Khem Birch

Khem Birch
No. 2 – Olympiacos
Position Power forward / Center
League Greek Basket League
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1992-09-28) September 28, 1992
Montreal, Quebec
Nationality Canadian
Listed height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school The Winchendon School
(Winchendon, Massachusetts)
Notre Dame Prep
(Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
College
NBA draft 2014 / Undrafted
Playing career 2014–present
Career history
2014–2015 Sioux Falls Skyforce
2015–2016 Uşak Sportif
2016–present Olympiacos
Career highlights and awards
  • BSL All-Star (2016)
  • NBA D-League All-Rookie First Team (2015)
  • NBA D-League All-Defensive First Team (2015)
  • NBA D-League All-Star (2015)
  • 2× MWC Defensive Player of the Year (2013, 2014)
  • 2× MWC All-Defensive Team (2013, 2014)
  • Second-Team All-MWC (2014)
  • McDonald's All-American (2011)

Khem Xavier Birch (born September 28, 1992) is a Canadian professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball at Pittsburgh and UNLV, before going un-drafted in the 2014 NBA draft.

College career

In 2011–12, Birch played college basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, with the Pittsburgh Panthers. In 2012, he then transferred to UNLV, where he played with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. As a junior, in the 2013–14 season, he averaged 10.2 rebounds per game, which was the third highest in the Mountain West Conference, while also averaging 3.8 blocks per game,[1] which was the second highest in the Mountain West Conference.[2]

In April 2014, he declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final year of college eligibility.[3][4]

College statistics

[5]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011–12 Pitt 10 6 15.0 .571 .000 .545 5.0 .0 .2 1.9 4.4
2012–13 UNLV 26 15 21.8 .563 .000 .642 5.7 .6 .7 2.6 7.2
2013–14 UNLV 33 32 31.4 .510 .000 .693 10.2 1.2 .6 3.8 11.5
Career 69 53 25.4 .531 .000 .668 7.8 .8 .6 3.1 8.9

Professional career

After going un-drafted in the 2014 NBA draft, Birch joined the Washington Wizards for the 2014 NBA Summer League. On September 14, 2014, he signed with the Miami Heat.[6] However, he was later waived by the Heat on October 25, 2014.[7] On November 3, 2014, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as an affiliate player.[8] On February 4, 2015, he was named to the Futures All-Star team for the 2015 NBA D-League All-Star Game.[9] In the 2014–15 NBD-D League season, he averaged 11.1 points per game, 9.5 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, 1.8 blocks per game, and 0.7 steals per game, in 52 games played.[10]

On June 30, 2015, he signed to play in Turkey, with Uşak Sportif of the Turkish Basketball Super League.[11] The following month, he joined the Brooklyn Nets for the Orlando Summer League[12] and the New Orleans Pelicans for the Las Vegas Summer League.[13] He went on to play with Uşak during the 2015–16 season, and he averaged 10.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 0.5 steals per game, in 32 games played in the Turkish Super League.[14]

On June 14, 2016, Birch signed to play in Greece, on a 2-year €1.1 million euros net income contract,[15] with the defending Greek Basket League champions, Olympiacos.[16]

Canadian national team

Birch was a member of the junior national teams of Canada. With Canada's Under-18 national team, he played at the 2010 FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship, where he won a bronze medal.[17] He is also a member of the senior men's Canadian national team. With Canada's senior national team, he played at the 2016 Manila FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Personal

Birch grew up with his mother, Wendy Sparks, in Montreal, while his father, Dervincent Birch, lived in Ottawa. He has four brothers: Shawn, Dhandre, Mason, and Kalum.[18]

References

  1. ↑ Khem Birch Per Game.
  2. ↑ Khem Birch Stats.
  3. ↑ "UNLV junior forward Khem Birch to enter 2014 NBA Draft.". NBCSports.com. April 24, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  4. ↑ Khem Birch Impressing in NBA Workouts.
  5. ↑ Khem Birch Stats | College Basketball.
  6. ↑ HEAT Signs Khem Birch.
  7. ↑ HEAT Waive Birch, Drew, Johnson and Jones.
  8. ↑ Skyforce Announces Full Training Camp Roster.
  9. ↑ "Thirteen NBA Veterans Headline Rosters for NBA Development League All-Star Game Presented by Kumho Tire.". NBA.com. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  10. ↑ Olympiacos tab Khem Birch - Jun 15, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Khem Birch is a newcomer at Usak.". Eurobasket.com. June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  12. ↑ BROOKLYN NETS ANNOUNCE SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER AND SCHEDULE.
  13. ↑ New Orleans Pelicans Summer League Player Profiles: Khem Birch.
  14. ↑ Olympiacos tab Khem Birch.
  15. ↑ Khem Birch signed with Olympiacos.
  16. ↑ Olympiacos bulks up with Birch.
  17. ↑ Khem BIRCH (CAN) participated in 2 FIBA / FIBA Zones events.
  18. ↑ Khem Birch Bio – UNLV Official Athletic Site.
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