Isaac Bonton (born July 15, 1998) is an American 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 for BC Yambol of the

National Basketball League (Bulgaria) The National Basketball League (NBL) (in Bulgarian: Националната баскетболна лига) is the highest-level professional basketball league in Bulgaria. The current league was founded in 2008, though the first-tier level exis ...

(NBL). He 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 ...

for the

Montana State Bobcats The Montana State Bobcats are the varsity athletic teams representing Montana State University in Bozeman in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors thirteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, skiing, tennis, an ...

, the Casper Thunderbirds, and the

Washington State Cougars The Washington State Cougars (known informally as the Cougs) are the sport, athletic teams that represent Washington State University. Located in Pullman, Washington, WSU is a member of the Pac-12 Conference in NCAA Division I. The athletic pr ...

High school career

Bonton attended Columbia Christian Schools in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. As a freshman, he played alongside Kameron Chatman and won the Class 1A state title. For his final three years, Bonton transferred to Parkrose High School in Portland. He missed part of his senior season due to a shoulder injury and completed high school as a three-time All-State selection. Bonton originally committed to playing college basketball for

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

before switching his commitment to Montana State because of a coaching change.

College career

Bonton left Montana State after 11 games in his freshman season due to disagreements with head coach Brian Fish. He averaged 7.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. Bonton transferred to

Casper College Casper College is a Public college, public community college in Casper, Wyoming. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive community colleges in the region. Established in 1945 as Wyoming's first junior college and initially located on the ...

, averaging 21.4 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He led his team to a Region IX title and was named a Second Team

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions across 24 states ...

Division I All-American. For his junior season, Bonton moved to

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

, choosing the Cougars over

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public inst ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

. On January 18, 2020, he recorded a season-high 34 points, eight rebounds and eight assists in an 89–76 win over Oregon State. As a junior, Bonton averaged 15.3 points, four assists and 3.7 rebounds per game. He set the program record for free throw percentage during

Pac-12 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

play, shooting 88.6 percent.

Professional career

On September 29, 2021, Bonton signed his first professional contract with Neptūnas Klaipėda of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

Career statistics

College

NCAA Division I

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;", Montana State , 11 , , 0 , , 18.6 , , .360 , , .364 , , .762 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , .2 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;",

, 28 , , 27 , , 32.8 , , .340 , , .307 , , .833 , , 3.7 , , 4.0 , , 1.2 , , .2 , , 15.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2020–21 , style="text-align:left;",

, 21 , , 20 , , 35.3 , , .391 , , .328 , , .658 , , 4.0 , , 4.0 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , 17.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 60 , , 47 , , 31.1 , , .362 , , .319 , , .744 , , 3.6 , , 3.5 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 14.8

JUCO

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Casper , 31 , , 31 , , 28.8 , , .436 , , .365 , , .843 , , 5.5 , , 5.6 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , 21.4

Personal life

Bonton's childhood friend and former

Portland State Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

basketball player, Deante Strickland, was shot and killed in August 2019. He dedicates every game he plays to Strickland and his late grandmother.

References

External links

Washington State Cougars bioCasper Thunderbirds bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonton, Isaac 1998 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from Portland, Oregon BC Neptūnas players BC Yambol players Casper Thunderbirds men's basketball players Washington State Cougars men's basketball players Montana State Bobcats men's basketball players Point guards 21st-century American sportsmen Cafeteros de Armenia players