Byron Wesley

Byron Wesley

Wesley playing for USC
No. 22 – Joensuun Kataja
Position Shooting guard / Small forward
League Korisliiga
Personal information
Born (1992-12-26) December 26, 1992
Monterey, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 209 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school Cajon
(San Bernardino, California)
Etiwanda
(Rancho Cucamonga, California)
College
NBA draft 2015 / Undrafted
Playing career 2016–present
Career history
2016 Sioux Falls Skyforce
2016–present Joensuun Kataja
Career highlights and awards

Byron Wesley, Jr. (born December 26, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Joensuun Kataja of the Finnish Korisliiga. He played college basketball for USC and Gonzaga.

High school career

As a freshman he played for his father at Rialto High School in Rialto, CA. As a sophomore, Wesley attended Cajon High School in San Bernardino, California where he played varsity basketball as a sophomore in 2008–09 for the Cowboys and coach Randy Murray.[1] In 2009, Wesley transferred to Etiwanda High School in Rancho Cucamonga, California. As a junior playing for the Eagles in 2009–10, he averaged 18.8 points per game, scoring 25 or more points 10 times in leading the team to narrow losses to Mater Dei in the CIF Southern Section 1-AA finals and to Long Beach Poly in the State Southern Regional quarter-finals.[2]

As a senior at Etiwanda in 2010–11, Wesley averaged 19.2 points and was also named to the first-team Best in the West squad by the Long Beach Press-Telegram and was named Baseline Conference MVP for the second consecutive season. He led the Eagles to a 29–4 record, losing to Long Beach Poly in the round of 16 in the California State Championships.[2]

College career

Wesley played three years of college basketball for USC, graduating from the school following the 2013–14 season.[3] As a junior in 2013–14, he averaged a team-high 17.8 points and 6.4 rebounds for a USC team that finished 11–21 overall and 2–16 in Pac-12 play. He subsequently took advantage of the NCAA's graduate transfer rule in which players are able to play their final year of eligibility immediately if they have graduated and want to pursue a degree that isn't offered at their current school. In May 2014, he transferred from USC to Gonzaga for the 2014–15 season.[4][5]

In 2014–15 playing for the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Wesley appeared in 38 games (all starts) and averaged 10.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 26.7 minutes while shooting 51.4 percent from the field. He subsequently earned second-team All-West Coast Conference honors[6] in a season where Gonzaga turned in the best record (35–3) and longest winning streak (22) in program history en route to a top-five national ranking while also leading the nation in field goal percentage.[7]

Professional career

Wesley went undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft. On January 21, 2016, he was acquired by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League.[7] On January 30, he made his professional debut in a 110–100 loss to the Westchester Knicks, recording two points and one rebound in twelve minutes.[8] He helped the Skyforce finish with a D-League-best 40–10 record in 2015–16, and went on to help the team win the league championship with a 2–1 Finals series win over the Los Angeles D-Fenders.[9]

On August 28, 2016, Wesley signed with Joensuun Kataja of the Finnish Korisliiga.[10]

References

  1. ↑ "Cajon 2008-09 Basketball Roster". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Byron Wesley Bio". GoZags.com. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  3. ↑ Klein, Gary (April 16, 2014). "USC basketball: Byron Wesley will transfer". LATimes.com. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  4. ↑ Goodman, Jeff (May 18, 2014). "Byron Wesley to transfer to Gonzaga". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ Eisenberg, Jeff (May 19, 2014). "Gonzaga poised for a big year after adding transfer Byron Wesley". Yahoo.com. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  6. ↑ "WCC Announces Men's Basketball All-Conference Team". wccsports.com. March 3, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Skyforce Acquire guard Byron Wesley". NBA.com. January 21, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Knicks Score Upset To Snap Skyforce's Home Streak". NBA.com. January 30, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Sioux Falls Skyforce Cap Historic Season with First NBA D-League". NBA.com. April 27, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Kataja kiinnitti Byron Wesleyn". Basket.fi (in Finnish). August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 28, 2016.

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