Miami Basketball ProCanes Rundown
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Twenty-five former University of Miami men’s basketball players have competed at the professional level in 2019-20. Nearly all of them had their seasons cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but many still managed to turn in impressive showings.
Below is an update on all of the Hurricanes playing professionally in a list that spans 13 countries and three continents, while extending across 17 seasons of Miami basketball.
Brian Asbury, Naturtex-SZTE-Szedeak: In his 11th year as a pro, Asbury is in his first season playing for Szedeak in Hungary’s A Division. He is averaging 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while shooting 58.7 percent across 21 outings. Competing in his seventh country as a pro, Asbury scored 12-plus points in all but one game, registering 20-plus 10 times with a high of 24, while notching two double-doubles.
Bruce Brown, Jr., Detroit Pistons: In his second year in the NBA, Brown has played in 58 games and started 43, the latter third-most among Pistons, while logging four double-doubles. He is averaging 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.1 steals across 28.2 minutes per outing, fourth-most on the team. A second-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft who has totaled 23 double-digit scoring performances and six double-figure rebound totals in 2019-20, owns season highs of 11 assists, 12 boards and 22 points.
Rion Brown, Tofas S.K.: After averaging 4.1 points in 13 games, including five in the EuroLeague, for Panathinaikos B.C. OPAP in Greece, Brown signed with Tofas, in Turkey’s top league, Jan. 10. Across five league games and three EuroCup outings, he is averaging 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 22.9 minutes per contest. Brown, who scored 16-plus points five times for Tofas, is playing in his seventh different country in his sixth year as a pro.
Ivan Cruz Uceda, RETAbet Bilbao Basket: A native of Spain who has played in his home country since graduating from Miami in 2016, Cruz Uceda is in his second season with Bilbao Basket, which plays in the nation’s top league. He is averaging 2.4 points and 1.3 rebounds in 6.2 minutes per game, across 18 appearances Cruz Uceda scored a season-high 10 points in an Oct. 13 victory over Saski-Baskonia S.A.D.
Guillermo Diaz, Santeros de Aguada: Diaz spent the majority of the season with Plateados de Fresnillo in Mexico’s top league, averaging 14.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 steals in 28.5 minutes per game, over 29 appearances. The 2006 second-round NBA Draft pick scored in double figures all but three times, notching 20-plus on four occasions in his 14th pro season. Recently, Diaz, who has played in eight countries and appeared in six NBA games, joined Aguada in his home nation of Puerto Rico, scoring 20 total points in two affairs.
Julian Gamble, Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna: A seventh-year pro playing in his fourth foreign country, Gamble has appeared in 33 games for Virtus BO, 17 of them in Italy’s Serie A and 16 in the EuroCup. Overall, he is averaging 11.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 65.8 percent, in 20.3 minutes per affair. Gamble has tallied 22 double-figure scoring performances, including a current streak of six straight in EuroCup action, and three double-doubles.
Jimmy Graham, Chicago Bears: A five-time Pro Bowler who played basketball at Miami for four years, Graham recently signed with Chicago, where he will begin his 11th NFL season. The tight end spent the past two seasons with Green Bay, helping the Packers to a 13-3 record and an NFC Championship Game appearance last year. He played in all 16 games, starting 10, and hauled in 38 catches for 447 yards and three touchdowns.
Malcolm Grant, BC Pieno Žvaigždes: An eighth-year pro who has competed in nine different countries across three continents, Grant joined Pieno Žvaigždes, a member of Lithuania’s premier league, in November. He took part in 10 games there, notching 6.2 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 19.7 minutes per contest. This is the third time Grant has played for a team in Lithuania’s top division, after also doing so for two other clubs from 2017 to 2019.
