Posts tagged NBA
CU’s Chucky Jeffery sign’s contract w/WNBA New York Liberty
Aug 5th
BOULDER – Former University of Colorado guard Chucky Jeffery has signed a 7-day contract with the New York Liberty of the WNBA.
She is the first Colorado player to find her name on a regular season WNBA roster since Tera Bjorklund played four games for the Charlotte Sting in 2004.
Jeffery was originally selected by the Minnesota Lynx with 12th pick of the second round (24th overall) of the 2013 WNBA Draft. She played in two preseason games for Minnesota before being released prior the beginning of the regular season.
The Liberty are coached by former NBA standout Bill Laimbeer. New York is currently 8-12 and resides in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Liberty have three games scheduled in the next seven days, including a Tuesday morning game (9 a.m. MT) against Washington at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.
A 5-foot-10 guard from Colorado Springs, Colo., Jeffery led Colorado in scoring (13.7 ppg), assists (4.0 apg), rebounds (8.2 rpg) and steals (2.2 spg) in 2012-13. One of the most dynamic players in Colorado history, Jeffery was an honorable mention All-American and a Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Region nominee for the 2013 WBCA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team.
Jeffery was named All-Pac-12 for the second-straight year by both the media and the coaches. She also earned Pac-12 All-Tournament honors and was an honorable mention to the coaches’ All-Defensive team. She is the only player in program history to record 1,600 points, 900 rebounds and 400 assists, ending her career sixth in scoring (1,644), fifth in rebounding (921) and fourth in assists (481).
Tera Bjorklund was the last CU player to make the WNBA roster.
She also ranks third in minutes played (3,965), fourth in steals (283) and steals average (2.3 spg), fifth in double-doubles (30), sixth in assists average (3.8 apg) and field-goals made (619), seventh in minutes average (31.7 mpg), ninth in rebound average (7.4 rpg), starts (108) and games played (125), 11th in free-throws made (331), 13th in blocks (71), 14th in scoring average (13.2 ppg) and 15th in 3-point field goals (75).
Colorado finished the 2012-13 season at 25-7 overall and fourth place in the Pac-12 at 13-5. The Buffaloes, who were ranked No. 19 in the final AP Top 25 poll, advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in team history and first time since 2004.
Troy Andre
Assistant SID/Internet Managing Editor
University of Colorado
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Roberson going pro
Apr 28th
By B.G. Brooks, CUBuffs.com Contributing Editor
Junior Andre Roberson, a 6-7 forward who was on the verge of becoming CU’s career rebounding leader, made his decision about midday Sunday and notified CU Coach Tad Boyle.
Roberson was scheduled to announce his intentions at a Friday morning news conference at the Coors Events Center, but he and his family canceled the conference because Roberson apparently was torn between leaving school and turning pro.
He had until 9:59 p.m. MDT Sunday to declare himself eligible for the NBA Draft, which will be conducted on June 27 at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets.
“We support Andre and want what’s best for him and his family,” Boyle said Sunday afternoon. “We wish him the best.”
Roberson leaves CU with most of the school’s rebounding records within his reach and a legitimate chance to likely have put some of those marks out of reach for any future Buff.
The odds favored Roberson becoming CU’s top career rebounder in the first game of what would have been his senior year; he needed 10 rebounds, which would have given him 1,055 – one more than Stephane Pelle (1999-03) – with the remainder of his final season ahead of him.
Nonetheless, in three seasons Roberson left his mark. He was the only CU player with 1,000 points (1,012) and rebounds (1,045), 150 blocks (150) and steals (164), and 100 assists (119). He also was the first Buffs player to lead the team in rebounding, blocked shots and steals for three consecutive seasons.
At the team’s annual banquet earlier this month, Roberson was presented the Stephane Pelle Rebounding Award and earned the Best Defensive Player Award as voted by his teammates. He also was selected as the Pac-12 Conference’s Defensive Player of The Year and was a first-team all-conference pick.
In the Buffs’ school-record third consecutive 20-win season (21-12, 10-8 Pac-12 Conference), Roberson became the first CU player in 22 years to average a double-double (10.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg) in consecutive years. He finished second nationally in rebounding and he leaves CU with a career average just shy of a double-double – 9.6 points, 10.0 rebounds.
