Aaron S. Estrada (born February 3, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Peter's Peacocks, Oregon Ducks, Hofstra Pride and Alabama Crimson Tide. He is a two-time Coastal Athletic Association Player of the Year (2022, 2023).
 Estrada in 2024 | |
| No. 7 – Motor City Cruise | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | February 3, 2001 Woodbury, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2024: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024–present | Motor City Cruise |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
High school career
editEstrada attended Woodbury Junior-Senior High School. As a junior, he averaged 21.5 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game. Estrada scored 23 points and made the game-winning foul shots as the Thundering Herd beat Cresskill High School 60–58 to capture their first Group 1 state title. He transferred to St. Benedict's Prep for his senior year.[1] Estrada was featured in a documentary series called Benedict Men, on the streaming platform Quibi.[2] In July 2019, Estrada committed to playing college basketball for Saint Peter's, choosing the Peacocks over East Carolina, Robert Morris, and Wagner.[3]
College career
editEstrada averaged 8.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game as a freshman.[4] He earned MAAC Rookie of the Year honors.[5] Estrada opted to transfer to Oregon after the season, choosing the Ducks over Creighton and Syracuse.[6] As a sophomore, he averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, shooting 42.3 percent from the field. Following the season, Estrada transferred to Hofstra.[7] After arriving at Hofstra, he focused on losing weight and improving his three-point shooting.[8] On February 5, 2022, Estrada scored a career-high 35 points in a 85–78 overtime win against James Madison.[9] He was named Colonial Athletic Association's Player of the Year.[10] He repeated as conference player of the year the following season after averaging 20.3 points per game (second in the CAA) while leading Hofstra to a share of the regular season championship.[11] He led the 2022–23 Pride to a share of the regular season conference championship and advancement into the second round of the 2023 NIT, where Hofstra pulled off a first-round upset over regional #1-seed Rutgers, 88–86, in overtime. Estrada transferred to Alabama for his final season of eligibility and averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.[12]
Professional career
editMotor City Cruise (2024–present)
editAfter going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Estrada signed with the Detroit Pistons on October 7, 2024,[12][13] but was waived on October 17.[14] On October 29, he joined the Motor City Cruise.[15]
Career statistics
edit| 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
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Saint Peter's | 28 | 14 | 19.4 | .405 | .340 | .879 | 2.5 | 1.9 | .7 | .0 | 8.1 |
| 2020–21 | Oregon | 9 | 0 | 12.4 | .423 | .214 | .750 | 1.9 | .8 | .3 | .0 | 3.1 |
| 2021–22 | Hofstra | 32 | 32 | 35.2 | .477 | .330 | .935 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 1.5 | .2 | 18.5 |
| 2022–23 | Hofstra | 31 | 31 | 37.2 | .478 | .368 | .809 | 5.5 | 4.3 | 1.5 | .2 | 20.2 |
| 2023–24 | Alabama | 37 | 37 | 30.9 | .449 | .313 | .847 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 1.6 | .2 | 13.4 |
| Career | 137 | 114 | 29.8 | .460 | .336 | .863 | 4.7 | 3.8 | 1.3 | .2 | 14.4 | |
References
edit- ^ Minnick, Kevin (August 31, 2018). "After leading Woodbury to first state title, Estrada transferring to St. Benedict's". NJ.com. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Groller, Keith (October 13, 2020). "Lehigh men's basketball player featured on St. Benedict's documentary says Newark school is much more than a hoops factory". The Morning Call. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ McMullen, Ryan (July 18, 2019). "Aaron Estrada to Saint Peter's". ZagsBlog.com. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Crepea, James (December 16, 2020). "Oregon men's basketball has 'no hesitation' playing Aaron Estrada against San Francisco as NCAA grants all transfers immediate eligibility". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Oregon Ducks land Aaron Estrada, MAAC Rookie of the Year". NBC Sports. April 6, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ McMullen, Ryan (April 6, 2020). "Aaron Estrada to Oregon". ZagsBlog.com. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Crepea, James (May 3, 2021). "Former Oregon men's basketball guard Aaron Estrada commits to Hofstra". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ Braziller, Zach (March 6, 2022). "Hofstra's rise buoyed by superb transfer Aaron Estrada, Speedy Claxton". New York Post. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Estrada lifts Hofstra over James Madison 85–78 in OT". ESPN. February 5, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ "Hofstra's Aaron Estrada voted CAA Player of the Year; Five programs recognized with major awards". CAASports.com (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Estrada, Williams Collect Back-to-Back Major CAA Awards". CAASports.com (Press release). Colonial Athletic Association. March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ a b Kelly, Nick (June 28, 2024). "Detroit Pistons add Alabama basketball's Aaron Estrada after 2024 NBA draft". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ Pistons PR [@Pistons_PR] (October 7, 2024). "The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed guard Aaron Estrada to an Exhibit-10 contract. Detroit's training camp roster now stands at 21" (Tweet). Retrieved October 8, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Pistons PR [@Pistons_PR] (October 17, 2024). "The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has waived Aaron Estrada, Javante McCoy, Dereon Seabron, Tolu Smith, and Lamar Stevens. Detroit's roster now stands at 15, including one two-way contract" (Tweet). Retrieved October 17, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Motor City Cruise [@MotorCityCruise] (October 29, 2024). "Training camp roster ready to get to it 👏 #MotorCityBasketball" (Tweet). Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Twitter.