Charles Arnaud Minlend (born May 15, 1973) is a Cameroonian-Canadian former professional basketball player. A 6-foot-6 forward, he played his four years of

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 ...

at St. John's over 5 seasons (he redshirted one year). After going undrafted in the

1997 NBA draft The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto R ...

he started his professional career in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

where he played in the

LNB Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the second-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular se ...

with Poissy-Chatou and then moved to the

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

where he spent two seasons. He then played three seasons in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

with Maccabi Givat Shmuel, and was named the 2003

Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP The Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, or Israeli Basketball Super League MVP, is an annual basketball award that is presented to the most valuable player in a given season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier level ...

after being the top scorer in 2003 (25.3 points per game). After leaving Israel he moved to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, where he played four seasons and won another scoring title in 2004. He retired in 2008 after playing one season in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

High school career

After having lived in

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in his early years, he spent his senior year of high school at St. Thomas More School in

Oakdale, Connecticut Montville is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 18,387 at the 2020 census. The villages of Chesterfield, Mohegan, Oakdale, and Uncasvil ...

United States 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 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, where he averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds per game.

College career

Minlend received interest from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and

UConn The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

, but decided to sign for St. John's, which had been recruiting him since December 1991. While at St. John's he opted to major in

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

. Minlend played 30 games during his freshman year with the Redmen under newly appointed coach Brian Mahoney, averaging 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game: he ranked fifth on the team in scoring, fourth in rebounding and third in blocks per game with 0.4. He also participated in the

1993 NCAA tournament The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

, playing in both St. John's games: he recorded 6 points and 5 rebounds against

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship institution of the five- ...

and 8 points and 4 rebounds against

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

. Minlend's sophomore season saw him getting a more prominent role in the team, and he ranked second on the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game and rebounding (7.8), trailing senior center Shawnelle Scott in both categories. His 393 points and 225 total rebounds for the season were team highs. For his junior year, the Cameroonian-born forward was named team captain together with Derek Brown and again led the team in rebounding with 8.5 per game; he ranked third in scoring behind freshman guard Felipe López and senior forward

James Scott James Scott may refer to: Entertainment * James Scott (composer) (1885–1938), African-American ragtime composer * James Scott (director) (born 1941), British filmmaker * James Scott (actor) (born 1979), British television actor * James Scott (Sh ...

. Minlend missed the 1995–96 season on a

medical redshirt Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

because of a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury. For his senior season in 1996–97, Minlend was named the only team captain under the new coach

Fran Fraschilla Francis John Fraschilla (born August 30, 1958) is an American basketball commentator and former college basketball coach. Career Fraschilla was an assistant coach at University of Rhode Island for Jack Kraft, Ohio University for Danny Nee an ...

. He ranked third in scoring (14.1 points per game) and second in rebounding behind junior center

Zendon Hamilton Zendon Alphonso Hamilton (born April 29, 1975) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2000 to 2006. Amateur career Hamilton, a 6'11" center played high school ...

; he led the team in total three-point field goals scored with 31, and also had the team's best 3-point shooting percentage at 35.2%. He ended his career at St. Johns with 1,349 total points (tied 22nd all-time as of 2018) and 784 total rebounds (10th all-time); he also graduated with honors.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 1992–93 , align="left" , St. John's , 30 , , , , , , .538 , , .500 , , .717 , , 3.9 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.4 , , 7.8 , - , align="left" , 1993–94 , align="left" , St. John's , 29 , , , , , , .500 , , .000 , , .766 , , 7.8 , , 0.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.2 , , 13.6 , - , align="left" , 1994–95 , align="left" , St. John's , 27 , , , , , , .517 , , .143 , , .740 , , 8.5 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 0.4 , , 12.7 , - , align="left" , 1996–97 , align="left" , St. John's , 27 , , , , , , .439 , , .352 , , .774 , , 7.8 , , 1.1 , , 0.9 , , 0.4 , , 14.1 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 113 , , , , , , .492 , , .343 , , .752 , , 6.9 , , 0.9 , , 1.0 , , 0.3 , , 11.9 , -

Professional career

After graduating from St. John's, Minlend was automatically eligible for the

, where he went undrafted; he was selected by the

Long Island Surf The Long Island Surf were a professional basketball team based in Long Island, New York. They played 14 seasons in the United States Basketball League (USBL). History The franchise was established in 1985 as the Long Island Knights, and played i ...

in the 1997

USBL The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

draft. Minlend then moved to

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and played for Poissy-Chatou in the

, the second tier of

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

basketball, for the first part of the 1998–1999 season. He then joined

ASVEL Basket ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

in the

, the top league in France, and in 6 games played he averaged 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.2 assists in 15.2 minutes per game. He signed for

Montpellier Paillade Basket Montpellier Paillade Basket was a French basketball club, based in the city of Montpellier. The club has evolved among the elite of French basketball (N1A and Pro) for 14 seasons between 1989 and 2002, but was dissolved in 2002 after filing for ba ...

for the 1999–2000 season, and in 25 games he averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2 assists in 37.1 minutes of playing time. In 2000 he left France for

