Lester Abram
Encyclopedia
Lester C. Abram, Jr. is an American basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player (shooting guard
Shooting guard
The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team...
).
Abram was named team captain during his senior year at University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, making him the Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
' first three-time captain. He averaged 10 points, 3.3 rebound
Rebound
Rebound can refer to:In films:* Rebound , a 1931 movie starring Ina Claire and Robert Ames* Rebound , a 1959 movie starring Lyndon Brook and Jane Hylton...
s, and 1.1 assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
per game in his 21 appearances. He has made quite a profile throughout Michigan. Playing in 120 career games, he tied for No. 18 all-time. He started 106 career games, tying for 10th all-time. He scored 1,274 career points (No. 26 all-time), shot 82.93 percent for career on free throws (No. 2 all-time), and had 345 free throws made (No. 10 all-time). As well, he set freshman (85.6 percent) and sophomore (84.3 percent) records for free-throw percentage in a season. He has played a career of 3,513 career minutes, the twelfth of all time.
Profile
| Birthday | Position | Class | Height | Weight | College Team | Hometown | High School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/2/83 | Guard Shooting guard The shooting guard , also known as the two or off guard, is one of five traditional positions on a basketball team. Players of the position are often shorter, leaner, and quicker than forwards. A shooting guard's main objective is to score points for his team... |
Senior | 6-6 | 2001b (90 kg.) | Michigan | Pontiac, Michigan | Northern. |
Prep
Abram played for Pontiac Northern High School and was coached by Robert RogersRobert Rogers
Robert Rogers may refer to:*Robert Rogers , 18th century American colonial officer, explorer and playwright*Robert Rogers , Canadian politician...
. In his prep career, he averaged 19.0 points per game and came in third for the 2002 Hal Schram Mr. Basketball award. Abram led Pontiac Northern to back-to-back Class A state titles and missed only one career game (finishing with a 81-21 career record). Additionally, he was a four-year starter and a two-year captain, playing four different positions. During his freshman year (1999), he averaged 14.1 points and led Pontiac Northern to the Michigan Class A State semifinal game; he also played for an AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
team, and was coached by Durand Walker. As a sophomore (2000), he averaged 14.1 points and led Pontiac Northern to a 17-5 record. As a junior (in 2001), he averaged 20.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists and led Pontiac Northern to the Class A State Championship title. His senior year (in 2002), he averaged 22.7 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks. Abram led Pontiac Northern to a 23-4 record and the Class A State title, where he earned co-Most Valuable Player honors.
In 2000, Abram made the Detroit News Class A All-State as an honorable mention, All-Metro honorable mention, All-North second team (2000), Detroit Free Press Class A All-State honorable mention (2000), and USA Today's Michigan “Players to Watch” (2000).
Moreover, he was selected as a member of the following teams:
- Top 100 selection for the McDonald's All-American TeamMcDonald's All-American TeamThe McDonald's All-American Game refers to each of the all-star basketball games played each year for boys' and girls' high-school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top American and Canadian players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the high-school basketball...
- Detroit News Dream Team
- All-Metro first team
- All-North first team (2002)
- Detroit Free PressDetroit Free PressThe Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
Dream Team - All-Metro first team (for which he was selected as the captain)
- All-North first team (where again, he was named captain) (2002)
- Oakland Press Oakland County Dream Team (2002)
- Associated Press Class A All-State first team (2001)
Freshman (2002-03)
Abram won U-M's 2003 Iron Man Award and U-M's 2003 Award for Outstanding Free Throw Shooting. He played in all 30 games (with 28 starts). Following an 0-6 start, he helped U-M to a 13-game winning streak and third place in the Big Ten. He helped his team win at UCLA's Pauley PavilionPauley Pavilion
Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located in the Westwood Village district of Los Angeles, California, on the campus of UCLA. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams...
(81-76) December 28, 2002. Next, Lester helped U-M break an eight-game losing streak against Michigan State on January 26, 2003. His first collegiate game and start was against St. Bonaventure
St. Bonaventure University
St. Bonaventure University is a private, Franciscan Catholic university, located in Allegany, Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. It has roughly 2,400 undergraduate and graduate students....
at the Paradise Jam Tournament
Paradise Jam Tournament
The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam is a preseason college basketball tournament that takes place in late November of each year, with the men usually playing the week before Thanksgiving and the women playing Thanksgiving week. It takes place in St. Thomas at the Sports and Fitness Center. The...
on November 23, where he had 11 points, 3 rebounds and one block. Abram set U-M's freshman
Freshman
A freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
record shooting 85.6 percent on free throws (89-for-104).
During one 18-game stretch, he never missed a shot from the free throw line. He averaged 10.6 points per game (319 points total) and scored in double figures in 16 games. He had one game scoring 20 or more points, with a season-high 20 points against IUPUI on January 4, 2003. Abram was the highest scorer in six games. In all, he averaged 4.4 rebounds per game (131 total). His season-high nine rebounds was in a game against Iowa on (February 8, 2003). He played 32.1 minutes per game.
Sophomore (2003-04)
Abram was a member of the 2004 NIT Championship team and 2004 all-Big Ten, third team. He won U-M's 2004 Bill Buntin Most Valuable Player Award, U-M's 2004 Travis Conlan Sportsmanship Award, U-M's 2004 Award for Outstanding Free Throw Shooting, U-M's 2004 Iron Man Award, and CBS Player of the Game against Wisconsin on February 22, 2004. His next honors were ESPN2ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
Player of the Game and Four-time ESPN-Plus Player of the Game. He missed three games after suffering a left shoulder injury in a collision with Iowa's Greg Brunner in the Big Ten Tournament
Big Ten Tournament
Big Ten Tournament can refer to any Big Ten Conference sport that has a tournament.* Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament* Big Ten Conference Women's Basketball Tournament...
