Robert Archibald

Robert Michael Archibald ( born March 29, 1980 in Paisley, Scotland) is a former British professional basketball player. After studying in the United States Archibald was two seasons in the most highly endowed U.S. professional league NBA active for different clubs without being able to prevail in this. Then he played from 2004 to 2012, except for two one-year breaks in Italy and Ukraine for clubs in the Spanish ACB League. After participating in the 2012 Olympic Games with the British national the Scot ended his active career.

Career

Archibald's father, Robert, sr. was also played basketball in his youth basketball for the club Reign in Dunfermline, where he first went to school. In 1997 he joined as a 17 year old at the Lafayette High School in Wildwood (Missouri ), where he earned the degree after one year and went to study at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign. There the tall Scot was in the high school team in the Fighting Illini basketball in the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA active. In the championship tournament was reached in 1999 and 2000, the final, in the following two seasons, 2001 and 2002 informed you look at the championship of the " Regular Season ", but it was not in the tournament so far. Up to Archibald's first 1999 people were each qualified for the NCAA national finals, where one in 2001 and 2002 reached the knockout stages of "Sweet Sixteen". 2001 it became the top-seeded team in the " Midwest Regional" the next round against the Jayhawks of the University of Kansas and moved into the Regional Final " Elite Eight ", which was lost to the eventual runner-up, the Wildcats of the University of Arizona.

Club career

In the Entry Draft of the highest endowed professional league NBA Archibald was selected in 2002 to 32 out of the Memphis Grizzlies. However, in the NBA 2002/ 03 Archibald was only twelve short inserts with an average of six minutes of operating time. Before the start of the following season NBA 2003/ 04 he came in a player exchange to the Phoenix Suns, who used it in a game before he was replaced after Christmas 2003 to the Orlando Magic, which put him in another game before he was already beginning January was traded to the Toronto Raptors. Here he was indeed used in 30 games relatively regularly, but its average operating time and efficiency he could hardly increase. By season's end his NBA career was then terminated.

2004 Archibald was initially a contract from the Spanish club Pamesa from Valencia in the ACB league. After seven operations, he moved the end of November the Italian club Scavolini Pesaro in the Lega Basket Serie A. For economic reasons, the final table at the end of the season was revoked the license for another season the ninth -placed. For the following season 2005/ 06 Archibald then moved back to Spain and played for DKV Joventut Badalona. The team won at the end of the season FIBA EuroCup 2005/ 06, but lost the semi-final series in the national championship play-offs just in five games against the main round first, and later master Unicaja Málaga. This was repeated the following season 2006/ 07, when they again retired in the semifinal series in five games against the eventual champions Real Madrid. International one reached the highest European club competition ULEB Euro League 2006 /07 round of the 16 best teams, but where you could achieve only one win in six games.

For the 2007 /08 season Archibald moved to the Ukraine to Asowmasch from Mariupol. Sporty one was successful and Archibald won the FIBA EuroCup finalists of the 2006/ 07 national league and cup double. However, Archibald was unhappy with the living conditions and medical care in Ukraine after both his wife and he himself appendicitis treat injuries sustained, which is why Archibald again returned to the Spanish league after one season. For Unicaja Málaga he played in the following three seasons where you eliminated twice in the semifinal series for the national championship. In the season 2010/ 11 then you already retired in the first round against the eventual champions FC Barcelona. In the ULEB Euro League was for the club each in the round of 16 best teams terminus. In the season 2011/12 he moved to league rivals from CAI Zaragoza, but again missed the play-offs for the championship.

National

Archibald played first decide for Scottish national team that did not participate in tournaments for teams from smaller countries of FIBA ​​Europe. After award of the 2012 Olympic Games in the British capital London a common national team for Great Britain was established from the previously independently existing associations of England, Scotland and Wales, which then also Archibald belonged. With this team he reached then the qualification for the European Championship finals in 2009 and 2011. In the finals, however, one difference in each case after the preliminary round of the tournament. As a host, it was then qualified for the Olympic basketball tournament in 2012. But even here, you dropped out after the first round, as they gained significantly after four losses, only the final group match against China. After the Olympic tournament Archibald ended his active career as a basketball player.