Kyle Vinales Explained

Kyle Vinales
Number:0
Position:Point guard / shooting guard
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lb:180
League:BSN
Team:Indios de Mayagüez
Birth Date:18 June 1992
Birth Place:Farmington Hills, Michigan
Nationality:American / Puerto Rican
High School:
College:Central Connecticut (2011–2015)
Draft Year:2015
Career Start:2015
Years1:2015
Team1:Vaqueros de Bayamón
Years2:2015–2017
Team2:Club Africain
Years3:2017
Team3:Brujos de Guayama
Years4:2017–2018
Team4:US Monastir
Years5:2018
Team5:Caciques de Humacao
Years6:2018–2019
Team6:AEK Larnaca
Years7:2019–2020
Team7:Kalev/Cramo
Years8:2020–2021
Team8:Lietkabelis
Years9:2021
Team9:Gigantes de Carolina
Years10:2021–2022
Team10:SC Derby
Years11:2022
Team11:Mets de Guaynabo
Years12:2022–2023
Team12:SLUC Nancy Basket
Years13:2023
Team13:Legia Warszawa
Years14:2024–present
Team14:Indios de Mayagüez
Highlights:

Kyle Vinales (born June 18, 1992) is an American-Puerto Rican professional basketball for Indios de Mayagüez of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He previously competed for the Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team.

High school career

Vinales began playing basketball with The Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania. Under head coach Brian Shanahan, he emerged as a pure scorer with a diverse attacking game. However, the combo guard would later move to North Farmington High School and start playing with coach Tom Negoshian. He spent his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons at Farmington Hills. In his last year with North Farmington, Vinales averaged about 25.7 points per game. Some of his greatest honors in high school include All-Oakland County and Second Team All-State.[1]

Collegiate career

Before committing to Central Connecticut State University, Vinales was rated as a one-star recruit by ESPN Recruiting Nation Basketball with a scout grade of 78. He officially signed with the team on November 8, 2010.[2]

Vinales made an excellent career debut after scoring 24 points and recording 5 steals in a loss against Yale on November 11, 2011. He would score a season-high 39 points in his second game against Niagara. Due to his performances, Vinales was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week on several occasions, but never earned more prestigious honors.[3]

In his sophomore season at CCSU, Vinales became known as one of the top scorers in the NCAA. He averaged the seventh-most points in the Division I and became the quickest player in school history to reach the 1,000 point ceiling. Vinales was named NEC Player of the Week during the season, and was also named the conference's Rookie of the Year, making the All-Rookie Team as well. Following the season, Vinales made the decision to return to Central Connecticut despite the strong possibility of the transfer.[4]

In his third year playing basketball for CCSU, Vinales continued to be one of the most aggressive scorers in the NCAA. However, in January 2014, Vinales injured his shooting hand during practice. Howie Dickenman, the team's head coach, made the statement, "You hate to see it happen to someone who works so hard."[5]

Kyle never played in his senior year. He announced that he would not be playing via Twitter, saying "No more college ball for me. Time to start my pro career" after he was arrested in October 2014 for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. He ended his career with 1,514 points and hopes to play in the NBA. However, he was later signed by the Puerto Rican team Vaqueros de Bayamon for the 2015 season.[6]

Professional career

In 2015 Vinales won the Tunisian League MVP, averaging 22.4 points and 6 assists per game, while also winning the Tunisian championship that same year. In 2018, he was named into the all-BSN team, which is an honour for the Puerto Rican league's top five players. During the BSN season, he averaged 20.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game for the Grises de Humacao.

On September 30, 2019, Vinales signed with Kalev/Cramo of the Latvian–Estonian League.[7]

On July 12, 2020, he signed with Lietkabelis of the Lithuanian Basketball League.[8] Vinales played for Gigantes de Carolina of the Puerto Rican league in 2021, averaging 11.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. On September 7, 2021, he signed with KK Studentski centar of the Prva A Liga and the ABA League.[9]

In Februaray, 2022, Vinales signed with Mets de Guaynabo of the Puerto Rican League.[10]

On July 4, 2022, he signed with SLUC Nancy Basket of the LNB Pro A.[11]

On January 1, 2023, he signed with Legia Warszawa of the Polish Basketball League.[12]

The Basketball Tournament

Vinales joined House of 'Paign, a team composed primarily of Illinois alumni in The Basketball Tournament 2020. He scored five points and dished out four assists in a 76-53 win over War Tampa in the first round.[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kyle Vinales Bio. CCSUBlueDevils.com. 7 July 2014.
  2. Web site: Kyle Vinales. ESPN.com. 7 July 2014.
  3. Web site: Kyle Vinales Player Profile. RealGM.com. 7 July 2014.
  4. Web site: Johnson. Raphielle. Kyle Vinales won't leave Central Connecticut State after all. NBCSports.com. 24 May 2013. 7 July 2014.
  5. Web site: Johnson. Raphielle. Central Connecticut State guard Kyle Vinales out 5-6 weeks with broken finger. NBCSports.com. 8 January 2014. 7 July 2014.
  6. Web site: Kyle Vinales Basketball Player Profile. Latin-Basket.com. 5 April 2015.
  7. News: Kyle Vinales signs with BC Kalev/Cramo. September 30, 2019. Sportando. En. October 1, 2019.
  8. News: Kyle Vinales signs with Lietkabelis. July 12, 2020. Sportando. En. July 12, 2020.
  9. Web site: S.Centar inks Kyle Vinales . Eurobasket . September 7, 2021 . September 7, 2021.
  10. Web site: Los Mets de Guaynabo adquieren a Kyle Viñales desde Carolina . elnuevodia.com . 22 March 2022 . 11 February 2022. Spanish.
  11. Web site: Le meneur américano-portoricain Kyle Vinales débarque au SLUC Nancy. July 4, 2022. basketeurope.com. fr. October 27, 2022.
  12. Web site: Legia ma nowego rozgrywającego. January 19, 2023. plk.pl. pl. January 20, 2023.
  13. News: Richey . Scott . Thrive and advance . July 5, 2020 . . July 4, 2020.