, and signed for Maccabi Givat Shmuel in the top level of Israeli basketball. In 26 games he averaged 23.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 42.5% from the field (61% on 2-pointers, and 24% on 3-pointers). The following season he played 36 minutes per game and averaged 22.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game: he was selected in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Quintet The Israeli Basketball Premier League Quintet, or Israeli Basketball Super League Quintet, is an award given to the 5 best players of each season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier level men's professional basketball le ...

for the first time. Minlend's 2002–03 season saw him lead the Israeli league in scoring with 25.3 points per game, shooting 36% from three; he also averaged 7.8 rebounds and 3 assists per game with a PIR of 30.1. At the end of the season he was also named league MVP and was named in the League Quinted for the second consecutive year. Minlend also reached the playoffs for the first time, and in 2 postseason games he posted averages of 25.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. In 2003 Minlend left Israel and moved to

, signing for

Jeonju KCC Egis The Busan KCC Egis () is a professional basketball club based in Busan, South Korea. The team competes in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and has established a substantial fanbase in South Korea. Founded in 1997, the team was initially based i ...

. In his first season in the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

he led the league in scoring with 27.1 points per game, and also added 11.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, gaining an All-Star selection. In the following season he averaged 26.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, and was again named in the All-Star team. In his final season with KCC he played 53 games, averaging 28.6 points (a career-high) and 9.8 rebounds per game, obtaining his third All-Star selection. In 2006 he left KCC for

Changwon LG Sakers Changwon LG Sakers are a professional basketball team located in the city of Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. They play in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), and their home arena is Changwon Gymnasium which has a capacity for ...

, another KBL team, and in 35.4 minutes per game he averaged 28.6 points and 8.8 rebounds. Minlend retired in 2008 after having played 4 games with the

Cherkaski Mavpy Cherkaski Mavpy () is a Ukrainian professional basketball club that plays its home games in Cherkasy. In the 2007 NBA draft, Cherkaski Mavpy center Kyrylo Fesenko was selected 38th by the Philadelphia 76ers, who then traded his rights to the Uta ...

in the

Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague The Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague (USL) () is the first-tier level of professional basketball league in Ukraine. Established in 1992, the league is currently contested by 10 clubs. It is a tier above the Ukrainian Higher League and allows for o ...

Career statistics

Domestic leagues

, - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 1998–99 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=1,

, style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2,

, , 6 , , 15.2 , , .553 , , .356 , , .600 , , 3.3 , , 0.2 , , 0.5 , , 0.0 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 1999–00 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=1, Montpellier Paillade , , 25 , , 37.1 , , .470 , , .350 , , .614 , , 6.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , 0.1 , , 19.6 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 2000–01 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=3, Maccabi Givat Shmuel , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=3, Ligat HaAl , , 26 , , , , .428 , , .244 , , .753 , , 7.5 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , , , 23.2 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 2001–02 , , 27 , , 36.0 , , .446 , , .306 , , .743 , , 8.4 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , , , 22.6 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 2002–03 , , 27 , , 36.2 , , .478 , , .364 , , .776 , , 7.8 , , 3.0 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 25.3 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=3,

, style="text-align:center;" rowspan=4, KBL , , 54 , , 35.1 , , .551 , , .346 , , .793 , , 11.3 , , 2.2 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 27.1 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 2004–05 , , 52 , , 36.4 , , .532 , , .306 , , .654 , , 11.5 , , 2.9 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , 26.3 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 2005–06 , , 52 , , 35.3 , , .518 , , .399 , , .755 , , 9.8 , , 2.9 , , 1.6 , , 0.8 , , 28.6 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=1,

, , 53 , , 35.4 , , .482 , , .375 , , .753 , , 8.8 , , 2.3 , , 1.9 , , 0.4 , , 28.6 , - , style="text-align:center;" rowspan=1 , 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=1,

, style="text-align:center;" rowspan=2,

USL USL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Underground Sound of Lisbon, a Portuguese dance music project * Urban Strawberry Lunch, a band from Liverpool Companies * United Spirits Limited, India * Former United States Lines shipping company C ...

, , 4 , , 25.0 , , .419 , , .250 , , .750 , , 5.8 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 0.3 , , 13.0 , -

Personal life

Minlend was born in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

to father Joseph, an economist, and mother Anne-Marie, a secretary. He lived in

for three years of his childhood and then moved to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, in

, to live with relatives. He is married with Tracey and has three sons (Charles Jr., Jordan and James) and one daughter (Ashley): his son Charles Alexander Minlend, Jr. (b. 1997) played college basketball at the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

and also played at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1855, it has nearly 9,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees ...

. Minlend's brother Raymond played college basketball at Davidson and St. Francis (NY).

References

External links

French league stats

Israeli league statsKorean league stats
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Minlend, Charles 1973 births Living people Black Canadian basketball players Black Canadian sportsmen Cameroonian men's basketball players ASVEL Basket players Canadian expatriate basketball people in France Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Changwon LG Sakers players Israeli Basketball Premier League players Busan KCC Egis players Maccabi Givat Shmuel players Montpellier Paillade Basket players Power forwards Small forwards St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players Basketball players from Yaoundé Canadian men's basketball players Cameroonian emigrants to Canada Canadian expatriate basketball people in South Korea Canadian expatriate basketball people in Israel Canadian expatriate basketball people in Ukraine