Kyle Vinales (born June 18, 1992) () is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

Legia Warszawa Legia Warszawa (), commonly referred to as Legia Warsaw or simply Legia, is a professional football club based in Warsaw, Poland. Legia is the most successful Polish football club in history, winning record 15 Ekstraklasa champions titles, a ...

of the

Polish Basketball League Polska Liga Koszykówki (PLK) (English: Polish Basketball League) is a professional men's club basketball league in Poland. It constitutes the first and highest-tier level of the Polish league pyramid. The winning team of the final round are crow ...

. He previously competed for the

Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball The Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represent Central Connecticut State University in New Britain, Connecticut, New Britain, Connecticut, United States. The school's team currently competes i ...

team. He announced that he would not transfer following the

2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season The 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November with the 2K Sports Classic and ended with the Final Four in Atlanta, April 6–8. Season headlines *October 29 – The AP preseason All-American team was named. Indiana's ...

despite the high possibility due to CCSU's lack of success in basketball. Vinales is one of the highest scorers in Division I college basketball and most notably averaged 21.6 points in his successful sophomore season.

High school career

Vinales began playing

with The Phelps School in

Malvern, Pennsylvania Malvern is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is west of Philadelphia. The population was 3,419 at the 2020 census. The borough is bordered by Paoli Pike on the south, Sugartown Road on the west, Willistown Township on the east, a ...

. Under head coach Brian Shanahan, he emerged as a pure scorer with a diverse attacking game. However, the

combo guard A combo guard is a basketball player who combines the attributes of a point guard (1) and shooting guard (2), but does not necessarily fit the standard description of either position. In men's basketball, such guards are usually within the 6' ...

would later move to

North Farmington High School North Farmington High School is a public high school located in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The school was established in 1961 and, as of the 2019–2020 school year, educates a student body of over 1300. The principal is Joseph Greene. H ...

and start playing with coach Tom Negoshian. He spent his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons at

Farmington Hills Farmington Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Part of the affluent suburbs northwest of Detroit, Farmington Hills is the second most-populated city in Oakland County, after Troy, with a population of 83,986 at the 20 ...

. In his last year with North Farmington, Vinales averaged about 25.7 points per game. Some of his greatest honors in high school include All- Oakland County and Second Team All-State.

Collegiate career

Before committing to

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticu ...

, Vinales was rated as a one-star recruit by ESPN Recruiting Nation Basketball with a scout grade of 78. He officially signed with the team on November 8, 2010. Vinales made an excellent career debut after scoring 24 points and recording 5 steals in a loss against

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

on November 11, 2011. He would score a season-high 39 points in his second game against Niagara. Due to his performances, Vinales was named

Northeast Conference The Northeast Conference (NEC) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Teams in the NEC compete in Division I for all sports; football competes in the Division I Fo ...

Rookie of the Week on several occasions, but never earned more prestigious honors. In his sophomore season at CCSU, Vinales became known as one of the top scorers in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

. He averaged the seventh-most points in the Division I and became the quickest player in school history to reach the 1,000 point ceiling. Vinales was named NEC Player of the Week during the season, and was also named the conference's Rookie of the Year, making the All-Rookie Team as well. Following the season, Vinales made the decision to return to Central Connecticut despite the strong possibility of the transfer. In his third year playing

for

CCSU Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticu ...

, Vinales continued to be one of the most aggressive scorers in the NCAA. However, in January 2014, Vinales injured his shooting hand during practice. Howie Dickenman, the team's head coach, made the statement, "You hate to see it happen to someone who works so hard." Kyle never played in his senior year. He announced that he would not be playing via Twitter, saying "No more college ball for me. Time to start my pro career" after he was arrested in October 2014 for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. He ended his career with 1,514 points and hopes to play in the NBA. However, he was later signed by the Puerto Rican team Vaqueros de Bayamon for the 2015 season.

Professional career

In 2015 Vinales won the Tunisian league MVP when he averages 22.4 point and 6 assist per game. He also won the Tunisian league championship in the same year. In 2018 he was named to the BSN (Puerto Rican league) top five players. When he averaged 20.1 pts per game 3.4 rebs and 3.6 assist for Humacao Caciques. On September 30, 2019, he has signed with Kalev/Cramo of the Latvian–Estonian League. On July 12, 2020, he has signed with

Lietkabelis BC Lietkabelis ( lt, Krepšinio klubas Lietkabelis), also currently known as BC 7bet-Lietkabelis or 7bet-Lietkabelis for sponsorship reasons, is a Lithuanian professional basketball team based in Panevėžys, Lithuania, participating in the Lithu ...

of the

Lithuanian Basketball League Lithuanian may refer to: * Lithuanians * Lithuanian language * The country of Lithuania * Grand Duchy of Lithuania * Culture of Lithuania * Lithuanian cuisine * Lithuanian Jews as often called "Lithuanians" (''Lita'im'' or ''Litvaks'') by other Je ...

. Vinales played for Gigantes de Carolina of the Puerto Rican league in 2021, averaging 11.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game. On September 7, 2021, he signed with KK Studentski centar of the

Prva A Liga The Prva A liga, for sponsorships reasons named the Erste Liga, is the top-tier professional basketball league in Montenegro. It is the highest basketball division organized by the Basketball Association of Montenegro (KSCG). It was established in ...

and the

ABA League The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Ma ...

. In Februaray, 2022, he signed with Mets de Guaynabo of the Puerto Rican League. On July 4, 2022, he has signed with

SLUC Nancy Basket Stade Lorrain Université Club Nancy Basket, commonly referred to as SLUC Nancy Basket, is a French professional basketball club based in Nancy. The club currently competes in the LNB Pro A, the top league in France, and holds two league titles. S ...

of the

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league ...

. On January 1, 2023, he signed with

of the

The Basketball Tournament

Vinales joined House of 'Paign, a team composed primarily of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

alumni in

The Basketball Tournament 2020 The Basketball Tournament 2020 was the seventh edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament. The tournament, involving 24 teams, started on July 4 and continued through the championship game on Jul ...

. He scored five points and dished out four assists in a 76-53 win over War Tampa in the first round.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vinales, Kyle 1992 births Living people ABA League players AEK Larnaca B.C. players American expatriate basketball people in Cyprus American expatriate basketball people in Estonia American expatriate basketball people in Montenegro American men's basketball players Basketball players from Detroit BC Kalev/Cramo players BC Lietkabelis players Caciques de Humacao players Central Connecticut Blue Devils men's basketball players Club Africain basketball players KK Studentski centar players Legia Warsaw (basketball) players Point guards Shooting guards SLUC Nancy Basket players Vaqueros de Bayamón basketball players Brujos de Guayama players Mets de Guaynabo basketball players Gigantes de Carolina basketball players