Keifer Sykes

Keifer Sykes
No. 8 – Austin Spurs
Position Point guard
League NBA Development League
Personal information
Born (1993-12-30) December 30, 1993
Chicago, Illinois
Nationality American
Listed height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight 167 lb (76 kg)
Career information
High school Marshall (Chicago, Illinois)
College Green Bay (2011–2015)
NBA draft 2015 / Undrafted
Playing career 2015–present
Career history
2015–present Austin Spurs (D-League)
Career highlights and awards

Keifer Jerail Sykes (born December 30, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League. He played college basketball for the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.

High school and college career

Sykes, a 6'0" point guard, was born in Chicago, Illinois.[1] He starred at John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago, where he was named second team All-Chicago Public High School League by the Chicago Sun-Times. He committed to play collegiately for coach Brian Wardle at Green Bay.[2]

From his freshman year in 2011–12, Sykes was immediately inserted into the Phoenix starting lineup. He averaged 11.2 points and 3.3 assists per game and was named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer team.[3] As a sophomore, Sykes increased his production to 15.9 points and 4.3 assists per game and led the Phoenix to the 2013 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. He was named first team All-Horizon League.[4]

At the start of the 2013–14 season, Sykes was named to the preseason All-Horizon League team and was a nominee for the Bob Cousy Award for top point guard in the country.[5] Sykes led the Phoenix to a 24–5 regular season record and finished first in the Horizon League. The season included an upset over eventual Atlantic Coast Conference regular season champion Virginia in a game which saw Sykes score 21 points and distribute 10 assists.[6] At the conclusion of the regular season, Sykes was again named first team all-conference and was named Horizon Player of the Year.[7]

On February 26, 2015, Sykes scored a career-high 36 points against UIC to surpass the 2,000 point mark for his career. Keifer also won the 2015 Horizon League player of the year that year.[8] Sykes was named honorable mention for his second All-American team.[9] Sykes set a conference record as he was named the Horizon League player of the week thirteen times.[10] He was one of eight invitees to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2015 Final Four.[11]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2015 NBA draft, Sykes joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2015 NBA Summer League.[12] On September 28, 2015, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs,[13] only to be waived by the team on October 21 after appearing in three preseason games.[14] Nine days later, he was acquired by the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of San Antonio.[15] On November 13, he made his professional debut in a 104–82 win over the Texas Legends, recording eight points, one rebounds, six assists and three steals in 17 minutes off the bench.[16]

References

  1. ↑ Koob, Dan (December 21, 2013). "Family First: Keifer Sykes". jrn.com. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ Henricksen, Joe (September 24, 2010). "Keifer Sykes headed to UW-Green Bay". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  3. ↑ Potter, Bill (February 27, 2012). "Horizon League Announces Men's Basketball Award Winners". Horizon League. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  4. ↑ Potter, Bill (March 4, 2013). "McCallum Leads Men's Basketball Award Winners". Horizon League. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Sykes Named to Bob Cousy Award Watch List". Green Bay Phoenix. October 22, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Green Bay holds on to beat Virginia 75-72". ESPN.com. December 7, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  7. ↑ Potter, Bill (March 3, 2014). "2014 #HLMBB Award Winners Announced". Horizon League. Retrieved March 3, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Phoenix Keifer Sykes crosses the 2,000 mark". wbay2.com. February 27, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Sykes named AP honorable mention All-American". WLUK-TV. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  10. ↑ Scott, Bill (June 22, 2015). "Green Bay’s Sykes is HL Player of the Week". Wisconsin Radio Network. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  11. ↑ Venci, Scott (March 26, 2015). "Keifer Sykes will be in Final Four dunk contest". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Cavs Announce 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League Roster". NBA.com. July 7, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Spurs announce 2015-16 training camp roster". NBA.com. September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Spurs waive Fredette, Ndoye, Sykes and Thomas". NBA.com. October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  15. ↑ "AUSTIN SPURS ANNOUNCE 2015 RETURNING PLAYERS AND TRAINING CAMP INVITEES". NBA.com. October 30, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Cotton, Spurs Rout Legends as Satnam Singh Debuts". NBA.com. November 13, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2016.

External links

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