Lewis Clinch

Earnest Lewis Clinch Jr. (born June 29, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He won the Icelandic Basketball Cup with Grindavík in 2014 en led the team to the Úrvalsdeild finals in 2014 and 2017, where it lost to KR both times.[1]

Lewis Clinch
Personal information
Born (1987-06-29) June 29, 1987
Cordele, Georgia
NationalityAmerican
Listed height191 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Listed weight88 kg (194 lb)
Career information
High schoolCrisp County (Cordele, Georgia)
CollegeGeorgia Tech (2005–2009)
NBA draft2009: undrafted
Playing career2009–present
PositionGuard
Number11
Career history
As player:
2009–2011Austin Toros
2011Maine Red Claws
2011–2012Hapoel Lev Hasharon
2012Caciques de Humacao
2012Caneros de La Romana
2013Bameso
2013–2014Grindavík
2014–2015Fukushima Firebonds
2016–2017Grindavík
2018–2019Grindavík
As coach:
2014Grindavík
Career highlights and awards
As player:

Playing career

College career

Clinch played college basketball for Georgia Tech from 2005 to 2009. In 93 games he averaged 11.3 points per game. During his senior season, he started all 24 games and averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.[2]

Club career

His first professional stop was with the Austin Spurs of the D-League where he played from 2009 until he was waived by the club in February 2011. He was shortly later picked up by the Maine Red Claws, where he finished the season.[3] He spent 2011–2012 season with Hapoel Lev Hasharon in Israel’s National League and averaged 22.7 ppg and 4.9 rpg in 18 games. He left the team in February 2012 and signed with Caciques de Humacao of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional where he averaged 12.9 points and 3.9 assists in 7 games. Later that year, he signed with Caneros de La Romana in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto and in early 2013 he signed with Bameso from the Dominican Republic’s District National.[4][5]

In 2013, Clinch signed with reigning Icelandic champions Grindavík. On February 22, 2014, he won the Icelandic Basketball Cup with the club, posting 20 points and 9 assists in Grindavík's 89–77 victory against ÍR.[6] The club advanced to the Úrvalsdeild finals[7] for the third straight season but lost to KR, 3–1.[8]

In August 2014, Clinch signed with the Fukushima Firebonds of the Japanese bj league.[9]

Clinch signed back with Grindavík in September 2016.[10] The team was not expected to be contenders[11] but behind his play it returned to the Úrvalsdeild finals, for the first time since 2014, where they met KR again.[12] After losing the first two games of the series, Grindavík won the next two and tied the series at 2 games apiece. In the fifth and deciding game, KR blew out Grindavík, 95–56, and won its fourth consecutive title.[13] He did not return to the club the following season after contract negotiations broke down between the sides and Grindavík signed Rashad Whack in his place.[14]

On October 13, 2018, Clinch returned to Grindavík in place of recently injured Terrell Vinson.[15] On 24 January 2019, Grindavík was fined 50.000 ISK for Clinch's Tweet on 7 January regarding the officiating in a game between Njarðvík and Keflavík.[16]

Coaching career

Clinch took over as head coach of Grindavík women's team, with the team in second-to-last place with six games left of the 2013–14 Úrvalsdeild kvenna season.[17] Under him, the team won 3 of its last 6 games and staved off relegation to 1. deild kvenna.[18]

References
  1. Kristinn Páll Teitsson (18 October 2018). "Clinch semur við Grindavík í þriðja sinn". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 October 2018.
  2. "Lewis Clinch College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  3. Michael De Leon (11 February 2011). "Clinch waived by Toros, joins Red Claws". spurtsonsixth.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  4. "Lewis Clinch signed by Grindavik". Court Side Newspaper. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  5. "速報】Lewis Clinch (ルイス　クリンチ)選手　契約合意のお知らせ". firebonds.jp (in Japanese). Fukushima Firebonds. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  6. Jón Björn Ólafsson (22 February 2014). "Grindavík bikarmeistari karla 2014". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  7. Kolbeinn Tumi Daðason (1 May 2014). "Líflína Grindavíkur er í hendi Lewis". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  8. "KR Íslandsmeistari karla 2014". RÚV (in Icelandic). 1 May 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  9. Ed Odeven (7 August 2014). "Aomori warns foreign players about fraudulent agents". Japan Times. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  10. Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (11 September 2016). "Earnest Lewis Clinch Jr. aftur til Grindavíkur". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  11. Anton Ingi Leifsson (11 April 2018). "Lewis Clinch sendir Grindavík tóninn: "Þekktu þitt eigið virði"". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  12. Kristján Jónsson (24 April 2017). "Andrúmsloftið í úrslitunum minnir á háskólaárin". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  13. Kristjana Arnarsdóttir (30 April 2017). "KR-ingar Íslandsmeistarar fjórða árið í röð". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  14. "Lewis Clinch skýtur fast á Grindavík". Fúsíjama TV (in Icelandic). 11 April 2018. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  15. Ástrós Ýr Eggertsdóttir (13 October 2018). "Clinch búinn að semja við Grindavík". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  16. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (24 January 2019). "Lewis Clinch fær ekki leikbann". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 January 2019.
  17. "Jón Halldór farinn frá Grindavík". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). 12 February 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  18. "Úrvalsdeild kvenna Domino´s deildin (2014 Tímabil)". kki.is (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Federation. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
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