Killian Tillie

Killian Tillie (born March 5, 1998) is a French basketball player. He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Listed at 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) and 220 pounds (100 kg), he plays the power forward and center positions. Tillie joined Gonzaga University beginning in the 2016-17 season.[1]

Killian Tillie
Personal information
Born (1998-03-05) March 5, 1998
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolINSEP (Paris, France)
CollegeGonzaga (2016–2020)
PositionPower forward / Center
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing France
FIBA Europe U16 Championship
2014 Latvia
FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship
2015 Hungary

Youth career

Tillie played basketball and volleyball until the age of 14, before choosing to focus on basketball. He started his basketball career in the youth setup at Cagnes Basket, when he was six years of age. He then moved to Stade Laurentin Basket, before joining the youth academy of Olympique d'Antibes in 2013.[2] Prior to the 2014-15 season, he joined the INSEP academy.[3]

Recruiting
"Killian is a dynamic athlete that will end up being a very good faceup-type four. Once we get him in the weight room and work on his strength, he’ll be a very good player at the highest level."

— Mark Few, Gonzaga Head Coach.[4]

"We expect him to contribute right away, if his health is under control with some knee issues. He is one of those really interesting guys. He has incredible instincts. It's probably hard to pinpoint his strengths, but he doesn’t really have a weakness either. He has tremendous upside, and we think his potential is off the charts."

— Tommy Lloyd, Gonzaga Associate Head Coach.[5]

In January 2015, Tillie was highlighted by ESPN among five of the best international players in the 2015 and 2016 classes with aspirations to play college basketball. He was drawing major interest from California at the time, and scouts were impressed with his terrific offensive rebounding, athleticism and high motor.[6]

In August 2015, Tillie traveled to the United States and took official visits to Georgia Tech, Utah, and Gonzaga.[7] Less than a week after his trip to Spokane, he verbally to committed to play college basketball at Gonzaga University, citing the Zags' "success with international players and because of the people that love basketball there."[1] He signed with the Zags in the early signing period in November 2015.[4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Killian Tillie
F		 Antibes, France INSEP 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Aug 29, 2015 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR   Rivals: NR  247Sports: #67  ESPN: NR
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2016 Gonzaga Rivals Commits". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  • "2016 Gonzaga Scout Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  • "2016 Gonzaga ESPN Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.

College career

He made his first appearance in a Gonzaga jersey on November 5, 2016, when scoring four points to go along with four rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and two steals in twelve minutes of play against West Georgia.[8] As a freshman during the 2016-17 season, Tillie appeared in 33 games, averaging 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 12.3 minutes.[9] He saw 14 minutes of action in the NCAA championship game against North Carolina, pulling down nine rebounds and scoring one point.[10]

As a sophomore in 2017-18, Tillie was Gonzaga’s second leading scorer, averaging 12.9 points in 26.2 minutes per game to go along with 5.9 rebounds and 1 blocked shot per contest.[11]

Coming into his junior season, Tillie was named to the Preseason All-WCC Team.[12] On October 30, 2018, it was announced that Tillie was to miss approximately eight weeks with a stress fracture on his ankle.[13]

Tillie missed the beginning of his senior season recovering from a knee injury. He returned to the lineup on November 19, 2019, finishing with 15 points and eight rebounds as Gonzaga held off Texas-Arlington 72-66.[14] On January 30, 2020, Tillie left a game against Santa Clara in the first half after suffering an ankle injury.[15] At the conclusion of the regular season, Tillie was named to the First Team All-WCC.[16]

National team career

Tillie helped the French Under-16 National Team win the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, averaging 14.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.2 blocked shots and 1.2 steals a contest, while being recognized as the tournament's MVP.[17] He dropped in 25 points and grabbed 18 boards, in the title game, a 78-53 win over hosting Latvia.[18]

