Joseph Girard III

Joseph Girard III
No. 11 – Nevėžis Kėdainiai
PositionPoint guard
LeagueLKL
Personal information
Born (2000-11-27) November 27, 2000 (age 23)
Glens Falls, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolGlens Falls
(Glens Falls, New York)
College
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–presentNevėžis Kėdainiai
Career highlights and awards

Joseph Girard III (born November 27, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Nevėžis Kėdainiai of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL). He played for Glens Falls High School in New York, where he became the state's all-time leading scorer. As a senior in high school, Girard earned Mr. New York Basketball honors and was named MaxPreps Athlete of the Year for his success in basketball and football.

Early life

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Girard was born and grew up in Glens Falls, New York, and began playing basketball at a young age. In fifth grade, he won a national foul shooting contest by making all 25 shots and was dubbed "the next Jimmer", a reference to Glens Falls native Jimmer Fredette.[1] Girard attended Glens Falls High School, where he played basketball and football as well as junior varsity baseball, which he gave up to focus on the other two sports.[2]

Girard began playing varsity basketball, coached by his uncle Rob Girard, for the Indians while still in eighth grade, averaging 21.7 points per game.[3][4] As a freshman, he averaged 33.9 points per game and made 122 three-pointers and began to be recruited by colleges.[2] As a sophomore, Girard averaged 36.4 points per game and finished the season with 2,157 career points in leading the team to a 24–1 record.[5] As a junior, Girard averaged 50.0 points per game and passed Lance Stephenson's state record of 2,946 career points scored.[6] He was named the New York Gatorade Player of the Year, the All-USA New York Player of the Year, and the Albany Times Union Male Athlete of the Year.

As a senior, Girard averaged 48.6 points per game and led Glens Falls to its first New York Federation title, scoring 53 points in the championship game and finishing his high school career with 4,763 points.[7][8] Girard was again named the New York Gatorade Player of the Year as well as the NYSSWA Class B Player of the Year and Mr. New York Basketball and was named Class B first team All-State for a fourth consecutive season and was named the MaxPreps Athlete of the Year for his combined success in basketball and football.[9] Rated a three star prospect, Girard committed to play college basketball at Syracuse over offers from Boston College, Duke, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State.[10]

In football, Girard served as Glens Falls' starting quarterback and safety while also returning kicks and punts. Girard led Glens Falls to the Class B state title as a sophomore and was named the MVP of the State Championship Game.[11] He passed for 1,911 yards and 24 touchdowns and led Glens Falls to a 13–1 record in his junior season.[12] As a senior, he passed for 3,078 yards and 36 touchdowns and led the Indians to a second state title. Girard finished his high school football career with 6,767 passing yards and 83 touchdowns while rushing for more than 1,500 yards and 31 touchdowns.[13] Although he stated in intent to pursue basketball in college, Girard received a scholarship offer to play both sports at Tulane and to play football at UMass while also receiving recruiting interest from Indiana, Wake Forest, Syracuse, UConn, and Monmouth.[14][15]

College career

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Girard was named the Orange's starting point guard two games into his true freshman season.[16] In his first career start against Seattle, he scored 24 points with five rebounds and two assists in an 89–67 win.[17] On December 18, Girard scored 20 points and had seven assists in a 74–62 win over Oakland.[18] Girard scored a career-high 30 points in a 79–74 loss to NC State on February 11, 2020.[19] He averaged 12.4 points per game and led Syracuse in assists (3.5 per game) and steals (1.4 per game). He shot 89.4 percent from the foul line, third best in school history behind Gerry McNamara's freshman and senior seasons, and made 70 three-pointers, fourth highest for a Syracuse freshman.[20] As a sophomore, Girard averaged 9.8 points and 3.5 assists per game. After the NCAA passed the Name, Image and Likeness rules in July 2021, he formed JG3 Enterprises LLC.[21] As a senior, Girard averaged 16.4 points per game. He transferred to Clemson for his final season of eligibility.[22]

