Eric Gaines
| No. 4 – UAB Blazers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| League | Conference USA |
| 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 | |
Eric Gaines (born January 19, 2001) is an American college basketball player for the UAB Blazers. He previously played for the LSU Tigers.
Early life[edit]
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 attention during his first two years.[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 play for the LSU Tigers.[1]
College career[edit]
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 9 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 the UAB Blazers.[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]
On April 5, 2024, Gaines declared for the 2024 NBA draft.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ 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. Retrieved April 22, 2024.