. Abram came back with 17 points, five rebounds, and two steals in a game against Hawaii on March 24, 2004. This injury caused Abram to snap a streak of playing in 58 consecutive games.
Abram lead his college to scoring 12 games. On January 27, 2004 vs. Northwestern, he scored a career-high 27 points. Abram tied UM All-American Cazzie Russell for U-M sophomore shooting record 84.3% on free throws (113-for-134); moreover, he twice successfully made 10 free throws. He was perfect from the free throw line in 13 games and averaged 4.2 rebounds per game (131 in all). Abram next had a career high of 10 rebounds against Iowa State on February 14, 2004. He led the UOM in rebounding for six games. This rewarded him 13 points and 10 rebounds. Total, Abram had 41 assists, nine blocks, and 31 steals; he played 29.5 minutes per game.
Junior (2004-05)
Abram was voted this season one of three team captains. Abram missed 28 total games of the 2004-05 season following surgery to left shoulder on December 16, 2004. Abram played in three games averaging 6.7 points (20 total) and 4.7 rebounds (14 total) in 28.7 minutes. And Shooting 90.9 percent (10-for-11) on free throws.Senior (2005-06)
Abram helped the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
to its first top 25 poll in eight years. He also led them to back-to-back wins over top 25 teams for the first time since 1994. Honorably, he was voted as one of four team captains. Abram was ESPN-Plus Player of the Game (U-M) against Northwestern
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
on January 18. He started 18 of 21 games; however, he missed two games with sprained right toe and 10 games with severely sprained left ankle. His return was in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament
Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament is held annually at the end of the men's college basketball regular season. The tournament has been played each year since 1998. The winner of the tournament is designated the Big Ten Tournament Champion, and receives the conference's automatic...
vs. Minnesota (March 9). He played thirteen minutes, received two points, three rebounds, two resists, and a block. His averages were 10.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. In 12 of the 21 games that featured him, he scored double figures. His career best from the field was 53% (71 for 134) and he made 42.5 percent of his three pointers (17-for-40); he made 82.5%(52-for-63) of his free throws. He gained 22 assists, five blocks, and 21 steals. In the game against Northwestern on January 18, he scored a season best 20 points after going 9-for-12 from the field and 2-for-5 on three-pointers. Abram had a career-high four steals and finished with 14 points after going 8-for-10 from the free throw line in win over Miami, Florida (Nov. 29) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
He hit two free throw shots within 1.9 rebounds to seal the win at Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
on December 3 and finished the game off with four points, 1 block, and two steals. He followed up with a career-high five assists against Coppin State (December 28). Next, he went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line in Miami, Florida Game on March 22 in the quarterfinal of the NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
. He was featured in a game against Central Michigan
Central Michigan
Central Michigan, often called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Southern Michigan can be considered as a subregion of Central Michigan. As its name implies, it is the central area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and...
on November 18. He sat out his junior season (2004–05) because of an injury and finished with 19 points after going 7-for-10 from the field.
Big Ten Foreign Touring Team (2006) Abram also entered with Big Ten Foreign Touring team on a four-game exhibition throughout Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia. Plus, he helped the Big Ten team to 3-1 record. The Big Ten team set a record for most points in an exhibition game with (145) against the South District Spartans. He played in four games with two starts averaged 15.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists. And led the Touring team in scoring with 18 points against the Sydney Kings
Sydney Kings
The Sydney Kings are a professional basketball team competing in the Australasian National Basketball League. They are the only team to date to win three consecutive championships in the NBL and currently sit third behind the Adelaide 36ers and Melbourne Tigers two away from the record five wins...
and 22 points against the South District Spartans, where he was perfect from the field.
5th Year/Senior (2006-07)
Appliying for and earning a medical hardship by the NCAA granting him an extra year of eligibility for his injury as a junior, he endeavored into becoming the first three-time captain in Michigan history. He helped Michigan to the Postseason NIT second round. He helped them to a 22-13 record; their second straight 20-plus win season. Abram averaged 9.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game. He scored double-figures in 16 games, with one game of 20 or more points. He then achieved the ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
-Plus Player of the Game vs. Illinois on January 3 with 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Twenty-five points was also a season high; he was also 6-for-6 on free throws. Next, he would score a 1,000th career point through a three-point field goal in the first half against Youngstown State (Nov. 22), making him the 42nd Wolverine to reach 1,000 career points. Abram had a single season career-high 133 rebounds, a season-high seven rebounds, four times, had single season career-high 74 assists and had a career-high seven assists fighting Harvard on November 17. He also posted 31 steals and nine blocks with a career-high five steals against Harvard and a season-high two blocks against Illinois. He played in 28.6 minutes per game though recorded first 1,000 minute season (1,001) and played 20-or-more minutes in 32-of-35 games with 16 games of 30-or more minutes. He also received the University of Michigan's 2007 Steve Grote Hustle Award.
Personal life
He is the son of Kim and Lester Abram. Lester was enrolled in the Division of KinesiologyKinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
. He was a sport management
Sport management
Sport management is a field of education and vocation concerning the business aspect of sport. Some examples of sport managers include the front office system in professional sports, college sports managers, recreational sport managers, sports marketing, event management, facility management,...
major. He is left handed. Abram played with teammate Graham Brown for AAU's The Family; played against teammate Dion Harris in the 2002 Class A State Championship game. On February 19, 2007, Lester was arrested for driving with a suspended license in Ingham County.