Nick Fazekas
Encyclopedia
Nick Fazekas is an American
professional basketball
player who plays for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League.
in Arvada where he earned the statewide "Mr. Basketball-Colorado" for the 2002-03 season along with being a two-time 4A classification player of the year. As a senior he led the Mustangs to a 25-2 record and a state championship after an undefeated regular season and semi-finals appearance the previous year. During his high school career he wore number 22 and he continued to do so in college.
for the 2003-04 season. From that point forward, Fazekas led the Wolf Pack to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances during his matriculation, including a run to the Sweet 16 as a freshman. He became the school's all-time leading scorer on November 18, 2006, when he surpassed the old record of 1,877 points scored by Edgar Jones
in 1979. He also surpassed the single-season scoring record formerly set by Jones during the 2005-06 season. Fazekas also earned his third straight WAC Player of the Year for the 2006-07 season, a feat only matched by Utah's Keith Van Horn
, for whom Fazekas was later coincidentally waived to make space on the trade that brought point guard Jason Kidd
to the Mavericks.
, however he did not hire an agent, allowing him to eventually remove himself from consideration in order to play one more year of college basketball. The next year, he was taken with the 34th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft
by the Dallas Mavericks
.
Fazekas was part of the Mavericks Summer League Team. He averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds while playing an average of 17 minutes a game. On July 26, the Mavericks signed Fazekas to a one year contract. As part of the team's club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Fazekas was released by the Mavericks on February 19, 2008, to make room on the roster for Keith Van Horn
, whose signing-and-trading was crucial to facilitate Dallas's trade for veteran point guard
Jason Kidd
from the New Jersey Nets
.On February 27, 2008 he signed with the Clippers.
However, on August 1, 2008, the Clippers withdrew their qualifying offer to Fazekas, leaving him as an unrestricted free agent. He was signed by the Denver Nuggets for training camp, but waived again on October 23, 2008.
He played for the Boston Celtics
' 2009 Summer League team, leading the squad in scoring.
club ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
After a stint with the Celtics summer league team, Fazekas signed with JDA Dijon, returning to the French Pro A
for the 2009 season.
. He was waived by the Bighorns on December 30, 2010, but rejoined the team for the 2011-12 season.
-operated Hungarian prison after setting himself on fire to create a diversion. He soon emigrated with his wife and child to the United States. They would have two more children, one of them Nick's father Joe, after arriving in America. Joe, who is 6'10" (2.08 m) himself, briefly played professional basketball in Argentina
after playing college ball at Wyoming and Idaho State
. In an interview, Nick Fazekas said that he would like to become a Hungarian citizen and play for the Hungary national basketball team
.
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Dallas
| 4 || 0 || 2.3 || .400 || .000 || .000 || .8 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | L.A. Clippers
| 22 || 0 || 11.8 || .571 || .000 || .682 || 3.9 || .6|| .4 || .5 || 4.7
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 26 || 0 || 10.3 || .561 || .000 || .682 || 3.4 || .4 || .3 || .4 || 4.1
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional 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 who plays for the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League.
Early career
Fazekas attended Ralston Valley High SchoolRalston Valley High School
Ralston Valley High School is a public high school in Arvada, Colorado. Since it opened for the 2000 school year, its enrollment has grown to around 1700 students...
in Arvada where he earned the statewide "Mr. Basketball-Colorado" for the 2002-03 season along with being a two-time 4A classification player of the year. As a senior he led the Mustangs to a 25-2 record and a state championship after an undefeated regular season and semi-finals appearance the previous year. During his high school career he wore number 22 and he continued to do so in college.
College career
Fazekas was signed by the University of NevadaUniversity of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
for the 2003-04 season. From that point forward, Fazekas led the Wolf Pack to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances during his matriculation, including a run to the Sweet 16 as a freshman. He became the school's all-time leading scorer on November 18, 2006, when he surpassed the old record of 1,877 points scored by Edgar Jones
Edgar Jones (basketball)
Edgar Jones is a retired American professional basketball player who had a career the NBA from 1980 to 1986....
in 1979. He also surpassed the single-season scoring record formerly set by Jones during the 2005-06 season. Fazekas also earned his third straight WAC Player of the Year for the 2006-07 season, a feat only matched by Utah's Keith Van Horn
Keith Van Horn
Keith Adam Van Horn is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward graduated from Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, California and attended the University of Utah where he went on to be a consensus First Team All-American in 1997...
, for whom Fazekas was later coincidentally waived to make space on the trade that brought point guard Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...
to the Mavericks.
NBA career
Fazekas was an early entrant into the 2006 NBA Draft2006 NBA Draft
The 2006 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2006 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players,...
, however he did not hire an agent, allowing him to eventually remove himself from consideration in order to play one more year of college basketball. The next year, he was taken with the 34th pick in the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
by the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
.
