David Aliu

Last updated

David Aliu
David Aliu Mersey Tigers BBL Cup Final 2011.JPG
Personal information
Born (1981-03-13) 13 March 1981 (age 43)
Liverpool, England
Listed height1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Career information
High school Notre Dame Academy
(Middleburg, Virginia)
CollegeMorehead State University (2000–2004)
NBA draft 2004: undrafted
Playing career2004–2016
Position Power forward
Number11
Career history
2004 Scottish Rocks
2005 Tindastóll
2005–2006 Hamar/Selfoss
2006–2007 Leicester Riders
2006–2007 Þór Þorlákshöfn
2007 Celso Míguez Procolor
2007–2008 Everton Tigers
2008–2009 Lausanne
2010–2012 Mersey Tigers
2012–2014 Manchester Giants
2014–2016 Cheshire Phoenix
Career highlights and awards

David Aliu (born 13 March 1981) is a British retired professional basketball player. He last played for Cheshire Phoenix in the British Basketball League (BBL). Aliu was part of the Mersey Tigers' treble-winning 2010/11 team, and in November 2011, became the Tigers' record points scorer in the BBL. [1]

Contents

Early life and career

Born in Liverpool, England, Aliu started playing basketball at the age of 14 in his home town of Liverpool, playing for local side Toxteth Tigers. He landed a scholarship in the US, playing at the Notre Dame Academy in Virginia, before moving on to and graduating from Morehead State University, Kentucky in 2004. [2]

Professional career

The power forward made his British Basketball League debut on 01/10/2004 playing for Scottish Rocks against Newcastle Eagles, and he went on to make 11 appearances for the Rocks, averaging 6.27 PPG.

He then moved on to play for three teams in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild karla - Tindastóll (15.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg), Hamar/Selfoss (20.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg) and Þór Þorlákshöfn (23.6 ppg and 9.5 rpg) - from 2005 to 2007, with a short spell at Leicester Riders in the BBL in the middle.

After a brief spell with Celso Míguez Procolor in Spain, Aliu returned to his home city to play for the new professional franchise, Everton Tigers.

He averaged 15.8 points per game in 33 appearances for the Tigers, before leaving to play for BBC Lausanne in Switzerland. He took a year out of the sport following the birth of his daughter, but returned to the re-branded Mersey Tigers for the 2010/11 season. Aliu won the BBL Championship, BBL Trophy and BBL play-off titles, playing alongside Great Britain players Andrew Sullivan and Nate Reinking, in a very successful season.

In August 2011, Aliu signed a new two-year deal with the Tigers to keep him at the club until the end of the 2012/13 season. [3]

In September 2012, Aliu signed with a contract with the Manchester Giants. [4]

In June 2014, Aliu signed a two-year contract with the Cheshire Phoenix. On 20 July 2016 Aliu retired from basketball. [5] [6]

Other Notes

Aliu was the first person to score a basket at the ECHO Arena in Liverpool. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Basketball League</span> Professional sports league founded 1987

The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is presently contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs from Wales. The BBL runs two additional knockout competitions alongside the BBL Championship which are the BBL Trophy and the end-of-season BBL Playoffs. In March 2024, there will be a BBL All-Star game which will replace the BBL Cup knockout competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newcastle Eagles</span> British professional basketball team

The Newcastle Eagles are a professional basketball team based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manchester Giants</span> British professional basketball team

The Manchester Giants are a British professional basketball team based in Manchester, England. The franchise was established in 2011, and admitted to the top-tier British Basketball League in 2012. The team's formation was led by a consortium headed by Graham Herstell. As of 2020, the team play their home games at the National Basketball Performance Centre in the Belle Vue area of the city.

Andrew "Drew" Sullivan is a British retired basketball player. In his career, he played for several clubs in Europe and was the captain of the Great Britain national team. He was a two-time MVP of the British Basketball League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mersey Tigers</span> Former British basketball team

The Mersey Tigers were a professional basketball team based in the city of Liverpool, England. The club was established in 2007 as a start-up franchise of the British Basketball League, the country's elite competition. The Tigers started competing at the start of the 2007–08 season, and won the BBL Cup in their second season as well as finishing as runners-up in the league. In 2013 it was officially announced that the Tigers franchise had been withdrawn from the BBL due to financial difficulties that had plagued the club throughout the previous season, which resulted in the Tigers becoming the first ever BBL club to complete an entire season without a single victory.

Adrien Richard Sturt is an Australian-British professional basketball player. He previously played for the Great Britain Under-23 team.

