Blake Ahearn is an American professional basketball player, who currently plays guard with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.
High school career
Ahearn attended
De Smet Jesuit High School in
St. Louis, Missouri. He played three years of varsity. He averaged 17.7 points per game as a junior and 18.5 as a senior. He was an All-Metro Selection his junior and senior Years and an All-State Selection his junior Year. In his junior year he broke his hand in the State semifinal game. He was unable to play in the state Championship. His team was state runner up his Junior Year losing to Missouri powerhouse St. Louis Vashon in the State Championship game.
College career
Ahearn played collegiately (2003-2007) for the
Missouri State Bears. He was poised to finish his career with 4 straight
NCAA free-throw titles but failed, with an accuracy of 92.5%, during his senior year, finishing his college career as a 94.6% free throw shooter, 435 for 460, all-time best percentage. He also holds a single season record at 97.5%. He made 60 consecutive free-throws twice in his career (12/20/03 through 2/14/04 and 12/19/04-2/26/05) which are school and Missouri Valley Conference records. Ironically, he missed his final attempt against the
San Diego State Aztecs in the
National Invitational Tournament on 3/24/2007, his final college game. He holds the career record for career 3-pointers at Missouri State with 276, and was selected the Missouri Valley Conference MVC Freshman of the Year (2004), also being a 2-time all-
Missouri Valley Conference first teamer (2006 and 2007). He came within one game each season of making the NCAA tournament and failed to reach any. His team lost in double overtime to Northern Iowa in the MVC Tournament finals his freshman year, to Creighton in the MVC finals his sophomore year, his team had a 21 RPI his junior year and a 33 RPI his senior, which included a win over #7 in the nation
Wisconsin, in both season being left out of the final tournament.
Pro career
In the 2007-2008 season, Ahearn plated with the
NBA Development League's
Dakota Wizards. He worked his way to the starting lineup, averaging 19 points, with a 96% free-throw percentage, shooting 49% from the field and 44% from 3-point range in 41 games.
On March 21, 2008, Ahearn was signed to a 10-day contract by the NBA's Miami Heat whose roster had been depleted by injuries. On March 27, Ahearn scored a team-high 15 points in a loss to the Detroit Pistons.
On April 10, Ahearn was named the Rookie of the Year of the D-League and All-NBA Development League Second Team.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
| 2007–08
| Miami
| 12
| 0
| 14.8
| .263
| .294
| .968
| 1.6
| 1.6
| .5
| .0
| 5.8 |
| Career
|
| 12
| 0
| 14.8
| .263
| .294
| .968
| 1.6
| 1.6
| .5
| .0
| 5.8 |
Notes