Preston Anthony Shumpert (20 August 1979), also known by his Turkish name of Mert Shumpert, is an American-born, naturalised-Turkish professional

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. He was twice named to the All-Big East first team while playing

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for Syracuse.

College

Shumpert appeared in 32 games in his freshman year with averages of 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds. Shumpert earned the spot of sixth man in his sophomore year, and led the team in 3-point percentage with a 42.9 percent clip. He also made four starts, and averaged 10.4 points per game. In his junior season, Shumpert became a full-time starter and blossomed as one of the most prolific scorers in the Big East. He averaged 19.5 points that season, and was named the Big East's Most Improved Player, and was also a first-team All Big East selection. In the early part of his senior season, Shumpert fulfilled expectations, as Syracuse jumped up to a 14-2 record and a No. 10 overall ranking. Shumpert led the way, scoring 30 or more points on seven occasions, including a career high 37 against Albany. Shumpert finished with career averages of 14.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Professional career

Undrafted by the NBA, Shumpert decided to go play overseas, first starting in France for the 2002-03 season, signed by Besançon BCD, in the French Pro-B. Following his stint in France, Shumpert has bounced around in the Italian professional leagues, including stints with Agricola Gloria M.T. (Serie A2, 2003–04), Villaggio Solidago Livorno (04-05), where he played in 2005 the Italian All Star Game, and Armani Jeans Milano (05-06). He started the 2006-07 season with Climamio Bologna, before transferring in December to Benetton Treviso, starting 22 games and averaging 13.6 points, while helping them to the

national cup The English National Cup is an annual basketball knock-out competition held between professional, semi-professional and amateur teams from the various divisions of the National Basketball League. For most of the competition's history, the draw has ...

. Shumpert came to Turkey to play for

Beşiktaş Cola Turka Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...

in the 2007-08 season. After a very productive season in both Turkish league and ULEB Cup, he decided to follow coach

Ergin Ataman Halil Ergin Ataman (born January 7, 1966) is a Turkish professional basketball coach. He is the current head coach of Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He also coaches the Turkey men's national basketball team. During ...

and join Efes Pilsen. In August 2010 he signed with

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

.Preston Shumpert Galatasaray Cafe Crown'da

References

External links

Euroleague Profile

Serie A profile
Retrieved 11 August 2015
TBLStat.net Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shumpert, Preston 1979 births Living people African-American basketball players Aliağa Petkim basketball players American emigrants to Turkey American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Turkey Anadolu Efes S.K. players Basket Livorno players Basketball players from Indiana Besançon BCD players Beşiktaş men's basketball players Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna players Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Lega Basket Serie A players Montecatiniterme Basketball players Naturalized citizens of Turkey Olimpia Milano players Pallacanestro Treviso players Sportspeople from Muncie, Indiana Shooting guards Syracuse Orange men's basketball players Turkish men's basketball players Turkish people of African-American descent American men's basketball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople