Acie Earl
Encyclopedia
Acie Boyd Earl is a retired American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player, who appeared in four NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 seasons, as a 6'10" 240 lb (108.9 kg) center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

.

High school/college

Earl was a star basketball player from Moline High School
Moline High School
Moline High School, or Moline, is a public four-year high school located in Moline, Illinois, a city in Rock Island County, in the United States...

 playing varsity-level basketball for three seasons. He led the Maroons to a 23-4 record in 1988, along with future NFL All-Pro Brad Hopkins
Brad Hopkins
Bradley D. Hopkins is a former American football player. He played left tackle for 13 seasons in the National Football League, all of them with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans organization.-Early years:...

. Earl is also currently the number 7th leading all-time scorer in Moline basketball history.

Earl played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...

, being a key recruit for Tom Davis
Tom Davis (basketball)
Dr. Thomas "Dr. Tom" Davis is an American former college men's basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Lafayette College, Boston College, Stanford University, the University of Iowa, and Drake University from 1971 to 2007....

' Hawkeyes. He appeared in 22 games in his first-year season, with an average of 6 points in 16 minutes, but still managed 50 blocked shots in limited playing time.

In his second season, Earl became a key force in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

, averaging 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...

 per game, with 106 total blocked shots. Iowa made it to the 1991 NCAA Tournament
1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1991 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1991, and ended with the championship game on April 1 in Indianapolis, Indiana...

 where they were defeated by eventual champions Duke Blue Devils
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

 in the second round.

In his junior year, Earl slightly improved his numbers (managing to block an average of four shots a game), while the college made it to the 1992 NCAA Tournament
1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 19, 1992, and ended with the championship game on April 6 in Minneapolis, Minnesota...

, only to lose, again in the second round and against Duke (also the eventual winners), 75-62, with Earl blocking 8 shot attempts, one shy of the all-time tournament record held by David Robinson
David Robinson (basketball)
David Maurice Robinson is a retired American NBA basketball player, who played center for the San Antonio Spurs for his entire NBA career. Based on his prior service as an officer in the United States Navy, Robinson earned the nickname "The Admiral". He and teammate power forward Tim Duncan were...

.

With Earl still putting up strong numbers in 1992-93, Iowa again lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament
1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...

, now to Wake Forest
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...

.

Earl graduated as the 1992 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and upon graduation held the Iowa career record with 358 blocked shots, and was second in total points scored with 1779 (after Roy Marble
Roy Marble
Roy Lane Marble, Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player, 6'6" tall, who played as swingman....

). He received his undergraduate degree in the fall of 1992 with a degree in Leisure studies
Leisure studies
Leisure studies is a branch of the social sciences that focuses on understanding and analyzing leisure. Tourism and recreation are common topics of leisure research....

.

Professional career

Earl was selected in the first round of the 1993 NBA Draft
1993 NBA Draft
The 1993 NBA Draft took place on June 30, 1993 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The draft had some talented players at the top, but injuries and personal problems hurt many of them. Anfernee Hardaway, Allan Houston, and Jamal Mashburn all looked like possible Hall of Famers until their careers were cut...

 by the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

 with the 19th pick, in a year which included Chris Webber
Chris Webber
Mayce Edward Christopher "Chris" Webber, III , nicknamed C-Webb, is a retired American professional basketball player. He is a five-time NBA All-Star, a former All-NBA First Teamer, a former NBA Rookie of the Year, and a former #1 overall NBA Draftee...

, Jamal Mashburn
Jamal Mashburn
Jamal Mashburn is a retired American professional basketball player. A small forward, Mashburn was a prolific scorer in his 12 seasons in the league, with a career scoring average of 19.1 points per game...

 and Anfernee Hardaway. He played 74 games in his rookie season, averaging 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

His statistics dropped in his second year, as he played in only 30 games, being traded to the Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...

 before 1995-96
1995-96 NBA season
The 1995–96 NBA season was the 50th season of the National Basketball Association , although the league didn't celebrate this anniversary until the following season...

. With the Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...

, he posted his best statistical season, scoring 7.5 points per game, adding 3.1 rebounds. On April 12, 1996, against the team that drafted him - the Celtics - Earl posted a double-double, with 40 points and 12 rebounds in a 136-108 loss. Midway through 1996-97, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....

, appearing in nine games in his final NBA season.

Subsequently, Earl took his game overseas, first appearing for Paris Basket Racing
Paris Basket Racing
Paris Basket Racing, or PBR, is a now-defunct French professional basketball club from Paris. It was founded in the year 1922 as the basketball section of the sports club Racing Club de Paris. The team took the name "Paris Basket Racing" in 2000....

 (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

), also playing 21 games in Australia for the National Basketball League
National Basketball League (Australia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....

's Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...

 in 1998-99. In 1998, he also played with the CBA
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...

's LaCrosse Bobcats.

He then represented Türk Telekom Ankara
Türk Telekom Ankara
Türk Telekom Ankara is a professional volleyball team based in Ankara, Turkey. It plays in the Turkish volleyball league and in the Women's CEV Cup. Türk Telekom multisports is created in 1954...

 and Darussafaka Istanbul Spor Kulubu
Darüssafaka S.K.
Darüşşafaka Cooper Tires, is a professional basketball club based in İstanbul, Turkey that plays in the Turkish Basketball League since 1992-93 season. Their home arena is the Ayhan Sahenk Sport Hall, sometimes called Ayhan Şahenk Arena. The club is sponsored by Çelik Motor a subsidiary of Turkish...

 (Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

), Unics Kazan
UNICS Kazan
UNICS Kazan is a professional basketball club in Kazan, Russia playing in the PBL. Their home arena is Basket Hall Arena.Though officially the professional club was founded in 1991 , UNICS traces its origin back to KSU's college team Burevestnik which participated in USSR student championships...

 and Saratov Autodor (Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

), Śląsk Wrocław (Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

), Traiskirchen Arkadia Lions (Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

) and KK Budućnost Podgorica
KK Buducnost Podgorica
KK Budućnost Podgorica is a professional basketball club from Podgorica, Montenegro. It is a part of Budućnost Podgorica sport society. The team currently competes in First Montenegrin Opportunity League and regional Adriatic League...

 (Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

), retiring in 2004. He also had a small stint for Dukagjini, in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

, helping the team become state champions.

Moving into coaching, Earl managed, during 2005, the Tijuana Dragons
Tijuana Dragons
The Tijuana Dragons was an American Basketball Association team based in Tijuana, Mexico. The team began play in the fall of 2004. They finished the 2005 season with a 10-16 record and a 7th place finish in the Red Division...

 of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association (21st century)
The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...

 (ABA) team based in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...

, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

.

Acie Earl is now the freshman coach at Solon High School, a class 2A school in east central Iowa.

External links

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