Gary Hamilton, Saga Ballooners: Hamilton is in his 13th year of his pro career, most of which has been spent in Japan, where he is currently with his sixth different team. Hamilton is averaging 9.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 25.3 minutes per game for the Ballooners, who play in the nation’s third division. Hamilton, who has competed in six countries, has posted double-digit points 21 times and double-figure rebounds 10 times, including a 20-point, 15-board performance in one of his 11 double-doubles.
Dewan Hernandez, Toronto Raptors: After extending Miami’s streak of consecutive years with an NBA Draft pick to three in 2019, Hernandez has played in four games for Toronto. He totaled two points and four rebounds in six minutes in his Nov. 18 NBA debut, a victory over Chicago. Hernandez also played in nine games for Raptors 905 in the G League, averaging 13.4 points and 9.6 rebounds, but has been kept out of action at both levels since mid-December due to injury.
Ebuka Izundu, Real Betis Baloncesto S.A.D.: A first-year pro, Izundu is competing in the premier flight of Spanish basketball. He is averaging 4.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per game, while shooting 55.6 percent across 17 appearances for Real Betis. Izundu has scored in double figures twice, including registering a season-high 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in an Oct. 27 in a win over B.C. Andorra S.A.
Tonye Jekiri, ASVEL Basket: In his third country and fourth year as a pro, Jekiri has played in 47 games for ASVEL, 20 in France’s premier division and 27 in the EuroLeague. He is averaging 8.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.0 minutes per game, while shooting 55.2 percent. Jekiri, who has eight double-doubles, 17 double-figure point totals and 10 double-digit rebounding performances—nine in EuroLeague action—set season highs in points (18) and boards (19) in a Nov. 15 two-point win over Serbia’s KK Crvena Zvezda.
Reggie Johnson, Khon Kaen Dunkin’ Raptors: A seventh-year pro who has spent most of his career in Asia, Johnson is competing in Thailand for the second time, but the first with the Raptors. He has is shooting 66.0 percent through five games in 2020, while averaging a staggering stat line of 29.4 points, 22.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists in 33.6 minutes per outing. Johnson, who has recorded at least 25 points and 16 rebounds in all of his appearances, twice logged 11 assists, giving him two triple-doubles.
DeQuan Jones, Pallacanestro Trieste: Jones, who played in 63 games for the Orlando Magic in 2012-13, is in Italy’s Serie A for his seventh year as a pro. He is averaging 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steal in 27.7 minutes per game, while scoring in double figures 17 times in 20 outings. Jones, who has competed in six countries, owns four 20-point performances this year, including a season-high 23 in a Feb. 7 victory over A.S. Pistoia Basket 2000.
Kenny Kadji, Türk Telekom B.K.: Kadji spent most of 2019-20 with Club Estudiantes S.A.D. in Spain’s top league, averaging 10.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game over 21 contests. He inked with Türk Telekom Feb. 29 and made four appearances, two in Turkey’s premier division and two in the Basketball Champions League, averaging 9.5 points and 3.3 boards in 15.8 minutes per game. Kadji, who logged 12 double-digit point totals competed for Cameroon in the 2020 African Championships, has played in seven countries in seven years as a pro.
Anthony King, Keravnos Strovolou B.C.: A 12th-year pro playing in his fourth country, King has spent five years in Cyrpus, including the last three with Keravnos Strovolou at the top level. This season, in 30 games across three league competitions, he is averaging 7.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 22.5 minutes per outing. King has scored double-digit points 10 times, including 21 twice, grabbed double-figure rebounds on five occasions and posted four double-doubles.
Anthony Lawrence II, Northern Arizona Suns: The top overall pick in the 2019 G League Draft, Lawrence made 38 appearances and 26 starts for the Suns this year. He averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 23.3 minutes per outing, while shooting 46.1 percent from the floor. Lawrence scored in double figures 17 times, notching 21 in two contests, including one against Agua Caliente in which he also grabbed a season-best 12 boards for his first double-double.