Fazekas was part of the Mavericks Summer League Team. He averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds while playing an average of 17 minutes a game. On July 26, the Mavericks signed Fazekas to a one year contract. As part of the team's club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.
Fazekas was released by the Mavericks on February 19, 2008, to make room on the roster for Keith Van Horn
Keith Van Horn
Keith Adam Van Horn is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward graduated from Diamond Bar High School in Diamond Bar, California and attended the University of Utah where he went on to be a consensus First Team All-American in 1997...
, whose signing-and-trading was crucial to facilitate Dallas's trade for veteran point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd
Jason Frederick Kidd is an American professional basketball point guard who plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Raised in Oakland, California, Kidd played college basketball at the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted second overall by the Dallas...
from the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.On February 27, 2008 he signed with the Clippers.
However, on August 1, 2008, the Clippers withdrew their qualifying offer to Fazekas, leaving him as an unrestricted free agent. He was signed by the Denver Nuggets for training camp, but waived again on October 23, 2008.
He played for the Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
' 2009 Summer League team, leading the squad in scoring.
European career
After being waived by the Nuggets, Fazekas failed to find another home in NBA and decided to go overseas. On October 28, 2008, he signed with the Belgian team Base Oostende for the 2008-09 season. In January 2009, he left Base Oostende and joined the French Pro ALigue Nationale de Basketball
The Ligue National de Basket is the top men's French professional basketball league. There are two divisions: French Pro A League and French Pro B League .-Pro A:...
club ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne
ASVEL Basket or ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne is a French professional basketball team located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sport club, competes in the French Pro A league. The club's home games are played at...
After a stint with the Celtics summer league team, Fazekas signed with JDA Dijon, returning to the French Pro A
Ligue Nationale de Basketball
The Ligue National de Basket is the top men's French professional basketball league. There are two divisions: French Pro A League and French Pro B League .-Pro A:...
for the 2009 season.
NBA D-League
Fazekas was selected by the Reno Bighorns with the first overall pick of the 2010 NBA Development League Draft2010 NBA Development League Draft
The 2010 NBA D-League Draft occurred on November 1, 2010. The first pick was Nick Fazekas by the Reno Bighorns.-Round 1:The 2010 NBA D-League Draft occurred on November 1, 2010. The first pick was Nick Fazekas by the Reno Bighorns.-Round 1:...
. He was waived by the Bighorns on December 30, 2010, but rejoined the team for the 2011-12 season.
Personal
Fazekas's grandfather, Albert Fazekas, was a freedom fighter in the 1956 Hungarian Revolution who escaped from a SovietSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-operated Hungarian prison after setting himself on fire to create a diversion. He soon emigrated with his wife and child to the United States. They would have two more children, one of them Nick's father Joe, after arriving in America. Joe, who is 6'10" (2.08 m) himself, briefly played professional basketball in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
after playing college ball at Wyoming and Idaho State
Idaho State University
Idaho State University is a public university located in Pocatello, Idaho. It has outreach programs in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Falls, Boise, and Twin Falls....
. In an interview, Nick Fazekas said that he would like to become a Hungarian citizen and play for the Hungary national basketball team
Hungary national basketball team
The Hungarian national basketball team is the basketball team that represents Hungary in international competitions.-Medals:*Eurobasket 1946 - Bronze medal*Eurobasket 1953 - Silver medal*Eurobasket 1955 - Champions-Eurobasket 1935:...
.
Awards
- Two-time 4A Player of the Year (2001–02, 2002–03)
- Mr. Basketball-Colorado (2002–03)
- Three-time WACWestern Athletic ConferenceThe Western Athletic Conference is an American collegiate athletic conference, which was formed on July 27, 1962, making it the sixth oldest of the 11 college athletic conferences currently participating in the NCAA's Division I FBS...
Player of the Year (2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07) - Wooden AwardJohn R. Wooden AwardThe John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award and recognizes the All–America Teams.The awards, given by the Los...
Finalist (2005–06, 2006–07) - Third AP Team All-American (2005–06)
- Second AP Team All-American (2006–07)
- First team ESPNESPNEntertainment 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....
All-American (2006–07) - Joseph KearneyJoseph KearneyDr. Joseph L. “Joe” Kearney was a renowned coach and sports administrator in university athletics.-Life and work:...
Award (2006)
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Dallas
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
| 4 || 0 || 2.3 || .400 || .000 || .000 || .8 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0
|-
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | L.A. Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
| 22 || 0 || 11.8 || .571 || .000 || .682 || 3.9 || .6|| .4 || .5 || 4.7
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 26 || 0 || 10.3 || .561 || .000 || .682 || 3.4 || .4 || .3 || .4 || 4.1
See also
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds