Aaron Craft

Aaron Vincent Craft[1] (born February 12, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Aquila Basket Trento of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for Ohio State University.

Aaron Craft
Craft in January 2020
Free agent
PositionPoint guard
Personal information
Born (1991-02-12) February 12, 1991
Findlay, Ohio
NationalityAmerican
Listed height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Listed weight85 kg (187 lb)
Career information
High schoolLiberty-Benton (Findlay, Ohio)
CollegeOhio State (2010–2014)
NBA draft2014 / Undrafted
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2015Santa Cruz Warriors
2015Szolnoki Olaj
2016Santa Cruz Warriors
2016–2017Aquila Basket Trento
2017–2018AS Monaco
2018Budućnost VOLI
2018–2020Aquila Basket Trento
Career highlights and awards
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

High school career

Craft attended Liberty-Benton High School near Findlay, Ohio and graduated valedictorian of his class. He was the Ohio Division III player of the year his senior year (2009–10 season).[2] He averaged 26 points, 7 assists and 8 rebounds as a senior with 70 steals (3.2 per game).[3] His freshman year he was the starting point guard for their state runner-up team. In his four years, his teams went 88-5.[4]

In football, he was a two-time All-Ohio selection and was the Ohio Division V player of the year (2008 season).[5] During his junior year his team finished state runner-up in Division V football. In three years of football Craft accumulated over 11,000 yards of total offenses, passing for 6,800 yards and rushing for 4,700 yards both school records. He had a career 73.7% passing percentage. He was the starting quarterback for three years opting out of football his senior year to focus on basketball.[6] In those three years his teams had a 38-4 record.

During Craft's high school years he played on the All-Ohio Red AAU basketball team, with future Ohio State teammates Jared Sullinger and J.D. Weatherspoon, winning three consecutive National Championships. They were the only team to win the AAU Nationals at three different age levels.[7]

While Craft was growing up, his father, John Craft, stressed the importance of defense and how it was more important to be a good defensive player than offensive player. When Craft was in 2nd and 3rd grade, his father, who coached the junior high basketball team, let him join defensive drills during the team practice. One of such drills that Craft remembers as grueling was getting into a defensive stance, and slide back and forth across the foul lane while holding onto bricks.[8]

College career

As a freshman, Craft was the starting point guard for Ohio State. He recorded the fifth highest minutes played on the team. He led his team in assists (177) and steals (73).[9] Craft set a school record 15 assists in a game during an NCAA tournament game against George Mason.[10]

As a sophomore, Craft was highly decorated and even featured in Time.[8] He was the catalyst of the 31-8 Ohio State men's basketball team. Craft improved his offensive output as a sophomore and expanded his offensive role. He was an efficient scorer, shooting 50% from the field. But his long-range game could improve, only shooting 35.9%. Craft is not known for his shooting but more for his passing and low number of turnovers, with a 2.15 assist to turnover ratio.[11]

During his sophomore season Craft averaged 8.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 2.5 SPG.[12]

In his junior year at Ohio State, Craft passed former Buckeye guard Jay Burson for most steals in school history with 205.[13] In the third round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament against Iowa State, he hit a game-winning three with 0.5 seconds left to send the Buckeyes to the Sweet 16.[14]

Craft is the fourth player in Big Ten history to be a three-time first team Academic All-America selection and the third athlete in Division I history to repeat as Division I Men's Basketball Academic All-America Team Member of the Year.[15] Craft graduated from Ohio State with a Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition sciences.[1]

On June 22, 2020 the Big Ten Network named Craft to the "All-Decade Basketball Team", placing him on their Third Team. Craft was one of 16 players honored by the Network for accomplishments between 2010-2019. Of the honor, Craft told BTN's Mike Hall, "It doesn't feel real. I really, truly believed the Big Ten was the best conference in the country when I was in school. That's because we had great coaches and we had really great players. To be able to be mentioned and honored with the other guys that are on these teams is a tremendous blessing for me and one that I appreciate and cherish."

College statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Ohio State 37129.6.461.377.7272.94.82.0.16.9
2011–12 Ohio State 393932.2.500.359.7133.24.62.5.28.8
2012–13 Ohio State 373734.1.417.300.7683.64.62.1.210.0
2013–14 Ohio State 353534.4.473.302.7413.64.72.5.19.8

Professional career

2014–15 season

After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Craft participated in the 2014 NBA Summer League, joining the Philadelphia 76ers for the Orlando session[16] and the Golden State Warriors for the Las Vegas session.[17] On September 2, 2014, he signed with the Warriors.[18] However, he was later waived by the Warriors on October 24, 2014.[19] On November 3, 2014, he was acquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors as an affiliate player.[20] On November 14, he made his professional debut in a 122–95 win over the Los Angeles D-Fenders, recording five points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals in 32 minutes.[21] On April 10, 2015, he was named the 2015 D-League Defensive Player of the Year[22] and on April 26, 2015, he won the D-League championship with the Warriors.[23]

2015–16 season
Craft with Santa Cruz Warriors in 2016

In July 2015, Craft re-joined the Golden State Warriors for the 2015 NBA Summer League, where he broke the Warriors' Las Vegas assists record for a single summer. Craft had 27 assists in the Summer League, breaking the old mark of 23, set by Brian Chase in 2010.[24]

