Andrew Richard Betts (born 11 May 1977) is a British former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He played most of his career in Europe despite being drafted into the NBA.

College career

After starting his career as a junior

youth club A youth center or youth centre, often called youth club, is a place where young people can meet and participate in a variety of activities, for example table football, association football (US soccer, UK football), basketball, table tennis, v ...

player with the

Leicester Riders Leicester Riders are a British professional basketball team and the oldest club in the British Basketball League (BBL). Riders compete in the Super League Basketball (SLB). Established in 1967, the club have played in various locations around L ...

, Betts played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University LIU Post, formally the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and often referred to as C.W. Post, is a private university in Brookville, New York, on Long Island. It is part of Long Island University (LIU), and the largest school in the L ...

, from 1994 to 1997, and also later at

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB), also known in athletics as Long Beach State University (LBSU), is a public teaching-focused institution in Long Beach, California, United States. The 322-acre campus is the second largest in the ...

, from 1997 to 1998. He averaged 18.7 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, as a senior at Long Beach State.

Professional career

Betts was selected in the

1998 NBA draft The 1998 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1998, at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around four struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics, and the Tor ...

, by the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

, in the second round, with the 50th overall draft pick. Betts started his pro

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...

career with

Fortitudo Bologna Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna 103, commonly known as Fortitudo Bologna and currently known as Fortitudo Flats Service Bologna for sponsorship reasons, is a basketball club based in Bologna, Italy and currently plays in the second division. H ...

, in the Italian A League, in the 1998–99 season at the outset of a successful European career that culminated in winning the EuroCup in 2006 with Spanish side

Joventut Badalona Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two team ...

and national league titles in Greece with AEK Athens and in Spain with Real Madrid.

National team career

Betts debuted for the English national team in 1996, at age 19. He was named England's Young Player of the Year, and also England's Player of the Year twice. During a

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

career which began in 1996, Betts made 62 appearances for both the senior English national team and the senior Great Britain national team. With Great Britain, he played at the 2009 FIBA EuroBasket before retiring from international basketball in 2011. His highest scoring performance was in 2003 where he scored 31 points as England beat the Czech Republic in a EuroBasket qualifying game.

Personal life

Betts has four children, including daughters

Lauren Lauren is mostly a feminine given name. The name's meaning may be "laurel tree", "sweet of honor", or "wisdom". It is derived from the French name Laurence, a feminine version of Laurent, which is in turn derived from the Roman surname Laurent ...

and

Sienna Sienna () is an earth pigment containing iron oxide and manganese oxide. In its natural state, it is yellowish brown, and it is called raw sienna. When heated, it becomes a reddish brown, and it is called burnt sienna.''Shorter Oxford English ...

, both of whom play basketball at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, and sons Dylan and Ashton. He is the sporting ambassador for his hometown club the

. He lives in

Centennial, Colorado Centennial is a home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,418 at the 2020 United States census, making Centennial the 11th most populous municipality in Colorado. Centennial is a principal ...

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

References

External links

Basketball-Reference.com ProfileEuroleague.net Profile
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RealGM.com ProfileProBallers.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betts, Andrew 1977 births Living people AEK B.C. players Aris B.C. players BC Budivelnyk players British expatriate basketball people in Greece British expatriate basketball people in Italy British expatriate basketball people in Spain British expatriate basketball people in Ukraine British expatriate basketball people in the United States Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets draft picks English men's basketball players English expatriate sportspeople in Greece English expatriate sportspeople in Italy English expatriate sportspeople in Spain English expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine English expatriate sportspeople in the United States Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna players Gipuzkoa Basket players Joventut Badalona players Leicester Riders players Liga ACB players LIU Post Pioneers men's basketball players Long Beach State Beach men's basketball players Pallacanestro Reggiana players People from Coalville Real Betis Baloncesto players Real Madrid Baloncesto players Saski Baskonia players Sportspeople from Leicestershire