Elias Valtonen
Valtonen with Rostock in 2023
No. 19 Bàsquet Manresa
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (1999-06-11) June 11, 1999
Eura, Finland
Listed height2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)
Listed weight88.5 kg (195 lb)
Career information
High schoolHelsinki Basketball Academy
(Helsinki, Finland)
CollegeArizona State (2018–2020)
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013–2015Korihait
2015–2018HBA-Märsky
2020–2021Tigers Tübingen
2021–Manresa
2022–2023Rostock Seawolves

Elias Valtonen (born June 11, 1999) is a Finnish professional basketball player for Baxi Manresa of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for the Arizona State Sun Devils. Valtonen is 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) tall, and plays the shooting guard position.[1]

Early life and career

Valtonen made his debut for Korihait in Finnish top league Korisliiga in February 2014, at the age of 14. He played five games in total during his rookie season, while the team finished last and was relegated. In the summer of 2015, Valtonen moved to Helsinki to play in the highly regarded academy team HBA-Märsky, coached by former NBA player Hanno Möttölä.

Valtonen was invited to the Jordan Brand Classic Camp in 2015. He has been recruited by several American colleges, including Illinois, Arizona State,[2] Arizona and Utah. On October 13, 2017, Valtonen announced that he'd commit to Arizona State after his current season in Finland was finished with.

College career

Valtonen played collegiately at Arizona State for two seasons. He scored a career-high 10 points in a win over St. John's on November 23, 2019.[3] He averaged 2.0 points per game as a sophomore. On March 17, 2020, Valtonen announced he was leaving Arizona State.[4]

Professional career

On June 19, 2020, Valtonen signed with Tigers Tübingen of the ProA.[5]

On May 28, 2021, he signed with Baxi Manresa of the Liga ACB.[6] On 5 December 2022, it was announced that Valtonen was loaned out to German Basketball Bundesliga team Rostock Seawolves for the rest of the ongoing 2022–23 season. He returned to Manresa in the summer 2023.[7][8]

National team

A former youth international, Valtonen represented Finland senior national team in the EuroBasket 2022 and in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Arizona State 2103.7.556.5001.000.4.1.1.2.8
2019–20 Arizona State 19814.3.375.500.4671.8.4.5.12.0
Career 4088.7.415.500.5291.1.2.3.21.4

References

  1. "Elias Valtonen | NBADraft.net". nbadraft.net. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
  2. "Four-star wing Elias Valtonen schedules two visits; rivals.com". rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  3. Gardner, Michelle (March 17, 2020). "ASU sophomore basketball player Elias Valtonen leaves program". Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  4. "Arizona State guard Elias Valtonen announces he's leaving program". Arizona Sports. March 17, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  5. "Valtonen starts his pro career at Tuebingen". Eurobasket.com. June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  6. "Elias Valtonen signs with Manresa". Sportando. May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  7. Elias Valtonen loppukaudeksi pelaajavuokralle Saksan Bundesliigaan, basket.fi, 5 December 2022
  8. Elias Valtonen's first match in the BBL and full of victories in the LEB, basquetmanresa.com, 12 December 2023
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