On August 6, 2015, Craft signed with Szolnoki Olaj KK of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A in Hungary.[25] In December 2015, he left Szolnoki after appearing in 12 league games and 10 Eurocup games. On January 7, 2016, he was reacquired by the Santa Cruz Warriors.[26] The next day, he made his season debut for the Warriors in a 101–89 loss to the Iowa Energy, recording eight points, two rebounds, eight assists and four steals in 37 minutes.[27] At the season's end, he earned NBA D-League All-Defensive Team honors for the second year in a row.[28]

2016–17 season

On July 31, 2016, Craft signed with Aquila Basket Trento of Italy for the 2016–17 season.[29]

2017–18 season

On July 2, 2017, Craft signed with AS Monaco.[30]

2018–19 season

On June 26, 2018, Craft signed a one-year contract with Budućnost VOLI.[31]

On November 5, 2018, Craft came back to Italy and signed a deal with Aquila Basket Trento.[32]

Retirement

Craft retired from basketball in the summer of 2020. He enrolled in the Ohio State University School of Medicine to pursue a medical degree in August 2020.[33][34][35]

Personal life

Craft is a Christian. Craft has spoken about his faith saying, "That’s the biggest thing that keeps me humble and keeps things in perspective for me" and "I choose to be a Christian, a student and then an athlete." Craft has put his favorite Bible verse, Romans 5:8, on his basketball shoes.[36]

Craft is one-fourth Filipino through his paternal grandmother.[37]

See also

References
  1. "Bachelor of Science in Nutrition" (PDF). April 4, 2014 meeting, Board of Trustees. The Ohio State University. p. 627.
  2. "OHSAA Boys Basketball Information". OHSAA.org. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  3. "Aaron Craft bio". OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  4. "Welcome to Davey1". Davey1.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  5. "2015 OHSAA Football Playoffs Information". OHSAA.org. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  6. "No more football for Aaron Craft". Youtube.com. August 11, 2009. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  7. "Get Your Game Right, LLC - About Us". OfficeLive.com. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  8. Gregory, Sean (March 31, 2012). "Ohio State's Aaron Craft: Meet the Pest of the Final Four". Time. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  9. "Buckeyes – 2010–11 Season Statistics". OhioStateBuckeyes.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  10. Rabinowitz, Bill (March 21, 2011). "Men's basketball - Ohio State notebook: Craft sets OSU record with 15 assists". Dispatch.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  11. Givony, Jonathan (September 8, 2012). "Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big Ten, Part Two (#2-5)". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
  12. Zimmerman, Luke (October 29, 2012). "2012-2013 Ohio State Basketball player profiles: Aaron Craft". LandGrantHolyLand.com. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
  13. "Craft Becomes Buckeyes All-Time Man of Steal". OhioStateBuckeyes.com. January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  14. Borzello, Jeff (March 24, 2013). "Aaron Craft's 3-pointer sends Ohio State to the Sweet 16". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  15. "Craft Named Academic All-America of the Year; Crawford a First-Team Academic All-American". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. February 20, 2014. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  16. "Sixers Announce Orlando Pro Summer League Camp Invitees". NBA.com. July 1, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  17. "Warriors Announce 2014 Summer League Roster & T.V. Schedule". NBA.com. July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  18. "Warriors Sign Aaron Craft, James Michael Mcadoo & Mitchell Watt to Contracts". NBA.com. September 2, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  19. "Warriors Waive Craft, Kapono, Kilpatrick, Mcadoo and Watt". NBA.com. October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  20. "Santa Cruz Warriors Announce 2014 Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  21. "Holiday, Warriors Blow Past Harris, D-Fenders, 122-95". NBA.com. November 14, 2014. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  22. "Warriors Guard Aaron Craft Named 2015 NBA Development League Defensive Player of the Year". NBA.com. April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  23. "Title Wave: Santa Cruz Wins NBA D-League Championship". NBA.com. April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  24. "FORMER OHIO STATE GUARD AARON CRAFT BREAKS WARRIORS SUMMER LEAGUE RECORD FOR ASSISTS". ElevenWarriors.com. July 19, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  25. Helwagen, Steve (August 6, 2015). "Agent Says Craft Has Signed With Hungarian Team". 247Sports.com. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  26. "Warriors Acquire Aaron Craft". OurSportsCentral.com. January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  27. "Stepheson's 12th Straight Double-Double Fuels Energy". NBA.com. January 8, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  28. "NBA Development League Announces 2015-16 All-NBA D-League Teams". NBA.com. April 29, 2016. Archived from the original on September 4, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  29. "Dolomiti Energia, c'è il nuovo play: preso l'ex Ohio State Aaron Craft". aquilabasket.it (in Italian). July 31, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  30. "Aaron Craft officially signs with Monaco". Sportando.com. July 2, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2017.
  31. "KK Buducnost lands Aaron Craft". Sportando.com. June 26, 2018. Archived from the original on June 26, 2018. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  32. "Ufficiale: Aaron Craft torna alla Dolomiti Energia Trento" [Official: Aaron Craft come back to Dolomiti Energia Trento]. basketuniverso.it (in Italian). November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 6, 2018.
  33. Casey, Tim (7 July 2020). "Former Ohio State Point Guard Aaron Craft Preparing For The Basketball Tournament, Medical School". Forbes. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  34. "Ohio State University College of Medicine welcomed in the Class of 2024". Twitter. 614 Magazine. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  35. "The new chapter has begun!". Twitter. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
  36. "Aaron Craft's faith inspires on, off court". TheLantern.com. November 13, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  37. Henson, Joaquin (June 1, 2013). "Craft confirms Pinoy lineage". Philippine Star. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
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