Bogdan Bliznyuk

Bogdan Aleksandrovich Bliznyuk (born March 31, 1995) is a Ukrainian basketball player for Kyiv-Basket of the Ukrainian SuperLeague. He played college basketball for the Eastern Washington Eagles, where he was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year in 2018.

Bogdan Bliznyuk
No. 32 – Kyiv-Basket
PositionShooting guard / Small forward
LeagueUkrainian SuperLeague
FIBA Europe Cup
Personal information
Born (1995-03-31) March 31, 1995
Lutsk, Ukraine
NationalityUkrainian
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolTodd Beamer
(Federal Way, Washington)
CollegeEastern Washington (2014–2018)
NBA draft2018 / Undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019Bnei Herzliya
2019–presentKyiv-Basket
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Bliznyuk was born in Lutsk, Ukraine. He was less than 2 years old when his father, a truck driver, died in an accident. Their mother moved them to Federal Way, Washington five years later to be closer to family. His older brother, Dima, and his mother, Lyudmila, helped raise Bogdan, while also caring for his grandmother.[1]

College career

Bliznyuk played college basketball for the Eastern Washington University's Eagles.

On March 9, 2018, Bliznyuk became the Big Sky Conference’s all-time leading scorer, passing Orlando Lightfoot’s mark of 2,102 set in 1994.[2] Earlier in the season, Bliznyuk claimed the school all-time scoring mark, passing Venky Jois’ total of 1,803.[3] Bliznyuk's conference career scoring mark stood until the following season, when Montana State's Tyler Hall broke it.[4]

Bliznyuk finished his senior year averaging 21.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He was named Big Sky Conference Player of the Year [5] and AP Honorable Mention.[6]

Professional career

2018–19 season

After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Bliznyuk joined the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2018 NBA Summer League.[7]

On July 5, 2018, Bliznyuk started his professional career with Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Premier League, signing a three-year deal.[8] On January 21, 2019, Bliznyuk recorded a season-high 18 points, shooting 7-of-13 from the field, in an 81–100 loss to Hapoel Eilat.[9] That season, Bnei Herzliya have finished the season in the last place out of 12 teams and was relegated to the Israeli National League (the second-tier league in Israel).

2019–20 season

On September 30, 2019, Bliznyuk signed with Kyiv-Basket of the Ukrainian SuperLeague.[10]

National team career

Bliznyuk is a member of the Ukraine national team. On November 29, 2018, he made his debut in an 82–54 win over Slovenia, scoring 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.[11]

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
2014–15 Eastern Washington 35019.0.586.558.7924.01.10.50.48.7
2015–16 Eastern Washington 343233.0.447.355.7986.73.01.20.712.4
2016–17 Eastern Washington 343336.8.474.317.8216.54.01.00.220.6
2017–18 Eastern Washington 353535.1.528.398.9026.83.90.80.221.1
Career 13810030.9.500.378.8406.03.00.90.415.7

Source: RealGM

References
  1. "Bogdan Bliznyuk - Eastern Washington University". GoEags.com. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  2. Allen, Jim (March 9, 2018). "Bogdan Bliznyuk becomes Big Sky's all-time leading scorer while leading Eastern Washington to title game". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  3. "Scoring record belongs to Bliznyuk after EWU's 95–71 romp past North Dakota". Eastern Washington Eagles. January 25, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  4. "Tyler Hall breaks Big Sky scoring record but Montana State falters on road at EWU". The Montana Standard. January 19, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  5. Allen, Jim (March 7, 2018). "Bogdan Bliznyuk leaves lasting legacy on, off court at Eastern Washington". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  6. "EWU's Bogdan Bliznyuk Collects AP All-America Honorable Mention Accolades". bigskyconf.com. March 27, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  7. Collingwood, Ryan (June 23, 2018). "Ex-Eastern Washington star Bogdan Bliznyuk agrees to NBA Summer League contract with LA Clippers". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  8. Carchia, E. (July 5, 2018). "Bnei Herzliya signs rookie Bogdan Bliznyuk". sportando.basketball. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  9. "Winner League, Game 15: Herzliya Vs Hapoel Eilat". basket.co.il. January 21, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  10. "Bogdan Bliznyuk signs at Kyiv Basket". Eurobasket.com. September 30, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  11. "Ukraine v Slovenia boxscore - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers". fiba.basketball. November 29, 2018. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
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