Othyus Jeffers
Encyclopedia
Othyus Jeffers is an American
professional basketball
player who plays for the Washington Wizards
in the National Basketball Association
(NBA). Jeffers played college basketball
with the University of Illinois at Chicago
for two years, before transferring to Robert Morris University for his senior season. He then started his professional career with the Iowa Energy
in the NBA Development League
(NBA D-League), a minor league
basketball organization owned and run by the NBA. During his time in the D-League, he has twice received a call-up to the NBA and has played for the Utah Jazz
and the San Antonio Spurs
. He has also spent a short stint in Italy with NGC Cantù
.
to Geraldine Allen. He grew up in the Chicago's West Side. His three older brothers, Henry Allen, Gerome Allen and Edmund Allen, all played basketball in high school and Jeffers often attended his brothers' games and practice. In 1993, when Jeffers was in the third grade, Gerome was shot to death near the family's apartment. Nine years later, during his senior year at Hubbard High School, he lost another brother. Edmund was shot to death in another shooting incident nearby. However, the incident did not stop him from playing basketball, as he and his half-brother and high school teammate, Standell King, attended practice just a day after the incident.
Prior to attending Hubbard, Jeffers attended and played basketball with Westinghouse High School
. He transferred to Hubbard as a sophomore and continued to play basketball there. He averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior. In his senior season, he led Hubbard to IHSA
Regional and Sectional titles while averaging 28 points and 16 rebounds per game. He graduated as the school's all-time leading rebounder with 1,987 rebounds.
(NCAA) Division I scholarship, opted to attend Los Angeles Southwest College
, a community college
near the city of Los Angeles
. He starred and averaged 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds as a freshmen. However, after a year, he returned home to Chicago and transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago
(UIC). He was reportedly rejected offers from Big East
and Big 12
conference schools and chose to attend Illinois-Chicago in order to be close with his family who lived nearby the school. He started his college career with the UIC Flames
in 2005, after sitting out the 2004–05 season while establishing academic eligibility.
In the 2005–06 season, Jeffers played in all 31 games, 30 as a starter. He led the Flames in rebounding (7.6 rebounds per game) and assists (3.0 assists per game) while also ranked second in scoring with 11.6 points per game. He also won the Horizon League
Newcomer of The Year awards for his debut season with the Flames. He improved his performance in his junior season by averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2,6 assists per game in 32 games, all as a starter. He recorded a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds at the University of Pennsylvania on December 21, 2005. He led the team in both scoring and rebounding and was named in the All-Horizon League First Team. However, he had a difficult relationship and frequently clashed with head coach Jimmy Collins
.
Jeffers was fortunate that the bullet went through his thigh without hitting any major arteries. He left the hospital that night after getting treatment, even though the doctor wanted him to stay overnight for further observation. Jeffers, who wanted to play basketball as soon as possible, was supposed to use crutches for three weeks but he only used them for three days. He then began to play basketball again in less than a month.
(NAIA). By transferring from an NCAA school to an NAIA school, Jeffers did not have to sit out another season. He also switched his major from psychology/sociology to business major. He concluded his college career there by averaging 24.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a senior. He led the RMU Eagles to a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference
(CCAC) championship and was named as the CCAC Player of the Year. He then played in the NAIA Basketball Tournament
, leading the Eagles to the Final Four, where they were defeated by the Concordia University. Despite failing to win the championship, Jeffers was named as NAIA Player of the Year by The Sporting News and as co-Player of the Year the Basketball Times
.
for the 2008 NBA Draft
after finishing his four-year college eligibility. However, he went undrafted. He then signed a contract to play in the NBA Development League
(D-League) and became eligible for the 2008 D-League Draft. On November 7, 2008, Jeffers was selected 47th overall in the third round by the Iowa Energy
. On February 11, 2009, after playing 24 games while averaging 19.9 points and 8.9 rebounds with the Energy, Jeffers was selected to the D-League All-Star Game
roster. In the game, he scored 14 points as his team, the Red Team, defeated the Blue Team 113–103. He also participated in the D-League Dream Factory Friday Night Slam Dunk Contest, but was eliminated in the first round. He averaged 20.9 points on 53.5 percent shooting, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in 47 games and was named as the Rookie of the Year
for the 2008–09 season. He played one game in the D-League playoffs as the Energy was eliminated in the first round by the Dakota Wizards
. He played in two games, averaging 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game. After failing to earn a spot in the NBA teams' training camp, he opted to play overseas with the NGC Cantù
in Italy. He left Cantù in December 2009 after only playing in 10 games while averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
He returned to the D-League and rejoined the Iowa Energy on January 9, 2010. On March 3, 2010, Jeffers was signed to a 10-day contract by the Utah Jazz
. Prior to the call-up, he was averaging 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 22 games with the Energy. He made his first NBA appearance on March 6, 2010 in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers
. He then signed a second 10-day contract on March 14, 2010. After playing in seven games for the Jazz, he was signed for the remainder of the season on March 24, 2010. He played 10 games with the Jazz, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in 5.1 minutes per game. He also played 6 games in the playoffs.