What’s to become of the 2013-14 Buffs minus Roberson? He’ll undoubtedly be missed but Boyle believes his team can thrive anyway. At a season-ending wrap-up on April 11, Boyle said his fourth CU squad will “be good with or without him . . . Andre knows we’re going to have a good team next year; it’s not going to be a make-or-break decision for Colorado basketball.”
Before Roberson’s decision, several Internet news outlets projected the Buffs to be in the preseason Top 25 for 2013-14. Among the more reputable, Sports Illustrated had them No. 11, CBSSports.com No. 12, and USA Today No. 16. With Roberson out of the picture, those projections could change. Roberson’s return might have kept the 2013-14 Buffs among the most highly touted preseason teams in school history, but CU isn’t likely to suffer.
Boyle’s roster is far from barren. He gets an immediate frontcourt replacement in 6-8 redshirt freshman Wes Gordon and will count on improved board work from 6-10 Josh Scott and 6-6 Xavier Johnson, both sophomores-to-be. And with the addition of 6-7 redshirt freshman Chris Jenkins and 6-5 Jaron Hopkins, 6-6 Tre’Shaun Fletcher and 6-7 Dustin Thomas – all true freshmen – the Buffs should receive an immediate influx of length and athleticism to help with rebounding and a revamped defensive strategy.
Most draft projections omitted Roberson from the first round, and only first-round selections get guaranteed contracts. However, the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement gives agents the chance to negotiate guaranteed pacts for second-round picks. Yet there are no guarantees Roberson will go in the second round.
A sample of Roberson’s positioning in the Top 100 draft prospects: ESPN.com – 54th overall; CBSSports.com – 54th overall;DraftExpress.com – 57th overall; HoopsWorld.com – 57th overall. If those projections reflect a general consensus among NBA directors of player personnel, Roberson could be a late-second round selection.
At the conclusion of CU’s season, Boyle and Athletic Director Mike Bohn flew to San Antonio to meet with the Roberson family. Boyle also applied to the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee for an evaluation of Roberson’s “draftability.”
The committee is composed of NBA general managers and other team officials who scout college games and players. Two years ago, the committee projected CU sophomore Alec Burks, a 6-6 shooting guard, to be a mid-first round selection if not a potential lottery pick. He was chosen 12th overall by Utah and signed a three-year rookie contract worth $6.3 million.
Boyle contrasted the situations of Burks and Roberson, saying each players’ decision boiled down to “risk/reward,” with not much risk for Burks but significantly more for Roberson. Boyle believes Roberson will polish his offensive game and improve in other facets next season, but the critical question of “where?” won’t be answered until the NBA Draft.
Contact: BG.Brooks@Colorado.EDU
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Former CU basketball standout Chris Copeland makes New York Knicks
Nov 6th
BOULDER – Former University of Colorado men’s basketball standout Chris Copeland, who played for the Buffaloes from 2002-06, has earned one of the 15 spots on the New York Knicks NBA roster. Copeland is one of two rookies on the team.
For the first time ever, four former CU basketball players are on 2012 opening day NBA rosters. Copeland joins Chauncey Billups (L.A. Clippers), Alec Burks (Utah Jazz) and Cory Higgins (Charlotte Bobcats). Last year, Billups, Burks and Higgins were the first CU trio since the 1992-93 season when Matt Bullard, Jay Humphries, Alex Stivrins were on NBA rosters.
“I think everywhere I have played at has been a major learning experience,” Copeland said. “I am blessed to have had the opportunities I have had. It’s very exciting to play in New York and a blessing to have made it this far. It’s an unbelievable feeling and hard to put into words, but yes a dream come true.”
Copeland (6’8, 225 pounds) was a four-year letterwinner from 2002-2006 helped CU to a pair of NIT Appearances (2003-04, 2005-06) and a NCAA Tournament berth (2002-03).
Copeland’s best season was his senior year finishing second in scoring at 12.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He also led CU with 32 blocked shots. Over his four-year career, he netted six games over 20 points and tallied three double-doubles, all during his junior year.
The Richmond, Va. and Hermitage High School native, also had a productive junior campaign finishing second in scoring (11.7 rpg.) while leading the Buffs on the glass (5.6 rpg.) and in blocks (36).
His best collegiate game was Jan. 4, 2005 returning to his hometown leading CU to a 75-69 win over the Richmond Spiders. Copeland scored a career-best 25 points (10 field goals made) with four three-pointers.
When he left CU, Copeland was eighth in career blocks (88), 30th in rebounding (425), and 33rd in scoring (848). He earned his psychology degree in the summer of 2009.
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