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Boston Globe
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Five things to know about Celtics' second-round draft pick Max Shulga
Here are five things to know about the Celtics final draft selection: He followed his coach from Utah State to VCU, where he ascended Shulga was a role player over his first two seasons at Utah State before breaking out in his third year: he increased his points per game average from 4.4 as a sophomore to 11.9 as a junior, and his 3-point attempts climbed from 1.3 per game to 4.3. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Coach Ryan Odom departed Utah State for the same job at VCU following the season, and Shulga followed his coach as a transfer. Advertisement Shulga continued his upward trajectory his first year at VCU, averaging 14 points per game and shooting 41.5 percent from beyond the arc to earn first-team All-Atlantic 10 honors. Then, after returning as a fifth-year senior, he won the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award and led VCU to the NCAA Tournament. Shooting is his biggest strength Shulga is a high-volume, high-efficiency shooter, and lauded by most analysts as one of the top catch-and-shoot players in the draft class. Advertisement Across his two seasons at VCU, Shulga knocked down 40.2 percent of his 3-pointers on nearly 400 attempts, and averaged more than five attempts per game. His shooting was particularly effective off the catch, drilling 43.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes last season. He also showcased his NBA range in nailing 40 percent of his 3-pointers from beyond 25 feet. He is well-rounded but without other clear strengths Shulga is more than just a shooter on the offensive end, converting 56.3 percent of his attempts at the rim and drawing 5.4 free throw attempts per game this past season. He also averaged 4.0 assists to 1.7 turnovers. Yahoo's Kevin O'Connor writes that 'he is more of a secondary ball-handler, but has a solid handle with some wiggle,' while also noting that 'he lacks burst off the dribble, which limits his ceiling as a shot creator.' On the defensive end, he guards well at the point of attack and has shown toughness, but analysts worry about his lack of size and lateral quickness holding up against NBA competition. He moved to Spain at age 13 to further his basketball development Shulga grew up in Kviv, and learned the game from his older family members — his father refereed FIBA basketball games and his uncle played professionally in Europe. He moved to Spain at age 13 to attend the Basketball School of Excellence in Torrelodones, a Madrid suburb, and became a top youth player in the Spanish junior leagues. Shulga emerged on the radar of US college coaches following his performances with the Ukrainian junior national team, which he continued to compete for after moving to Spain. In the B Division of the Under-18 European Championships, he averaged 13 points and seven rebounds while shooting 53 percent from three. Advertisement VCU fans waived Ukrainian flags in support on senior night With his immediate family members still residing in Kyiv during a prolonged time of unrest in Ukraine following Russia's 2022 invasion, the VCU basketball program and wider community worked to show solidarity for Shulga. On senior night in March, hundreds of VCU fans waved Ukrainian flags when Shulga was introduced, with the fanbase dubbing it 'Moment for Max.' Shulga has been open in numerous media interviews about the challenges of balancing his basketball career with the ongoing conflict back home. 'When I'm on the court, playing in the game, everything kind of just goes away,' Matty Wasserman can be reached at
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Three Flyers earn Atlantic 10 season honors: Nate Santos, Enoch Cheeks and Amael L'Etang
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Three UD men's basketball players were honored when the Atlantic 10 announced its end-of-season awards on Tuesday. Senior forward Nate Santos was selected Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and was a repeat selection to the A-10 All-Academic Team. Senior guard Enoch Cheeks was named Third Team All-Atlantic 10 and also to the league's All-Defensive Team. Freshman forward Amaël L'Etang earned conference All-Rookie Team honors. Santos earned his second All-Atlantic 10 honor in his two years as a Flyer. He was Third Team All-A-10 last year. The Geneva, Ill. native leads the Flyers in scoring (14.1) and is second in rebounding (5.3). He is fourth in the A-10 in 3-pt. FG % (.423, 63-149) and 17th in scoring. He carries a 3.76 cumulative grade point average in Communications Management. Cheeks is second on the team in scoring (13.4) and leads UD in rebounding (6.3). He leads Dayton in steals (55) and is third in blocked shots (18). In the Atlantic 10, he is fourth in steals (1.8) and tied for 11th in rebounding. Among the top 15 rebounders in the league, the Providence, R.I. product is the shortest at 6-foot-3. Hailing from Toulouse, France, L'Etang is the second-ever Frenchman to play for UD. On the year, L'Etang averages 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes a game. In 18 league games, his averages bump up to 8.1 and 4.6. He has 18 of his 27 blocked shots and 14 of his 16 steals in conference games. He was named A-10 Rookie of the Week three times. L'Etang is the seventh Anthony Grant recruit (in eight seasons) to be named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team. This is also the seventh consecutive year that Dayton has had at least two players named All-Atlantic 10. In addition to the league awards, UD also announced its 2024-25 season awards • WHITE ALLEN MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – Enoch Cheeks & Nate Santos• ALEX SCHOEN FREE THROW PERCENTAGE – Posh Alexander & Zed Key• JOHN L. MACBETH SCHOLAR-ATHLETE – Nate Santos• DR. GEORGE RAU SPIRIT AWARD – Isaac Jack• 'SHORTY' SHARPENTER TOP REBOUNDER – Enoch Cheeks• CHRIS DANIELS MEMORIAL AWARD – Javon Bennett & Malachi Smith• THOMAS M. LUPPE MEMORIAL AWARD – Amaël L'Etang• STEVE McELVENE BEST DEFENDER AWARD – Enoch Cheeks• UHL FAMILY ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP – Jacob Conner• JAMES G. & PURCELL S. PALMER SCHOLARSHIP – Nate Santos• HERB DINTAMAN MANAGERS SCHOLARSHIP – Jordan Harbeck & Bella Sindoni The Flyers are the No. 3 seed in this week's Atlantic 10 Men's Basketball Championship in Washington, D.C. Dayton will play in the A-10 Quarterfinal game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
