Eric Gaines
| No. 11 – Maine Celtics | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 19, 2001 New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Lithonia (Stonecrest, Georgia) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | Maine Celtics |
Eric T. Gaines (born January 19, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the LSU Tigers and UAB Blazers.
Early life and high school career
Gaines was born in New Jersey and moved to Lithonia, Georgia, as a child.[1] He first played football but transitioned into basketball.[1] Gaines was taller than his teammates and primarily played as a center but utilised his speed for a playstyle that involved him grabbing a defensive rebound and beating defenders up the court with his dribble.[1]
Gaines attended Lithonia High School where he did not receive much scouting attention during his first two seasons.[1] He developed a reputation for his dunking abilities during his senior year and received comparisons to Ja Morant which Gaines attributes to increasing his recruitment offers.[1] He averaged 18.6 points, 4 assists, and 2.7 steals per game during his senior season.[2] Gaines was selected as the Atlanta Journal-Constitution All-Metro DeKalb County Player of the Year.[3][4] He was a four-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for LSU.[1]
College career
Gaines averaged 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game during his freshman season with the LSU Tigers.[5] He improved his output to nine points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during his sophomore season while his 2.1 steals per game led the Southeastern Conference.[4][5] Gaines was primarily utilised as a distributor and defender with the Tigers.[1] He decided to transfer from the team when head coach Will Wade was fired after the 2021–22 season.[1]
On April 12, 2022, Gaines committed to play for UAB.[2][5] He averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game during the 2022–23 season.[6] Gaines declared for the 2023 NBA draft but withdrew on May 30, 2023.[7]
Professional career
Maine Celtics (2024–present)
On April 5, 2024, Gaines declared for the 2024 NBA draft,[8] but went undrafted.[9] On October 26, 2024, Gaines was selected by the Maine Celtics in the 2024 NBA G League draft.[10]
Career statistics
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | LSU | 29 | 1 | 13.4 | .222 | .172 | .727 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | .2 | 2.5 |
| 2021–22 | LSU | 34 | 8 | 26.9 | .391 | .250 | .793 | 3.3 | 2.9 | 2.1 | .5 | 9.0 |
| 2022–23 | UAB | 39 | 29 | 29.1 | .394 | .343 | .793 | 3.4 | 4.3 | 1.8 | .6 | 11.5 |
| 2023–24 | UAB | 35 | 33 | 33.7 | .393 | .269 | .750 | 3.9 | 5.5 | 2.3 | .5 | 12.3 |
| Career | 137 | 71 | 26.4 | .380 | .279 | .773 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 1.9 | .5 | 9.2 | |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Irvine, Steve (September 12, 2022). "Point guard Eric Gaines brings his 'high risk, high reward' style to UAB basketball". 1819 News. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "UAB Adds LSU Transfer Eric Gaines to Roster". The University of Alabama at Birmingham. April 12, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Holcomb, Todd (March 26, 2020). "2019-20 High school basketball All-Metro boys team". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Richburg, Jason (April 6, 2022). "Top College Hoopers out of Atlanta". The Signal. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ a b c Dudley, Evan (April 12, 2022). "UAB basketball adds LSU transfer Eric Gaines". Advance Local. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Almanza, Clemente (May 23, 2023). "Report: Eric Gaines worked out for the Thunder in pre-draft visit". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Dudley, Evan (May 30, 2023). "UAB's Eric Gaines withdraws from NBA Draft". Advance Local. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ^ Dudley, Evan (April 5, 2024). "UAB basketball's Eric Gaines declares for NBA draft". AL.com. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ Inabinett, Mark (June 27, 2024). "Alabama prospects shut out in 78th annual NBA Draft". AL.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
- ^ Martin, Spencer (October 26, 2024). "Celtics Select Three In G League Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.