Asbjørn Midtgaard

Asbjørn Engelhardt Midtgaard (born 20 September 1997) is a Danish professional basketball player. He last played for the Antwerp Giants of the BNXT League. He played college basketball for the Wichita State Shockers and the Grand Canyon Antelopes.

Asbjørn Midtgaard
Personal information
Born (1997-09-20) 20 September 1997
Helsingør, Denmark
NationalityDanish
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight270 lb (122 kg)
Career information
High schoolEspergærde Gymnasium
(Espergærde, Denmark)
College
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2014–present
PositionCenter
Number33
Career history
2014–2017Hørsholm 79ers
2021–2022ZZ Leiden
2022–2023Crailsheim Merlins
2023Antwerp Giants
Career highlights and awards

Early life and career

Midtgaard grew up playing handball and football, as well as weightlifting and judo. He started playing basketball at age 14, and joined the Hørsholm 79ers of the Basketligaen, the top professional league in Denmark, three years later.[1] In the 2016–17 season, he averaged 8.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game and was named Basketligaen Young Player of the Year.[2]

College career

Midtgaard received limited playing time during his three seasons at Wichita State. He averaged 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in his time with the program.[3] For his senior season, he transferred to Grand Canyon.[4] On 28 November 2020, Midtgaard scored a career-high 20 points in a 94–63 win against Benedictine Mesa.[5] As a senior, Midtgaard averaged 14.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, and shot an NCAA Division I-best 70.7 percent from the field.[6] He received First Team All-Western Athletic Conference, Newcomer of the Year and All-Defensive Team honors.[7]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Midtgaard signed with the Orlando Magic for the 2021 NBA Summer League. He became the first Grand Canyon player since the program entered the NCAA Division I to be invited to the Summer League.[6]

On 16 August 2021, Midtgaard signed his first professional contract with ZZ Leiden of the BNXT League.[8] He was nominated for the BNXT League Most Valuable Player award and ended third in voting. Midtgaard earned a spot in the All-BNXT League Dream Team.[9]

On June 24, 2022, he put pen to paper on a deal with the Crailsheim Merlins of the German Basketball Bundesliga.[10] He wrapped up the 2022-23 campaign, averaging 8.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in Bundesliga play.[11] On July 16 2023, Midtgaard was signed by the Antwerp Giants of the BNXT League.[12] He attended only one BNXT contest for Antwerp and parted ways with the team on October 4, 2023 after having suffered a knee injury.[13]

National team career

Midtgaard represented Denmark at the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship Division B in Austria, and averaged 7.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.[14]

Career statistics
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
* Led NCAA Division I

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Wichita State 806.1.500–.5002.1.0.1.31.4
2018–19 Wichita State 34311.3.632–.5953.1.2.1.83.9
2019–20 Wichita State 2418.0.484–.3332.0.3.1.51.5
2020–21 Grand Canyon 242428.7.707*.000.7189.7.7.41.314.2
Career 902814.6.658.000.6444.5.3.2.85.8

References
  1. Coro, Paul (1 June 2020). "Hoops proved great for Dane". Grand Canyon University Athletics. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  2. Eldridge, Taylor (15 October 2017). "Danish freshman Asbjorn Midtgaard making impression on WSU". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  3. Eldridge, Taylor (17 March 2021). "'I'm grateful for everything': Asbjorn Midtgaard credits WSU for breakout season". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  4. Obert, Richard (11 April 2020). "Wichita State, 7-foot transfer Asbjorn Midtgaard commits to Grand Canyon basketball". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  5. "Midtgaard leads Grand Canyon over Benedictine Mesa 94–63". Associated Press. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  6. Obert, Richard (30 July 2021). "Asbjorn Midtgaard first Grand Canyon player in D-I era invited to NBA Summer League, joining Orlando Magic". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  7. Obert, Richard (9 March 2021). "Grand Canyon's Asbjørn Midtgaard, Alessandro Lever, Jovan Blacksher Jr., pick up All-WAC basketball honors". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  8. "Asbjørn Midtgaard signs with ZZ Leiden". Sportando. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  9. "Historic first Award night for betFIRST BNXT League". BNXT League. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  10. "Power unter den Körben: Hakro Merlins erzielen Einigung mit Center Midtgaard". Crailsheim Merlins. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  11. "Asbjorn Midtgaard". Basketball-Bundesliga. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  12. "Welcome Asbjorn Midtgaard @ Telenet Giants Antwerp!". Telenet Giants Antwerp (in Dutch). 2023-07-16. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  13. "Les Telenet Giants Antwerp disent au revoir à Asbjorn Midtgaard". BNXT League. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  14. "Asbjoern Engelhardt Midtgaard's profile: 2015 U18 European Championship Men". FIBA. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
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