Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Hollis-Jefferson in 2014
No. 24 – Brooklyn Nets
Position Small forward
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1995-01-03) January 3, 1995
Chester, Pennsylvania
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school Chester (Chester, Pennsylvania)
College Arizona (2013–2015)
NBA draft 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 23rd overall
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career 2015–present
Career history
2015–present Brooklyn Nets
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com

Rondae Jaquan Hollis-Jefferson (born January 3, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats team from 2013 to 2015.

Early life and high school career

Hollis-Jefferson in the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game

Hollis-Jefferson grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania the son of Rylanda Hollis, who worked two jobs as a dietary supervisor and bartender. He has a brother, Rahlir, who played at Temple and now plays professionally in Canada. Their father was frequently absent and spent some time in jail.[1] Rondae Hollis Jefferson began honing his game when he was 12.[2] At a young age he took a strong interest in defense and acknowledged that he scored only because he was taller than his peers.[1]

He attended Chester High School where he would begin an outstanding basketball career under head coach Larry Yarbray. The small forward became the first player to ever be named Delaware County Player of the Year for multiple seasons.[3] He was also instrumental in Chester's first-ever undefeated season. The Clippers finished 91-5 in his last three years at the school and won two state titles.[4] In his senior year, he lost in the state title game to Lower Merion.[2] He finished his career with more than 1,000 points and a school-record 780 rebounds.[4]

Hollis-Jefferson participated in the 2013 McDonald's All-American Game against future Arizona teammate, Aaron Gordon.[5] Following the event, he took part in the Jordan Brand Classic with some of the most highly-recruited high school stars in the nation such as Julius Randle.[6] At the conclusion of Hollis-Jefferson's years with the Clippers, he was tabbed the 6th best small forward of his class by 247Sports.com and the fifth best by Rivals.com. He eventually chose to attend the University of Arizona and represent the school through their successful basketball program over other possibilities such as Florida and Syracuse.[7]

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson
SF		 Chester Chester High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 212 lb (96 kg) Sep 13, 2012 
Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars

College career

In his freshman season with Arizona, Hollis-Jefferson became known as fierce scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker despite his relatively small size. The start of his season was marked with 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists against Cal Poly off the bench. He posted his first double-double in a game against Oregon.[8] He improved on his free throw shooting as his freshman year progressed. Throughout the season, Hollis-Jefferson mainly functioned as the team's sixth man, but became a starter after Brandon Ashley was lost for the season with a foot injury in the Wildcats' 60-58 upset loss to California on February 1.[2] Hollis-Jefferson ended up starting 6 of 38 games played due to the roster that was dominated by the likes of Aaron Gordon, but still got his name on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.[8] In his freshman year, Hollis-Jefferson averaged 9.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.[4] "It's a lot different than just waking up, going to school and playing basketball for Chester," said Hollis-Jefferson of his freshman year. "In the beginning of the season, I was lost. But it's not about who's starting, it's about who finishes. It stuck with me for about a month or so, playing behind people. I went along with it and kept playing. I need to make people respect my shot. I know I can shoot it. I have to stay in attack mode."[2]

Hollis-Jefferson increased his averages as a sophomore to 11.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He improved in his leadership and offense.[4] As a sophomore, he was voted first-team All-Pac-12, and was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.[9] He helped lead the Wildcats to two consecutive Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Wisconsin on both occasions. On April 7, 2015, Hollis-Jefferson declared for the 2015 NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility. "I don't know if I've enjoyed coaching a player more than I've enjoyed coaching Rondae," coach Sean Miller said.[10]

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Arizona 38 6 25.3 .490 .200 .682 5.7 1.4 0.7 1.1 9.1
2014–15 Arizona 38 25 28.7 .502 .207 .707 6.8 1.5 1.1 0.8 11.2

Awards & Honors

Professional career

Brooklyn Nets (2015–present)

On June 25, 2015, Hollis-Jefferson was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 23rd overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. His draft rights, along with Steve Blake, were subsequently traded to the Brooklyn Nets for Mason Plumlee and the draft rights to the 41st overall pick, Pat Connaughton.[12] On July 6, 2015, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Nets.[13] He made his debut for the Nets in the team's season opener against the Chicago Bulls on October 28, recording 8 points and 5 rebounds off the bench in a 115–100 loss.[14] On November 20, he had a season-best game with 13 points and 11 rebounds as a starter in a loss to the Boston Celtics.[15] On December 7, he was diagnosed with a non-displaced fracture of the posterior talus in his right ankle, an injury requiring surgery[16] and eight to ten weeks of rehabilitation.[17] He returned to action on March 22, 2016 against the Charlotte Hornets, scoring five points in 15 minutes off the bench.[18]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Brooklyn 29 17 21.2 .457 .286 .712 5.3 1.5 1.3 .6 5.8
Career 29 17 21.2 .457 .286 .712 5.3 1.5 1.3 .6 5.8

References

  1. 1 2 Boivin, Paola (March 25, 2014). "Arizona's Hollis-Jefferson knows all about sacrifice". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Santoliquito, Joseph (March 16, 2014). "Rondae Hollis-Jefferson's game is no act". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ Chandik, Matt. "Daily Times Player of the Year: Despite setback, Chester's Rondae Jefferson should be proud". DelcoTimes.com. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Cox, Danny (March 23, 2015). "Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Brings Arizona In The Sweet 16 With Talent And Leadership". CBS. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  5. ↑ Zimmerman, Kevin. "Aaron Gordon is 2013 McDonald's All-American MVP, Rondae Jefferson makes unconfirmed history". AZDesertsWarm.com. SBNation.com. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Breen, Matt. "Chester's Rondae Jefferson named to Jordan Brand Classic". Philly.com. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  7. ↑ "Rondae Hollis-Jefferson -Yahoo! Sports". Rivals. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Bio". ArizonaWildcats.com. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "2014-15 Pac-12 Conference Men's Basketball Honors" (Press release). Pac-12. March 9, 2015. Archived from the original on March 9, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Hollis-Jefferson leaving Arizona, declares for NBA Draft". Fox Sports. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  11. ↑ ARIZONA WILDCATS 2014 EA SPORTS MAUI INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS
  12. ↑ "NETS ACQUIRE RONDAE HOLLIS-JEFFERSON AND STEVE BLAKE". NBA.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
  13. ↑ "NETS SIGN RONDAE HOLLIS-JEFFERSON". NBA.com. July 6, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Bulls beat Nets 115-100 for 2-0 start". NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 2015-16 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Medical Update". NBA.com. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 8, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Rondae Hollis-Jefferson Medical Update". NBA.com. December 9, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Batum scores 23 points, Hornets beat Nets 105-100". NBA.com. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.

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