The 2010–11 BBL season was the 24th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. This season saw the league reduced to 12 teams with the withdrawal of London Capital during the summer and was the first campaign ever to not feature a club from the capital city London.

The 2011–12 BBL season was the 25th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 11 teams from across England and Scotland, with Durham Wildcats appearing in their first campaign after election from EBL Division 1. The League did not feature two teams from the previous season; Worthing Thunder had stepped down to the EBL, whilst Essex Pirates withdrew just two weeks prior to the season starting due to the loss of a major sponsor. There was also uncertainty regarding the participation of reigning champions Mersey Tigers, who had to postpone their first game due to off-court problems and operational issues.

The 2012–13 BBL season was the 26th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland including a new entrant, the reformed Manchester Giants, who were based on the original franchise of the same name that folded in 2001. East London Royals were due to become the 13th member of the League, but after their financial backing fell through weeks before the start of the season, the League deferred their entry until the 2013–14 season. The pre-season also saw long-time member franchise Milton Keynes Lions relocate to London and rebrand itself as the London Lions, whilst Cheshire Jets – encountering severe financial difficulties and threatened with the franchise being dissolved – were saved by campaigning local fans and businessmen and renamed as Cheshire Phoenix midway through the season.

The 2013–14 BBL season was the 27th campaign of the British Basketball League since the league's establishment in 1987. The season featured 12 teams from across England and Scotland, including new entrant Birmingham Knights. East London Royals and Essex Leopards were both due to become the 13th and 14th League members respectively, but after deferring their original entries from the 2012–13 season for a season, both franchises withdrew their applications to join the BBL due to financial constraints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeAndre Kane</span> American basketball player

DeAndre Kane is an American-born naturalized Hungarian professional basketball player for Grindavík in the Úrvalsdeild karla. He played college basketball at Marshall University and Iowa State University before playing professionally in Russia, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Spain and Serbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike DiNunno</span> American-Italian basketball player

Michele Christopher Di Nunno is an American-Italian professional basketball player, playing the point guard position. Born in Maywood, Illinois, he played high school basketball at Lake Park and Von Steuben. Initially, he committed to Northern Illinois to play college basketball, where he received MAC All-Freshman team honors. After two seasons, he transferred to Eastern Kentucky. DiNunno was named in the OVC All-Newcomer team in his junior season and first team all-OVC in his senior season at Eastern Kentucky. Following his graduation, he has played professionally in several leagues in Europe. In 2019 he won the Icelandic championship as a member of KR.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamell Anderson</span> British professional basketball player

Jamell Anderson is a British professional basketball player who plays for British club Manchester Giants as a forward.

Michael Adetokunbo Ojo is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Lehigh Mountain Hawks before playing pro ball in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armani Moore</span> American basketball player

Armani T'Bori Moore is an American professional basketball player for Stjarnan of the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild karla. He played college basketball at Tennessee. In 2017, he won the PLK championship and the Polish Cup.

Kinu Ashton Rochford is an American professional basketball player currently playing for Golden Eagle Ylli of the Kosovo Basketball Superleague. In 2017, he won the NKL championship with Garonne Sūduva-Mantinga.

Tevin Alexander Falzon is a Maltese-American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Palestrina of the Italian Serie B Basket. He played college basketball for the Sacred Heart Pioneers. He is also a member of the Maltese national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Glasgow Jr.</span> American-British basketball player

Rodney Glasgow Jr. is an American-British basketball player for the Sheffield Sharks of the British Basketball League (BBL). After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute, he went on to play professionally in Europe.

Laquincy Rideau is an American professional basketball player for Cheshire Phoenix of the British Basketball League (BBL). He played college basketball for the Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs and South Florida Bulls.

Cameron "Cam" Christon is an American professional basketball player for the Cheshire Phoenix of the British Basketball League. He played college basketball for the Boise State Broncos and the Grambling State Tigers.

References

  1. ↑ "Basketball: Mersey Tigers captain David Aliu racks up 1000 BBL points". Liverpool Echo . 16 December 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  2. ↑ Dave Powell (20 August 2015). "The unlikely career path paved with success for Cheshire Phoenix star David Aliu". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "David Aliu signs new two-year deal with Mersey Tigers". Liverpool Echo . 7 May 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  4. ↑ "David Aliu signs for Manchester Giants". davidaliu.com. 16 September 2012. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  5. ↑ Gains, Bradley (20 July 2016). "David Aliu Retires from Professional Basketball". Hoopsfix.com. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "David Aliu announces retirement from professional basketball". Cheshire Phoenix . 20 July 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  7. ↑ Powell, Dave (4 June 2014). "Nix add league legend Aliu to roster". The Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.