Pistoia brings Elijah Childs back to Italy
Elijah Childs in Pistoia
Estra Pistoia Basket 2000 has made official the one-year agreement with forward Elijah Childs, who will be part of the red and white roster for the 2024/25 season in the LBA. Born Jan. 10, 1999, in Kansas City, 201cm by 104kg, he began his basketball journey at Lee’s Summit West at the high school level and, in the summer of 2017, moved on to college defending the colors of the Bradley Braves and lì he will remain there for four years.
Already in his rookie season, he showcases great qualities that lead him, as a rookie, to be on the court almost 21’ average with 8.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. From lì his escalation finds no brakes with the 2019/20 year, then interrupted due to Covid, which è the best ever: in 22 matches played, he puts up 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds with almost 50% from two. Even in 2020/21, the figures remain substantially the same, earning him, at only 21 and a half years old, the chance to cross the ocean and begin the adventure in Europe.
To believe in him è Basket Trapani in A2: with the granata jersey he debuts in September 2021 in the Supercoppa Lnp facing precisely Pistoia that, from there’a few weeks, will win’the title in Lignano Sabbiadoro. Childs, right from the start, confirms the star numbers he had in the Ncaa and closes the championship in Sicily with 14.9 points and 10.4 rebounds (best rebounder at the end of the regular season) thanks to 52.6% from 2 and 71% at the free-throw line.
His performance does not go unnoticed and in 2022/23 he flies to Denmark with the Bakken Bears, a formation with which he will win the championship at the end of the season: for Childs 13.9 points and 6.8 rebounds in 24’ of average usage with 56% from 2, with important contribution also during the playoffs, in addition to making his debut in the European cups passing the “Qualification Round” of Fiba Champions League arriving to play the first phase with 12.8 points topped by 7.5 rebounds in 25’ of usage.
Last season, however, he landed in the Bundesliga where he played the first part of the championship with Riesen Ludwigsburg scoring 9.3 points and 5 rebounds in 17’ average to which he added 7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds, always with the same minutes, in the Fiba Champions League, and then close the championship equally in Germany with Academics Heidelberg where he again finds space in the base quintet and, in 16 matches played, totals 16.1 points and 8 rebounds in 29’ of usage with 50% from 2 and almost 2 assists per contest.