In the summer of 2015, Tillie competed in the FIBA 3x3 Under-18 World Championships, where he teamed up with Bathiste Tchouaffe, Jules Rambaut, and Timothe Vergiat and he represented France at the 2015 World Championship, in Debrecen, Hungary, where they finished in third place, with an 8-1 record. His team defeated USA, featuring fellow Gonzaga commit Zach Collins, in the quarter-finals, before losing to Argentina in the semifinals, and thumping Spain in the third-place game.[19][20]

He competed for France at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 World Cup, averaging team-bests of 12.4 points and 8.7 rebounds a contest.[21]

Career statistics
Legend
  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
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 Gonzaga 33012.2.511.478.7783.2.6.7.34.2
2017–18 Gonzaga 363526.2.580.479.7735.91.7.81.012.9
2018–19 Gonzaga 15016.6.500.438.6433.91.5.7.76.2
2019–20 Gonzaga 242424.6.535.400.7265.01.91.0.813.6
Career 1085920.3.548.444.7504.61.4.8.79.5

Personal life

He is the son of Laurent Tillie, a former professional volleyball player and coach of the French national team, and Caroline Keulen-Tillie, a former professional volleyball player from the Netherlands. Killian’s brothers are also professional athletes: Kim Tillie plays basketball, Kevin Tillie plays volleyball.

gollark: [ARBITRARY TIMESPAN] begins soon? Exciting.
gollark: We actually got a 36-page document from the careers department a week or so after the start of term. The careers department is just some (mostly geography) teachers doing extra university/careers-related work, though.
gollark: I see.
gollark: My school has lots of advice and documentation on university stuff stored in various places.
gollark: According to said advice you're also meant to do 80% or so subject-related stuff and any relevant reading/projects/apiohazards/etc and 20% random extracurriculars.

References
  1. "French forward Killian Tillie commits to Gonzaga". August 29, 2015.
  2. umdf. "Killian Tillie : nouvelle pépite du basket français". SportsSpirit. Archived from the original on 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  3. "Basket-Ball : un Tillie en cache toujours un autre". www.paris-normandie.fr. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  4. "Gonzaga MBB Inks Four to NLI in Early Signing Period". November 20, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  5. "Next international wave will set up Zags for a while, says GU's Lloyd". December 9, 2015.
  6. "The next wave of international prospects". January 31, 2015.
  7. "Top French forward, 6-8 Killian Tillie, is on his visit to Georgia Tech, followed by trips to Utah and Gonzaga. Brother of former Ute, Kim". August 17, 2015.
  8. "West Georgia vs Gonzaga". gozags.com. Gonzaga University. 2016-11-05. Retrieved 2016-11-12.
  9. "Season Box Score". gozags.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  10. "Gonzaga vs North Carolina (04/03/17 at Univ of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ), Official Basketball Box Score". gozags.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  11. "2017-18 Gonzaga Men's Basketball Season Box Score". gozags.com. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  12. "Gonzaga picked to Win 2018-19 Men's Basketball Championship". West Coast Conference. October 18, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  13. Johnson, Raphielle (October 30, 2018). "Stress fracture to sideline Gonzaga C Killian Tillie eight weeks". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  14. "Woolridge leads No. 8 Gonzaga over Texas-Arlington 72-66". ESPN. Associated Press. November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  15. Meehan, Jim (January 30, 2020). "Gonzaga forward Killian Tillie exits Santa Clara game with first-half ankle injury". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  16. "WCC Announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball All-Conference Team" (Press release). West Coast Conference. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  17. "Tillie Towers Above The Competition | U16 Europe Championship Men - Division A". u16men.fibaeurope.com. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  18. "Boxscore Final Latvia - France". fibaeurope.com. FIBA Europe. 2014-08-30. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  19. "FIBA 3x3 Profile: Killian Tillie". Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  20. "2015 France FIBA 3x3 U18 Team". Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  21. "France at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 - FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball (in French). Retrieved 2017-07-09.
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