Christian Vital

Christian Lucien Vital (born March 21, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the UConn Huskies.

Christian Vital
Memphis Hustle
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1997-03-21) March 21, 1997
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight187 lb (85 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeUConn (2016–2020)
NBA draft2020 / Undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2021–presentMemphis Hustle
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-AAC (2020)

Early life and high school career

Vital is the oldest of five children born to Rose Vital-Williams. He grew up playing basketball for the PSA Cardinals Amateur Athletic Union program.[1] He played chess from age five, competing in various tournaments in New York City, and continued playing the game in high school.[2] Vital began high school at the Rectory School in Pomfret, Connecticut, living away from his family.[3] He played basketball for St. Thomas More School in Oakdale, Connecticut for his final two years of high school. In his final season, Vital averaged 16.8 points, seven rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, leading his team to a 31–7 record and the National Prep Championship final. He earned New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Class AAA first team honors and was selected to play in the Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game.[4] Vital originally committed to play college basketball for UNLV but re-opened his recruitment after head coach Dave Rice left the program. On April 29, 2016, he committed to UConn over an offer from Louisville, among others.[5]

College career

Vital started 10 games as a freshman and averaged 9.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, though the Huskies finished with a 16–17 overall record, the program's first losing season in 30 years.[6] On November 19, 2017, Vital scored a career-high 30 points in a 85–66 win over Boston University.[7] As a sophomore, Vital averaged 14.9 points, a team-leading 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. Following the season he declared for the 2018 NBA draft, but opted to return to UConn, citing "unfinished business."[8] Vital averaged 14.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as a junior while leading the Huskies with 52 steals.[1] As a senior, Vital averaged 16.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game.[9] He was named to the First Team All-American Athletic Conference.[10] Vital scored 1,735 points in his UConn career, hitting an AAC-record 265 three-pointers.[11]

Professional career

On August 19, 2020, Vital signed his first professional contract with BG Göttingen of the Basketball Bundesliga.[12] However, his contract was terminated on September 21.[13] He joined the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League in January 2021.

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  Bold  Career high

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 UConn 311028.5.391.366.7083.51.81.1.29.1
2017–18 UConn 322331.7.383.318.8465.41.71.6.014.9
2018–19 UConn 332930.2.453.409.8135.62.41.6.014.2
2019–20 UConn 313132.2.398.346.8996.32.62.5.216.4
Career 1279330.6.407.358.8365.22.11.7.113.7

References
  1. Amore, Dom (November 1, 2019). "Christian Vital hopes to save his best for his last season with UConn men". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  2. Borges, David (January 30, 2017). "UConn freshman Christian Vital excels on hardwood — and on chessboard". The Register Citizen. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  3. Amore, Dom (December 4, 2016). "Christian Vital primed to step for UConn up in hometown". The Bulletin. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  4. "Christian Vital". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  5. "Recruit Christian Vital chooses UConn over Louisville". New Haven Register. April 29, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  6. Keefe, Gavin (November 6, 2019). "From Five Guys down to the Dynamic Duo, UConn Class of 2020 is ready to leave its mark". The Day. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  7. "Vital's career night leads UConn to 85–66 win over Boston U". ESPN. Associated Press. November 19, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  8. Amore, Dom (May 21, 2018). "Christian Vital Returning For 'Unfinished Business' At UConn". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  9. Carroll, Charlotte (May 12, 2020). "Christian Vital is trying to move on after the abrupt ending to his UConn career". The Athletic. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  10. Ostrout, Neill (March 20, 2020). "Vital named to All-AAC first team; Bouknight (third team) on all-rookie squad". Journal Inquirer. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  11. Amore, Dom (May 12, 2020). "'You could see the magic starting to happen:' Christian Vital reflects on his UConn career, the empty finish and his basketball future". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  12. Schmidt-Scheuber, Miles (August 19, 2020). "Christian Vital To Start Professional Career With BG Goettingen". Eurobasket. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  13. "Goettingen released Vital". Eurobasket. September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
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