Clayton Custer

Clayton Custer (born June 28, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Śląsk Wroclaw of the Polish Basketball League. He played college basketball for Loyola University Chicago. A 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) point guard, Custer is the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year.

Clayton Custer
No. 4 – Śląsk Wrocław
PositionPoint guard
LeaguePolish Basketball League
Personal information
Born (1995-06-28) June 28, 1995
Kansas City, Kansas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolBlue Valley Northwest
(Overland Park, Kansas)
College
NBA draft2019 / Undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentŚląsk Wroclaw
Career highlights and awards

High school career

Custer played high school basketball at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas, where he and future Loyola teammate Ben Richardson led the team to back-to-back state championships. Custer ultimately committed early to play for coach Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State.[1] He also received offers from Oklahoma State and Kansas State, and Kansas coach Bill Self told him he was good enough to play for the Jayhawks but they had too many guards at that moment.[2]

College career

As a freshman in the 2014–15 season, Custer played sparingly behind the Cyclones' Monté Morris, one of the top point guards in the Big 12 Conference. He chose to transfer following the season, after scoring 13 points in 12 games.[3] Custer ultimately chose to re-join Richardson under coach Porter Moser at Loyola after Moser took him to lunch and met with his parents.[2] After sitting out the 2015–16 season per National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer rules, Custer immediately joined the Ramblers' starting lineup, allowing star Milton Doyle to play off the ball. He averaged 11.6 points and 3.1 assists per game as a sophomore.[4]

As a redshirt junior, Custer led the Ramblers to the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title, despite missing five games to an ankle injury.[5] Custer was named the MVC Player of the Year.[6] Following a run through the 2018 MVC Tournament, Custer and the Ramblers entered the 2018 NCAA Tournament as an 11 seed. After a first-round win over the Miami Hurricanes, Custer led the team to a 63–62 second-round win over Tennessee. Custer hit the game-winner with 3.7 seconds left to advance the Ramblers to the Sweet 16.[7] He ended up leading the Ramblers to the Final Four while averaging 13.2 points and 4.2 assists per game.[2] At the close of the 2017-18 season, Custer was awarded the Lou Henson Award for top mid-major player in the country.[8]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, Custer signed his first professional contract with Śląsk Wroclaw of the Polish Basketball League.[9]

References
  1. Marshall, Gianna (March 20, 2017). "The 2016-17 Loyola Chicago backcourt was 10 years in the making". SB Nation. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  2. Ryan, Shannon (March 30, 2018). "Loyola coach Porter Moser 'went out of his way' to land Clayton Custer". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  3. Peterson, Randy (March 24, 2015). "Clayton Custer leaving ISU men's basketball team". Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  4. Helfgot, Mike (February 2, 2017). "Best friends Clayton Custer, Ben Richardson reunited in Loyola backcourt". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  5. Ryan, Shannon (February 27, 2018). "Loyola started to 'click' when Clayton Custer returned from ankle injury". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  6. Ryan, Shannon (February 27, 2018). "Loyola's Clayton Custer named MVC player of the year". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 2, 2018.
  7. Ryan, Shannon (March 17, 2018). "Loyola advances to Sweet 16 behind Clayton Custer's game-winning shot against Tennessee". New York Daily News. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  8. "Clayton Custer Named Recipient Of The Lou Henson Award" (Press release). Loyola Ramblers. April 2, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  9. Lupo, Nicola (July 22, 2019). "Clayton Custer signs with Slask Wroclaw". Sportando. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
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