Matt Harpring

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Matt Harpring bigraphy, stories - American basketball player

Matt Harpring : biography

May 31, 1976 –

Matthew Joseph Harpring (born May 31, 1976) is a retired American professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the NBA.

Awards and honors

  • NBA All-Rookie First Team: 1999

College career

After attending Marist School near Atlanta, Harpring played college basketball at Georgia Tech, where he was a four-year starter. He was named First Team All-ACC three times (the only other Yellow Jacket player to accomplish this feat was Mark Price from 1984 to 1986). In his senior season (1997–98), Harpring set career-highs by averaging 21.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, ranking second in the ACC in both categories. For his efforts, he was named Third Team All-American.

He finished his collegiate career as Georgia Tech’s second all-time leader in points (2,225) and rebounds (997). He is the institute’s all-time leader in free throws attempted (675) and made (508). Prior to his final regular season home game, Georgia Tech retired Harpring’s jersey number 15. In 2002, Harpring was selected to the ACC 50th Anniversary men’s basketball team as one of the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

While he excelled on the court, he was equally impressive in the classroom. Harpring earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Georgia Tech, and was named GTE Academic All-District III three times. As a senior, he was an Academic All-American.

Personal life

Harpring and his wife Amanda have two children: son Luke Matthew and daughter Kate Eileen (b. January 2008).

Utah Jazz

Harpring signed a free agent contract with the Utah Jazz in August 2002. Known as a smart, hard-working player, he fit well in Utah’s offensive system, playing alongside superstars Karl Malone and John Stockton. Harpring played the best basketball of his career, averaging 17.6 points per game while shooting 51.1 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent on three-pointers. He set a new career high with 30 points against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 26, 2002. Three nights later, he set another career high with 33 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves (on November 29, 2002). He finished second in voting for the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2002-03 (behind Golden State’s Gilbert Arenas).

Prior to the 2003-04 season, Stockton announced his retirement and Malone left Utah to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Harpring was named team captain by coach Jerry Sloan. Harpring provided leadership for the young team, which played surprisingly well despite the departures of Malone and Stockton. Harpring’s season ended suddenly with a knee injury that required surgery to repair. In 31 games, he averaged 16.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. At the time of his injury, he was Utah’s leading scorer.

Harpring returned from his injury the following season, but saw his role on the team reduced as Andrei Kirilenko emerged as an All-Star at small forward, and the Jazz added power forwards Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur to the roster.

In 2009, after suffering various injuries and a post-surgery infection in his ankle, Harpring announced that he would probably not be able to continue playing in the NBA, though he did not formally retire. He joined the Jazz television broadcast team for a few games to add color commentary.

Career highs

  • Points – 33 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, November 29, 2002
  • Rebounds – 19 vs. Orlando Magic, November 17, 2003
  • Assists – 7 vs. Charlotte Hornets, March 16, 2001
  • Steals – 4 on 6 occasions
  • Blocks – 3 on 2 occasions
  • Minutes – 49 vs. Sacramento Kings, November 1, 2000

Oklahoma City Thunder

On December 22, 2009, Harpring’s contract was included in a trade between the Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder, sending Harpring and point guard Eric Maynor to the Thunder in exchange for the rights to 2002 draft pick Peter Fehse. Harpring did not report to Oklahoma City,http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/12/01/nba-notebook-harprings-not-retiring/ who waived him on February 22, 2010. He then joined NBA TV as a studio analyst.