Professional career

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On 24 July 2024, Joseph Girard III started his professional basketball player career and signed one–year contract with Nevėžis Kėdainiai of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL).[23]

Career statistics

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Legend
  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

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Syracuse 32 30 33.0 .348 .324 .894 3.0 3.5 1.5 .1 12.4
2020–21 Syracuse 28 28 27.7 .355 .333 .780 2.9 3.5 1.4 .1 9.8
2021–22 Syracuse 33 33 34.1 .392 .403 .882 2.6 4.2 1.6 .0 13.8
2022–23 Syracuse 32 32 34.7 .403 .381 .857 2.8 3.0 .8 .0 16.4
Career 125 123 32.5 .378 .398 .863 2.9 3.6 1.3 .0 13.2

Personal life

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Girard's father, Joe Jr., played basketball at Le Moyne College under former Michigan head coach John Beilein.[5] Joe Girard grew up in upstate New York.

References

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  1. ^ Gutierrez, Matthew (November 17, 2019). "'He was ready from the beginning': The night the Joseph Girard story gained another chapter". The Athletic. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "For basketball star Girard, football worth the risk". The Daily Gazette. February 2, 2017.
  3. ^ Williams, Ellis (December 16, 2017). "For Girard, lots to think about in the next year". The Post-Star.
  4. ^ "Joseph Girard III is Glens Falls' hot shot and celebrity". Newsday. March 23, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Joseph Girard's rising profile". Glens Falls Chronicle. May 18, 2017.
  6. ^ Waters, Mike (January 28, 2019). "Behind Syracuse basketball recruit Joe Girard's march to 4,000 points". Syracuse.com.
  7. ^ "An amazing season for Mr. NY Basketball Joseph Girard III". The Daily Gazette. June 7, 2019.
  8. ^ McAllister, Michael (March 24, 2019). "Girard Caps Stellar High School Career with Federation Title". 247Sports.com.
  9. ^ Curtis, Mike (April 17, 2019). "Joe Girard III named state boys basketball Player of the Year in Class B". The Post-Standard.
  10. ^ Curtis, Mike (October 15, 2018). "Joe Girard III commits to Syracuse basketball". The Post-Standard.
  11. ^ Woodworth, Gordon (December 2, 2016). "Glens Falls wins NYS Class B football title, 47-39, over Chenango Forks". Glens Falls Chronicle.
  12. ^ Pope IV, Jonas (August 17, 2018). "Duke basketball target Joseph Girard III is a dual-sport prospect". The News & Observer.
  13. ^ Ostrander, Lyden (November 24, 2018). "Syracuse basketball commit Joe Girard nabs another football state title". MaxPreps.com.
  14. ^ "Tulane reaches out to Girard - for football". The Daily Gazette. October 4, 2017.
  15. ^ Paxton, Colby (May 9, 2018). "Will Glen Falls Quarterback Joe Girard Be A Two-Sport Star In College?". FloFootball.com. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  16. ^ Waters, Mike (November 14, 2019). "Syracuse lineup shakeup: Jim Boeheim names Joe Girard starter after win over Colgate". The Post-Standard.
  17. ^ "Syracuse basketball: Joseph Girard sparks Orange over Seattle". Democrat and Chronicle. November 16, 2019.
  18. ^ "Syracuse Outlasts Stubborn Oakland 74–62". ESPN. Associated Press. December 18, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  19. ^ Frank, Mark (February 12, 2020). "Girard scores career high in SU loss". Adirondack Daily Enterprise. Associated Press. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  20. ^ Waters, Mike (March 20, 2020). "The coronavirus has turned Syracuse's Joe Girard into a gym rat without a gym". The Post-Standard. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  21. ^ Tobey, Pete (July 24, 2021). "JG3 able to cash in on basketball fame, thanks to new NCAA rules". The Post-Star. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  22. ^ "Clemson adds four transfers, including Joseph Girard III". ESPN. Associated Press. May 9, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  23. ^ "Komandos gynėjų grandį stiprina amerikietis Joseph Girard III". kknevezis.lt (in Lithuanian). 24 July 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
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