NBL season.[13][14] He averaged just 6.0 points over the first four games of the season before picking up his level of production on October 24, recording 18 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Melbourne United.[15] He continued that good form over the next three games, scoring 17, 19 and 17 respectively, raising his averages up to 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds after eight games. On January 13, 2016, in a loss to United, Craig became the first Taipans player to have at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in a game since Nathan Jawai did so in 2008.[16][17] The Taipans finished the season outside the top four, thus missing the playoffs with a 12–16 win/loss record. Craig appeared in all 28 games for the Taipans, averaging 11.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

Wellington Saints

2015 season

On March 17, 2015, Craig signed with the Wellington Saints for the 2015 New Zealand NBL season.[18] On April 17, he scored 41 points on 16-of-22 shooting against the Taranaki Mountainairs, ending the game just one point short of the all-time Wellington Saints scoring record, held by Mike Efevberha with 42.[19] On April 21, he was named Player of the Week for Round 3 after also recording 25 points and 14 rebounds against the Southland Sharks on April 18.[20] On June 18, he earned co-Player of the Week honors for Round 11 alongside Southland's Tai Wesley.[21] The following day, he was ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a knee injury.[22] Craig returned to the Saints line-up for their semi-final clash against the Nelson Giants. He managed a mere 15 minutes of action and scored just three points in a 97–85 win that advanced the Saints through to the Grand Final where they faced the Southland Sharks.[23] However, Craig fell just short of claiming championship success for a second time in a matter of months as he suffered another grand final defeat, this time at the hands of the No. 1 seeded Sharks who defeated the Saints 72–68.[24] Despite missing the final three games of the regular season, Craig was named league MVP for the 2015 season while also earning All-Star Five honors.[25] In 17 games for the Saints, he averaged 20.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.[26]

2016 season

On January 26, 2016, Craig re-signed with the Saints for the 2016 New Zealand NBL season.[27] He helped lead the Saints to two Round 1 wins, subsequently earning co-Player of the Week honors for the opening round.[28] On April 20, he was named co-Player of the Week for Round 6 after scoring 34 points against the Super City Rangers on April 14, and 18 points against the Canterbury Rams on April 15.[29] He led the Saints back to the Grand Final where they faced the Super City Rangers. With a 15-point effort, Craig helped the Saints claim their ninth NBL title with a 94–82 win.[30][31] He appeared in all 20 games for the Saints in 2016, averaging 20.9 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He subsequently earned All-Star Five honors for the second straight year.[32]

Brisbane Bullets

On May 9, 2016, Craig signed a two-year deal with the Brisbane Bullets, a team re-joining the NBL for the 2016–17 season after an eight-year hiatus.[33][34] He made his debut for the Bullets in their season opener on October 6, scoring a team-high 16 points in a 72–65 win over the Perth Wildcats.[35] Two days later, he recorded nine points and 17 rebounds (career high in the ANBL) in a 77–73 win over the Sydney Kings, helping the Bullets start the season 2–0.[36] On October 16, he scored a team-high 22 points in a 96–93 overtime loss to the Adelaide 36ers.[37] On November 19, he scored a career-high 34 points in a 105–87 win over the 36ers.[38]

Personal

Craig's son, Braylon, was born on June 4, 2014.[39]

