Joseph Forte

infobox Euroleague Player
name = Joseph Forte


league = Serie A (Italy)
position = Shooting guard
height_ft = 6
height_in = 3
weight_lbs = 194
nationality = American
birth_date = birth date and age|1981|3|23
birth_place = Atlanta, Georgia
college = North Carolina
draft = 21th overall
draft_team = Boston Celtics
draft_year = 2001
team = Fortitudo Bologna
career_start = 2001
career_end =
former_teams = Boston Celtics (2001–2002)
Seattle SuperSonics (2002–2003)
Asheville Altitude (2004–2005)
Apollon Patras BC [http://www.galanissportsdata.com/basketball/mena1/season2005_06/a1teamrs.asp?t=09] (2005–2006)
Montepaschi Siena (2006–2007)
awards = 2000 ACC Freshman of the year 2001 ACC Co-Player of the year

Joseph Xavier "Joe" Forte (born March 23, 1981 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays in Italy with Fortitudo Bologna.

Beginnings

Forte got his start at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. There, Forte played under the instruction of legendary high school prep coach Morgan Wootten. Forte's teammate at DeMatha, Keith Bogans, currently plays for the NBA's Orlando Magic. He was named Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year in his senior year in 1999.

Career highlights

After a 2-year college career at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (highlights of which included winning the 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year as well as 2001 ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year) that was marked by flashes of brilliant play, he was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 21st pick in the 2001 NBA Draft (at a time when later star players Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas were still available on the guard position).

Unfortunately, his most memorable moment with the Celtics came when he wore a Scooby-Doo shirt on the sidelines during the playoffs. In two seasons with the Celtics and the Seattle SuperSonics, Forte averaged 1.2 points and 0.7 assists per game, struggling to convert from his natural shooting guard position to point guard. He was eventually waived by the Sonics due mostly to attitude and legal problems. While with the Sonics, he was arrested on gun and drug charges in Maryland, as well as an assault charge in which he allegedly punched a man in the face during a pickup game.

After being released by the Sonics, Forte could not find a roster spot in the NBA and joined the Asheville Altitude of the NBA D-League. During the summer of 2005, Forte played with Team Certified of the EBC at Rucker Park, and many say it revived his career as a star basketball player. Forte showcased his talent to New York City, led Certified to the playoffs, and gained his confidence back. After the summer, he went off to Greece to play with Apollon Patras, and this past season for the Italian club Montepaschi Siena, which won the 2007 Italian championship.

In July 2007 he signed with the Russian team UNICS Kazan. Since January 2008 he plays for Fortitudo Upim Bologna with a franchise option for the following season.

Family

His younger brother, Jason Forte, played college basketball for Brown University and was named Ivy League player of the year in 2004. [http://brownbears.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/forte_jason00.html] [http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/alltime.asp?intSID=6#b]

External links

*NBA-profile
*basketball-reference
* [http://www.nba.com/dleague/players/joseph_forte.html Joseph Forte NBA Development League info]