Last Updated on July 24, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Troy Gillenwater built a successful professional career through consistent scoring and a polished offensive game that translated well across different leagues. His ability to produce points year after year made him a reliable option for teams looking for experience and frontcourt scoring.

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Troy Gillenwater
  • Nationality: American
  • Date of Birth: December 29, 1988
  • Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
  • Height: 6 feet 8 inches (203 cm)
  • Weight: 233 pounds (106 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 9 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 16 (US)
  • Jersey Number: 33
  • Position: Power Forward / Small Forward
  • High School: Stoneridge Prep, Simi Valley, California
  • College: New Mexico State University (2008–2011)
  • NBA Draft: Declared for the 2011 NBA Draft but withdrew; went undrafted in 2012
  • Professional Career:
    • Turkey: Played for Tofaş S.K.
    • Israel: Played for Hapoel Jerusalem
    • Cyprus: Played for AEK Larnaca
    • South Korea: Played for Goyang Orions, Changwon LG Sakers, and Incheon Etland Elephants
    • China: Played for multiple teams
    • Japan: Played for teams in the Japanese league
    • Puerto Rico: Played for teams in the Puerto Rican league
  • Championship Rings: None
  • Children: Not publicly available
  • Siblings: Not publicly available

Player Archetype / Play Style

Troy Gillenwater’s player archetype is that of a scoring combo forward, an archetype built on face-up offense, strength, and the ability to slide between power forward and small-ball frontcourt roles. At 6-foot-8 and roughly 234 to 238 pounds, he had a strong, well-built frame that let him play through contact inside while still stretching the floor enough to punish defenses from mid-range and beyond the arc. Defensively, his role was more that of a physical frontcourt body and secondary rim helper than a pure stopper, using size and effort to rebound, contest around the lane, and hold his own against other forwards. Offensively, he operated as a featured scoring forward who could produce from the post, attack slower defenders off the bounce, and step out as a capable perimeter shooter, which matched both his scoring load and his solid three-point percentages at New Mexico State. The overall play style was that of a versatile bucket-getting forward who blended power, touch, and matchup flexibility, giving teams a reliable frontcourt scorer who could hurt opponents in multiple ways without needing elite explosiveness.

Scouting Report

Troy Gillenwater built his offense around forcing defenders to deal with his strength before they could worry about anything else. He established deep position early, welcomed contact and had enough footwork over either shoulder to punish defenders who allowed him too close to the basket. What stands out, though, is that he wasn’t purely a back-to-the-basket scorer. He could face up from the elbows, attack slower bigs with a decisive first step and make enough mid-range jumpers to keep defenders from simply sitting in the paint. Once double teams arrived, he generally made the obvious pass instead of trying to split traps or force difficult shots, keeping the offense on schedule rather than chasing individual numbers. The trade-off came on the defensive end. In conventional drop coverage he used his size well, occupied driving lanes and rebounded his area with authority, but offenses built around constant pick-and-rolls, empty-side actions and quick guard-big exchanges could pull him into uncomfortable situations where recovering back to the paint became difficult. That’s less a criticism than a reflection of the type of player he was. He wanted the game to be physical and played accordingly. It’s easy to overlook how much pressure he put on opposing frontcourts simply by demanding attention on every interior touch, creating cleaner perimeter looks because help defenders couldn’t ignore him around the rim. To me, his ideal role was as a scoring frontcourt option who anchored second units or complemented perimeter creators capable of delivering him the ball in advantageous spots instead of asking him to create everything himself. Place him alongside guards who consistently collapse defenses and shooters who discourage aggressive doubles, and his interior efficiency becomes much harder to neutralize. His game shared similarities with Jason Thompson because of the blend of interior scoring and face-up comfort, while there were flashes of Ike Diogu in the way he relied on strength, balance and polished footwork rather than overwhelming explosiveness to generate offense.

Sources:

New Mexico State Athletics — Troy Gillenwater – 2010-11 – Men’s Basketball
Sports Reference — Troy Gillenwater College Stats
NBADraft.net — Troy Gillenwater
Rize Management — Troy Gillenwater