Tony Skinn

Tony Skinn
Personal information
Born (1983-02-08) February 8, 1983
Lagos, Nigeria
Nationality Nigerian / American
Listed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight 175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school Takoma Academy
(Takoma Park, Maryland)
College Blinn College (2001–2002)
George Mason (2003–2006)
NBA draft 2006 / Undrafted
Playing career 2006–2012
Position Point guard / Shooting guard
Coaching career 2012–present
Career history
As player:
2006 Split (Adriatic)
2007–2008 Clermont (France)
2008–2009 Gravelines (France)
2009–2010 Pistoia Basket (Italy 2nd)
2010–2011 New Yorker Phantoms (Germany)
2011–2012 Ironi Ashkelon (Israel)
2012 Budivelnyk Kiev (Ukraine)
As coach:
2012–2015 NIKE Team Takeover (asst.)
2015–present Louisiana Tech (asst.)

Tony Oludewa Skinn (born February 8, 1983) is a Nigerian American professional basketball player, and a former college basketball player, who played starting guard for the George Mason University Patriots. Skinn was born in Lagos, Nigeria.

College career

In his senior season, Skinn averaged 12.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. The season was marked by the Patriots' surprising run to the Final Four. He scored a season-high 23 points and hit the game-winning three-point shot with 10.8 seconds left, in GMU's ESPN BracketBusters game against Wichita State on February 18, 2006.

Controversy followed Skinn, however, after he punched opposing guard Loren Stokes in the groin with 55 seconds left in GMU's game against Hofstra in the semifinals of Colonial Athletic Association conference tournament.[1] GMU lost the game, 58-49 but GMU was awarded the 11th seed in the Washington, D.C. regional of the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, where Skinn, serving a one-game suspension for the Stokes incident, watched as his teammates upset sixth seed Michigan State, 75-65.[2]

In GMU's run to the Final Four, he scored eight points against North Carolina in the second round, 14 points in a rematch against Wichita State in the Sweet Sixteen, and 10 points against UConn in the Elite Eight.

After the game, Skinn told reporters that Coach Jim Larranaga fired up his players by telling them that UConn's players did not even know what conference the Patriots came from.

"That's a little bit of disrespect," Skinn recounted. "Coach told us the CAA stands for 'Connecticut Assassin Association."

Professional career

In 2006, Skinn signed a contract to play with the Croatian club Split, of the Adriatic League, after he wasn't drafted in the 2006 NBA Draft.

In July 2007, Skinn was invited to play for the Orlando Magic at the Orlando Summer League. He played on the same summer league team as former Hofstra University guard Loren Stokes, whom he had controversies with during the 2006 CAA conference tourney.

In July 2008, Skinn signed with Gravelines Dunkerque Basket in the French Pro A league, recording team highs of 16.6ppg, 3.8apg and shooting 43% from 3pt range.

He signed on August 5, 2009, with Pistoia Basket of the Italian Second Division. On Oct 1st, 2010, Skinn signed with the New Yorker Phantoms of the German League. He then played with Ironi Ashkelon in the Israeli League. He also works at paul public charter school.

Nigerian national team

On July 8, 2012, the Nigerian national basketball team defeated the Dominican Republic, to earn the last spot in the 2012 Summer Olympics. As the starting point guard for the team, Skinn averaged 10.0 points per game in the FIBA Olympic qualifiers. In the game against the United States national team, Nigeria lost the game by 83 points, 156-73. It was the largest deficit by a losing team and a new Olympic record for most points scored in a game by the United States.

References

  1. ↑ Wojciechowski, Gene. "Skinn sorry, but Stokes remembers ill-fated punch". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  2. ↑ Powell, Camille (19 March 2006). "For George Mason, It's Skinn's Game". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
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