References

  1. 1 2 "Torry Craig USC Upstate bio". USC Upstate Spartans. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  2. ↑ "ETSU's Smith Headlines All-Conference Teams". Atlantic Sun Conference. March 1, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  3. ↑ McCormick, Bret (November 12, 2013). "Great Falls helped make USC Upstate's Craig into unassuming star". The Herald. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Torrey Craig Named Honorable Mention AP All-American". USC Upstate Spartans. March 26, 2012. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  5. ↑ Shanesy, Todd (October 10, 2013). "USC Upstate's Craig named player of the year in preseason poll". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Second Half Surge Leads Upstate Past ETSU". USC Upstate Spartans. February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  7. ↑ Wenzel, Murray (August 6, 2014). "South Carolina forward Torrey Craig is Cairns Taipans' latest recruit". CairnsPost.com.au. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ Wenzel, Murray (December 11, 2014). "Gifted Cairns Taipans import Torrey Craig has eye on the big picture". CairnsPost.com.au. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  9. ↑ Chalmers, Steve (December 19, 2014). "NBL 2014/15 Round 11: Sixers spur to victory over stung Snakes". PickAndRoll.com.au. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Grand Final Report: Ibekwe jumper wins Breakers the Championship". NBL.com.au. March 8, 2015. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015.
  11. ↑ "Player statistics for Torrey Craig – ANBL". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  12. ↑ McAuliffe, Hugh (March 17, 2015). "PJ Saints add Craig to their roster, ex Taipans". Australiabasket.com. Sports I.T. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  13. ↑ "TAIPANS RETAIN TORREY CRAIG". Taipans.com. NBL.com.au. August 7, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  14. ↑ Wenzel, Murray (August 7, 2015). "Import Torrey Craig returns for second season at Cairns Taipans". CairnsPost.com.au. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  15. ↑ "UNITED TOP SNAKES, REMAIN UNBEATEN". Taipans.com. NBL.com.au. October 24, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Taipans vs United". NBL.com.au. January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Last night was the first time a...". Twitter. January 14, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  18. ↑ Worthington, Sam (March 17, 2015). "Cameron puts a Snake among Wellington Saints". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  19. ↑ Anderson, Niall (April 17, 2015). "Craig Has Monster Game As Saints Beat Airs". NZhoops.co.nz. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  20. ↑ "SAINTS CRAIG IS R3 PLAYER OF THE WEEK". Basketball.org.nz. April 21, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  21. ↑ "CRAIG AND WESLEY WIN WEEKLY AWARD". Basketball.org.nz. June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  22. ↑ Hyslop, Liam (June 19, 2015). "Wellington Saints swingman Torrey Craig in doubt for rest of NBL season". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  23. ↑ Hyslop, Liam (July 4, 2015). "Lindsay Tait stars as Wellington Saints beat Nelson Giants in NBL semi". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  24. ↑ Hyslop, Liam (July 5, 2015). "Southland Sharks beat Wellington Saints in tense NBL final". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  25. ↑ "CRAIG WINS MVP". Basketball.org.nz. July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  26. ↑ "Player statistics for Torrey Craig – NZNBL". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  27. ↑ Hyslop, Liam (January 26, 2016). "National Basketball League MVP Torrey Craig returns to Wellington Saints for 2016". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  28. ↑ "HENRY, CRAIG AND STRONG ARE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK". Basketball.org.nz. March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  29. ↑ "ROBERTS AND CRAIG SHARE PLAYER OF THE WEEK". Basketball.org.nz. April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  30. ↑ "SAINTS CLAIM 9TH NBL TITLE". Basketball.org.nz. June 6, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Rangers vs Saints". FIBALiveStats.com. June 4, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  32. ↑ "MOORE TAKES OUT NBL MVP". Basketball.org.nz. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
  33. ↑ "TORREY CRAIG JOINS BRISBANE BULLETS". NBL.com.au. May 9, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  34. ↑ Davis, Greg (May 8, 2016). "Brisbane Bullets sign American import and former Taipans forward Torrey Craig". CourierMail.com.au. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  35. ↑ "BEAL BLASTS BULLETS TO HOUSE-WARMING WIN". NBL.com.au. October 6, 2016. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  36. ↑ "BULLETS OUTMUSCLE KINGS IN SYDNEY OPENER". NBL.com.au. October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  37. ↑ "RANDLE, GUTSY SIXERS CRASH BAIRSTOW DEBUT IN OT". NBL.com.au. October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  38. ↑ "CRAIG, PETRIE STAR IN BLOWOUT ROAD WIN". NBL.com.au. November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  39. ↑ Hyslop, Liam (May 29, 2015). "From South Carolina to Wellington: Torrey Craig's journey to the Saints". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
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