Shane Larkin, Anadolu Efes S.K.: A 2013 top-20 NBA Draft choice who played four NBA seasons, Larkin is in his seventh year and third country as a pro, including his second straight season with Efes in Turkey’s top league. Arguably the best player in Europe, Larkin has played in 35 games—25 in the EuroLEague—this year, averaging 19.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 27.7 minutes per contest, while shooting 50.6 percent overall, 45.5 percent from deep and 91.2 percent at the line. The EuroLeague January MVP, Larkin set the EuroLeague scoring (49) and 3-point (10) records Nov. 29, tying the latter March 6. After leading Efes to its first EuroLeague final in 2019, he has scored 20-plus points 19 times this year, including eight straight in the EuroLeague, in which Efes is in first place and he ranks first in scoring (22.2) and third in 3-point percentage (50.9).
Sheldon Mac, Cleveland Cavaliers: On March 8, exactly 29 months after tearing his left Achilles while with the Washington Wizards, Mac earned a 10-day contract with the Cavaliers following a stellar season in the G League with the Canton Charge. He did not play in either game with Cleveland before his time in the NBA was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The eighth pick in the 2019 G League Draft, Mac averaged 15.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game over 41 appearances for Canton.
Trey McKinney-Jones, Telekom Baskets Bonn: In his seventh year and sixth country as a pro, McKinney-Jones is shooting 50.5 percent from the floor and 92.9 percent at the stripe in his first season with Baskets Bonn. He has appeared in 32 games, 16 each in Germany’s top division and the Basketball Champions League, averaging 8.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.6 minutes per contest overall. McKinney-Jones, who appeared in an NBA game with the Indiana Pacers in 2017-18, has scored in double digits 12 times, with a high of 27 points.
Kamari Murphy, SC Rasta Vechta: Murphy has played in 33 games in his first season with Rasta Vechta, 21 at Germany’s premier level and 12 in the Basketball Champions League, averaging 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.8 minutes per contest. He has totaled 10-plus points seven times in 2019-20 and registered a double-double Dec. 27 against s.Oliver Würzburg. Murphy, who is shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, has played in three countries in his three years as a pro.
Davon Reed, Sioux Falls Skyforce: A second-round NBA Draft choice in 2017 who played two years in the NBA, Reed spent this season with the Heat’s G League affiliate and started all 40 games in which he appeared. He averaged 12.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 33.5 minutes per game, while shooting 87.2 percent from the line and recording four double-doubles. Reed posted double-figure points 28 times, including a season-high 29 against Iowa, adding 11 rebounds and a season-best nine assists to nearly log a triple-double.
Angel Rodriguez, Austin Spurs: After averaging 16.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 31.8 minutes per game across 20 outings for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Rodriguez was traded to the Austin Dec. 31. There, he averaged 9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 24.9 minutes per game over 15 appearances, starting all but two, just as he did with the Vipers. On the season as a whole, Rodriguez scored 20-plus points nine times, notching a career-high 29, and tallied 11-plus assists twice, both in double-doubles.
Durand Scott, Naturtex-SZTE-Szedeak: On Feb. 20, Scott signed with Szedeak to continue his pro career, which has now spanned seven years across eight countries. A teammate of fellow Hurricane, Brian Asbury, in Hungary’s A Division, Scott has played in one game this season, dropping 24 points on 8-of-15 shooting in 38 minutes March 7 against Debreceni EAC in his team debut. He added six rebounds, three assists and two steals in his team debut before the season was halted.
Lonnie Walker IV, San Antonio Spurs: A top-20 NBA Draft pick in 2018 after becoming Miami’s first one-and-done player, Walker has appeared in 53 games for San Antonio this year, earning four starts. He is averaging 5.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per contest, while shooting a team-best 40.8 percent from 3-point range. Walker, who has 10 double-figure scoring totals, dropped a career-high 28 points Dec. 3 in an overtime win over Houston, tallying 19 in the fourth quarter alone to bring the Spurs back from a 16-point deficit.
