Ta'Quan Zimmerman (born December 2, 1991) is an American professional basketball player. He signed with

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

division 1

Long Island University Long Island University (LIU) is a private university in Brooklyn and Brookville, New York, United States. The university enrolls over 16,000 students and offers over 500 academic programs at its main campuses, LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post on Long I ...

(NEC) before finishing up his college career in

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 ...

Thompson Rivers University Thompson Rivers University (commonly referred to as TRU) is a Public university, public research university located in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. The university's name comes from the two rivers which converge in Kamloops, the North Thomp ...

. After his time at Thompson Rivers University, Zimmerman entered the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at Barclays Center, Brooklyn. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. The ...

. Zimmerman did not get drafted making him an unrestricted free agent, but then was later signed by

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. Zimmerman spent 2 years with their G-League team

Salt Lake City Stars The Salt Lake City Stars are an American minor-league professional basketball team. They are a member of the NBA G League, based in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Valley City, Utah, and are affiliated with the Utah Jazz. Before the 2016–17 ...

High school career

In 2009, Zimmerman graduated from Holy Cross High School in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...

. After not receiving any scholarship offers, he enrolled at Putnam Science Academy, an all-boys

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

in northeast

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Facing tough competition against New England prep schools, Zimmerman excelled. He set the school record with 24 points per game and attracted interest from several mid-major Division 1 colleges. However, Zimmerman didn't qualify academically, limiting his options.THE FORGOTTEN ONE
/ref>

College career

In the fall of 2010, Zimmerman headed to

as a walk on, where he had to pay his own tuition, room and board. He worked out with the team and planned on playing for the Blackbirds in 2011–12. During a team scrimmage, he felt his left knee buckle, an injury that was later determined to be a torn left meniscus. He subsequently returned home to recover from the injury after undergoing surgery. As a result, Zimmerman did not join Long Island in 2011–12. Instead, he joined Southeastern Community College in

West Burlington, Iowa West Burlington is a city in Des Moines County, Iowa, United States, adjacent to the Mississippi River city of Burlington. The population was 3,197 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Burlington, IA– IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geo ...

, but his stint lasted just a few months. In December 2011, ten players were dismissed from the school after getting caught breaking into an on-campus store, while two others were declared academically ineligible. With Zimmerman now one of only two players remaining on the roster, the team were forced to forfeit the final 12 games of the season. The following summer, Zimmerman received a call from Jerry Burns, the coach at

Monroe Community College Monroe Community College (MCC) is a public community college in Monroe County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college has two campuses; the main campus in the town of Brighton, and the Downtown Campus in the City ...

(MCC) in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. At MCC, Zimmerman started at shooting guard during the 2012–13 season, and averaged 10.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 39.7% from the floor and 25.6% on three-pointers. MCC's team finished 32–4 and fifth in the nation among Division 2 community colleges. Zimmerman made the second-team All-Region squad and left a positive impression. With his United States college eligibility now over, Zimmerman moved north to Canada for a year at

Kamloops, British Columbia Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the administrative centre ...

. He played for the WolfPack in 2013–14 and quickly adjusted to a new system and Canadian college rules. He finished second in the 16-team Canada West conference in scoring (19.6 points per game) and three-point percentage (44.9%). Thompson Rivers went 13–9 and advanced to the postseason for the first time in its history. While another year at Thompson Rivers was on the cards, Zimmerman chose instead to declare for the

Professional career

Zimmerman was considered an outside chance of being selected in the second-round of the

, but ultimately went undrafted as many had predicted. With his NBA dream on hold, he entered the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

player pool in November, and on November 26, he was acquired by the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west; the state s ...

. He spent the rest of the 2014–15 season with the Stampede, and in 41 games (16 starts), he averaged 4.2 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19.9 minutes per game.Ta'Quan Zimmerman D-League Stats
/ref> On November 1, 2015, Zimmerman was reacquired by the Stampede. On December 31, 2015, he was waived by the Stampede. He managed just six games for the team in 2015–16, averaging 4.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 12.5 minutes per game. On September 15, 2018, Zimmerman signed with the

Cape Breton Highlanders The Cape Breton Highlanders is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. It was established in 1871, merged into The Nova Scotia Highlanders in 1954, and re-established as a distinct regiment in 2011. It is part of the 5th Canadian Division's ...

of the

NBL Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; ) was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franch ...

Personal

Zimmerman has two older brothers, Tyrell and Duval, both of whom play

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

References

External links

NBA D-League profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zimmerman, Ta'Quan 1991 births Living people 21st-century American sportsmen American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players Cape Breton Highlanders (basketball) players Halifax Hurricanes players Idaho Stampede players Monroe CC Tribunes men's basketball players Monroe Community College alumni Shooting guards Southeastern Blackhawks men's basketball players Sportspeople from Waterbury, Connecticut Basketball players from New Haven County, Connecticut