CJ Bruton
February 2, 2021
Clayton Ritter
- Nationality: USA
- Date of Birth: 25/06/71
- Place of Birth: Norfolk, Virginia (USA)
- Position: FRD
- Height (CM): 203
- Weight (KG): 104
- Junior Assoc: None
- College: James Madison (1990–1994)
- NBL DEBUT: 12/04/97
- AGE AT DEBUT: 25
- LAST NBL GAME: 11/03/00
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 28
- NBL History: Wollongong 1997-99 | Canberra 2000
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Clayton Ritter was born in Norfolk, Virginia (USA).
NBL EXPERIENCE
Clayton Ritter made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 25 years of age. He scored 25 points in his first game.
After another season missing out on the NBL playoffs in 1996, the Hawks were unable to retain their scoring and rebounding leader Marcus Timmons (who would end up leading the Melbourne Tigers to the championship that season) and were forced to move into a rebuilding phase for this season. Illawarra would focus on the continued development of Hawks big man Matt Zauner, who was named team captain at the start of the season, and young stars Glen Saville and Mat Campbell. Eric Cooks, who had played under head coach Brendan Joyce, and alongside Campbell and Saville with the Ballarat Miners in state league competition, was added for veteran leadership. The Hawks then decided not to re-sign 31-year-old Andre LaFleur and signed two young imports in guard Bryan Edwards and big man Clayton Ritter to replace the scoring and rebounding of Timmons.
Ritter scored 40+ points twice and contributed 23.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists during his first year. Edwards however wasn’t the fit the Hawk’s needed at point guard and off-court issues between Zauner and Joyce stemming from a contract dispute saw the Hawks struggled to find wins. Edwards was replaced by Dylan Rigdon mid-season but the Hawks (7-23) failed to make any improvement, missing the playoffs yet again.
1998
In 1998, the team was renamed the Wollongong Hawks and moved into WIN Entertainment Centre, known as the Sandpit. The Hawks re-signed star Clayton Ritter (23.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists) and paired him with defensive-minded guard Elliot Hatcher (19.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists). Alongside the talented import duo, Ritter contributed 24.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists and helped the Hawks double their wins from the previous year, improving from seven wins to 14 wins and finishing in sixth place.
In the elimination finals the Hawks would go on to face the Perth Wildcats, losing back to back games before being eliminated from the playoffs in the first round.
1998/99
Coinciding with the NBL’s move to summer, the Hawks shifted base to the Wollongong Entertainment Centre and swapped their Illawarra prefix to Wollongong. Coming off a 14 win season that saw the Hawks reach the postseason, the Hawks were able to retain almost their entire and add CJ Bruton (via Brisbane) who immediately became Wollongong’s starting point guard and primary offensive weapon. With the addition of Bruton, there was no need for import guard Elliot Hatcher and they replaced him with Theron Wilson. Also, talented big man David Andersen was recruited from the AIS to replace the outgoing Matt Zauner.
Bruton (20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) would be given the ‘green light’ as he boosted his scoring from 15.4 points to 20.8 points per game in 46 minutes per game. Clayton Ritter (17.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.4 assists 1.1 steals) and Mat Campbell (15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) also finished among the team’s high scorers.
The Hawks finished the season winning two more games than the year prior, improving upon their previous record for the third year in a row and finishing in third place (16-10).
A disappointing postseason first saw the Hawks lose to the Victoria Titans in two straight games during the Qualifying Finals, but thanks to the league’s of the ‘lucky loser’ rule, which allowed the highest placed loser from the Qualifying Finals to proceed to the next round. There, a matchup with Adelaide saw Illawarra eliminated in two straight games, ending their season for good this time.
