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FORMER ARIZONA WILDCATS IN THE NBA
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The CITY of Memphis will always have a special place with me. There are relationships here that I will cherish forever! Time to move on.. JB
— Jerryd Bayless (@jerrydbayless) January 6, 2014
Jerryd Bayless and Channing Frye only Phoenix natives active in NBA. Phoenicians we have to do a better job of producing more pros @Suns
— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) January 3, 2014
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Jerryd Bayless, who averaged 19.2 points as a freshman at Arizona in 2007-08, is now a Boston Celtic
Former Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless played only one season with the Wildcats mostly because of a transition period with Lute Olson not coaching the Wildcats.
He knows what it’s like to be here one day and gone the next. He was drafted by Portland in 2008 and lasted two years there before being traded to Toronto, where he played for parts of two seasons. Memphis was his next stop. This week Bayless packed his bags for Boston, his fourth NBA team in only six seasons.
“I have bounced a lot,” Bayless told the Boston Globe. “I really am looking for a home where I can settle in.
“I don’t think it’s a negative thing, because at the end of the day, every time you bounce around, somebody else wants you. That’s the way I try to look at it. Here, hopefully this can be one of my last stops.”
In a strange way, Bayless finally gets to play for an established, successful college coach since Olson was on a leave of absence in 2007-08. Brad Stevens, formerly of Butler, is Bayless’ new coach.
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FORMER ARIZONA PLAYERS IN D-LEAGUE
*Now back with Pacers
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May the optimism of tomorrow be your foundation for today
— Kevin Parrom (@KevinParrom3) January 4, 2014
FORMER ARIZONA PLAYERS INTERNATIONAL
BELGIUM
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CANADA
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CHINA
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FINLAND
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FRANCE
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JAPAN
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LEBANON
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LITHUANIA
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MEXICO
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POLAND
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ROMANIA
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SERBIA
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TURKEY
*Now goes by Turkish name Ali Karadeniz
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UKRAINE
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HILL OPTS BACK TO PACERS
Solomon Hill’s two games in the D-League were enough for him because of a lack of playing time
Former Arizona forward Solomon Hill, displeased with his playing time in two games with Indiana’s D-League affiliate Fort Wayne (Ind.), went back to the Pacers on Saturday.
Hill told NBA.com that playing with Fort Wayne was not a benefit because he did not play in the fourth quarter of his second and last game after scoring 13 points in the first quarter.
“The D-League is for developing talent and I didn’t get a chance to play,” Hill said. “I sat the whole fourth quarter. It’s like, is it really a developmental league? I’m very grateful for the opportunity to play with the Mad Ants organization, but in order for me to try to develop, I have to be on the floor. That just makes me think about my next trip, if I want to go back down there. I’m kind of not tempted to go back down there now just because if I go down there and play 25 minutes after a two-hour drive, it’s like, am I really developing?”
Interesting that Indiana coach Frank Vogel leaves it up to the player if he wants to go to the D-League to try to develop his game rather than sit on the Pacers’ bench.
STAT LEADERS ABROAD
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WHO’S MISSING?
Former Arizona Wildcats on pro rosters internationally have not surfaced this season, including Gilbert Arenas (China), Hassan Adams and Salim Stoudamire (both for Guaros de Lara of Venezuela), Chris Rodgers (Nogales), Zane Johnson (Spain), Garland Judkins (Dubai) and Brendon Lavender (Sweden).
Former Arizona reserve center Alex Jacobson made the opening day roster for Moncton of the National Basketball League of Canada but was waived three games into the season.
Johnson, who transferred to Hawaii in 2009 upon Sean Miller’s arrival to Arizona, tried to make the Canton (Ohio) roster of the D-League but was waived during the preseason.
Lavender had a season-ending ankle injury last season while playing for Stockholm. Lavender is now a coach and training specialist with the Ventura Vipers AAU organization in Scottsdale.
Arenas told TMZ (above video) that he is training for a comeback to the NBA (however far-fetched that may be), which means his playing days in China are over. Arenas, 31, is still competitive, however, in … professional poker.
Arenas was one of 295 poker players who participated in the $10,000,000 Guaranteed Main Event of the 2014 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, a $10,300 buy-in No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament held at the Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas. The former Washington Wizard franchise player was eliminated midway through the first day.
MARCUS WILLIAMS ON NATURAL HIGH
After his season-ending suspension by the Chinese Basketball Association last year for marijuana use, former Arizona forward Marcus Williams is picking up from where left off in terms of scoring. He leads Shanxi Zhongyu with 30 points a game. He averaged 32.1 points at the time of his suspension last season.
Williams’ team is struggling with a 5-16 record and lost 92-84 to Shanghai on Sunday. Williams had 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the game.
First time in Paris!!!!
— Mark moog Lyons (@OnlyMoog) December 28, 2013
PARROM UP
Former Arizona forward Kevin Parrom is making the team that cut him in Ukraine look silly right now. Parrom, a reserve player for Rio Grande of the D-League, scored 27 points off the bench in the Vipers’ 138-131 loss at Idaho last Saturday.
Parrom was drafted in November by Rio Grande shortly after Cherkasy in Ukraine waived him after one game.
In case you missed it, a photo of Parrom flopping while trying to get a foul called on Colorado’s Askia Booker last year in the Pac-12 tournament made Mashable.com’s Top 50 Amazing Sports Photos of 2013. It was ranked No. 38.
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WILDABOUTAZCATS.net publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report, Lindy’s College Sports and TucsonCitizen.com.
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