1999/00
In 2000, Ritter moved 2.5 hours away to play for rival team the Canberra Cannons where he averaged 16.3 points and 7.3 rebounds. The Cannons struggled during the season and finished the year with a record of 11-17.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | 28 | Canberra | 11-17 (9) | 27 | 812.0 | 440 | 196 | 38 | 71 | 125 | 16 | 13 | 65 | 92 | 175 | 388 | 45% | 26 | 80 | 33% | 64 | 81 | 79% | 52% | 48% | 27 |
| 1998-99 | 27 | Wollongong | 16-10 (4) | 29 | 1,030.0 | 510 | 182 | 42 | 51 | 131 | 33 | 13 | 65 | 100 | 207 | 458 | 45% | 24 | 72 | 33% | 72 | 99 | 73% | 50% | 48% | 35 |
| 1998 | 27 | Wollongong | 14-16 (6) | 32 | 1,301.0 | 787 | 260 | 68 | 81 | 179 | 35 | 17 | 106 | 131 | 310 | 609 | 51% | 26 | 89 | 29% | 141 | 181 | 78% | 57% | 53% | 46 |
| 1997 | 26 | Illawarra | 7-23 (11) | 28 | 1,084.0 | 646 | 190 | 54 | 55 | 135 | 35 | 31 | 80 | 122 | 247 | 536 | 46% | 48 | 139 | 35% | 104 | 123 | 85% | 54% | 51% | 40 | Totals | 116 | 4227 | 2383 | 828 | 202 | 258 | 570 | 119 | 74 | 316 | 445 | 939 | 1991 | 47.2% | 124 | 380 | 32.6% | 381 | 484 | 78.7% | 54% | 50% | 46 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-00 | 28 | Canberra | 11-17 (9) | 27 | 30.1 | 16.3 | 7.3 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 4.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 6.5 | 14.4 | 45% | 1.0 | 3.0 | 33% | 2.4 | 3.0 | 79% | 52% | 48% | 27 |
| 1998-99 | 27 | Wollongong | 16-10 (4) | 29 | 35.5 | 17.6 | 6.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 7.1 | 15.8 | 45% | 0.8 | 2.5 | 33% | 2.5 | 3.4 | 73% | 50% | 48% | 35 |
| 1998 | 27 | Wollongong | 14-16 (6) | 32 | 40.7 | 24.6 | 8.1 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 5.6 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 9.7 | 19.0 | 51% | 0.8 | 2.8 | 29% | 4.4 | 5.7 | 78% | 57% | 53% | 46 |
| 1997 | 26 | Illawarra | 7-23 (11) | 28 | 38.7 | 23.1 | 6.8 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 4.8 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 4.4 | 8.8 | 19.1 | 46% | 1.7 | 5.0 | 35% | 3.7 | 4.4 | 85% | 54% | 51% | 40 | Total | 116 | 36.4 | 20.5 | 7.1 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 4.9 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 8.1 | 17.2 | 47.2% | 0.0 | 0.0 | 32.6% | 1.1 | 3.3 | 78.7% | 54% | 50% | 46 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 46 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 0 |
|---|
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
- Austria - Furstenfeld Panthers | Belgium - Aalst
Name: Ritter, Clayton | college: James Madison (1990–1994) Graduated prior to: 1997| Additional Info: Ritter played college basketball at James Madison during the 1990-91 season and remained with the Dukes through the 1993-94 campaign under head coach Lefty Driesell.
He was part of a 1990-91 James Madison team that finished 19-10 overall and 12-2 in Colonial Athletic Association play, and he returned the following season as the Dukes went 21-11 overall while again posting a 12-2 CAA record in 1991-92.
In 1992-93, Ritter moved into a significant rotation role as a junior on a 21-9 James Madison team that finished 11-3 in the CAA regular season, appearing in 30 games and making 28 starts while averaging 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 24.7 minutes per game.
Across those 30 games in 1992-93, he totaled 271 points while shooting 111-for-174 from the field (63.8%) and 49-of-66 at the foul line (74.2%), and he added 114 rebounds, 40 assists, 24 steals, 26 blocks, 53 turnovers, and 105 personal fouls.
During that 1992-93 season, Ritter produced a perfect 10-for-10 shooting night from the field in James Madison’s 89-80 win over Auburn on December 5, 1992, and the Dukes’ year ended with postseason losses in the CAA Tournament and at Providence on March 18, 1993 (73-61).
Ritter’s senior season in 1993-94 became his peak NCAA campaign as James Madison went 20-10 overall and 10-4 in the CAA, earned a 14 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament, and he was recognized as a first-team All-CAA selection while also receiving All-CAA Tournament honours.
In that 1993-94 season, Ritter started all 30 games and averaged 18.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 33.9 minutes per game, totaling 548 points while shooting 230-for-366 from the field (62.8%), going 7-for-20 on three-pointers (35.0%), and making 81-of-100 free throws (81.0%).
Across those 30 games in 1993-94, he also recorded 221 rebounds, 84 assists, 36 steals, 32 blocks, 89 turnovers, and 102 personal fouls, with his 548 points ranking among James Madison’s top single-season scoring totals and his 230 made field goals also listed among the program’s best single-season marks.
James Madison’s 1993-94 season concluded in the NCAA Tournament first round with a 64-62 loss to Florida on March 17, 1994, with Ritter scoring a game-high 27 points in that one-possession finish.
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