, the training camp and the preseason games. In the Summer League, he played in five games and averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game. He then played in five preseason games, averaging 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game. However, he was waived before the start of the season. He then returned to the Iowa Energy for the 2010–11 season
. On February 3, 2011, Jeffers, who was leading the league in scoring with 21.1 points per game, received his second selection to the D-League All-Star Game. In the game, he scored 14 points as his team, the Eastern Conference All-Stars, defeated the Western Conference All-Stars 115–108.
After playing in 37 games and averaging 21.2 points on 48.0 percent shooting, 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, Jeffers was called-up to the San Antonio Spurs
. He signed a 10-day contract with them on March 4, 2011. He played only one game with the Spurs before he returned to the Energy on March 13. He played one more game with the Energy before he was signed by the Washington Wizards
on March 17, 2011. He signed his second 10-day contracts with the Wizards on March 27, 2011. On April 6, 2011 he was finally signed for the remainder of the season. He scored 15 points, in a game against the Miami Heat
on March 20, 2011, his first double-figure scoring game in the NBA. Two days later, he started his first NBA game in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers
. He recorded his first double-double
with 13 points and 11 rebounds on April 9, 2011. He played 16 games with the Wizards, averaging 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 13.0 minutes per game. Although he ended the season with the Wizards in the NBA, Jeffers was named to the All NBA D-League Second Team
and the NBA D-League All-Defensive First Team.
|align="left"| 2005–06
|align="left"| Illinois-Chicago
| 31 || 30 || 32.3 || .488 || .000 || .530 || 7.6 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .6 || 11.6
|-
|align="left"| 2006–07
|align="left"| Illinois-Chicago
| 32 || 32 || 33.0 || .469 || .167 || .665 || 8.6 || 2.6 || 1.7 || .2 || 15.4
|-
|align="left"| 2007–08
|align="left"| Robert Morris (Illinois)
| 33 || || 29.5 || .602 || || .682 || 8.8 || 3.3 || || || 21.5
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 96 || || 31.6 || .528 || || .636 || 8.4 || 2.9 || || || 16.3
|align="left"|
|align="left"| Utah
| 14 || 0 || 5.1 || .414 || .000 || .684 || 1.4 || .1 || .3 || .0 || 2.6
|-
|align="left"|
|align="left"| San Antonio
| 1 || 0 || 11.6 || .333 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 2.2
|-
|align="left"|
|align="left"| Washington
| 16 || 1 || 13.0 || .484 || .250 || .652 || 4.1 || 1.2 || 1.1 || .0 || 5.7
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 31 || 1 || 12.7 || .457 || .250 || .662 || 2.8 || .7 || .7 || .1 || 4.2
|align="left"| 2010
|align="left"| Utah
| 6 || 0 || 1.7 || .167 || .000 || .000 || 0.2 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 0.3
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 6 || 0 || 1.7 || .167 || .000 || .000 || 0.2 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 0.3
|align="left"| 2008–09
|align="left"| Iowa
| 47 || 32 || 37.9 || .535 || .286 || .735 || 9.0 || 2.8 || 2.1 || .4 || 21.0
|-
|align="left"| 2009–10
|align="left"| Iowa
| 22 || 16 || 29.2 || .510 || .167 || .663 || 6.8 || 1.9 || 1.8 || .3 || 14.3
|-
|align="left"| 2010–11
|align="left"| Iowa
| 38 || 37 || 38.2 || .482 || .311 || .731 || 9.1 || 3.1 || 1.9 || .2 || 21.1
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 107 || 85 || 36.2 || .510 || .301 || .724 || 8.6 || 2.7 || 2.0 || .3 || 19.7
|align="left"| 2009
|align="left"| Iowa
| 1 || 1 || 43.0 || .722 || .000 || .714 || 14.0 || 4.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 31.0
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 1 || 1 || 43.0 || .722 || .000 || .714 || 14.0 || 4.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 31.0
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 Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). Jeffers played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
with the University of Illinois at Chicago
UIC Flames
The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Chicago. They are called the Flames as a reference to the Great Chicago Fire, and their team colors are navy blue and fire engine red. Approximately 300 student athletes compete in 18 varsity sports...
for two years, before transferring to Robert Morris University for his senior season. He then started his professional career with the Iowa Energy
Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy are a 2007-08 expansion team of the NBA Development League, of which they are the current defending champions. They play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center....
in the NBA Development League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
(NBA D-League), a minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
basketball organization owned and run by the NBA. During his time in the D-League, he has twice received a call-up to the NBA and has played for the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
and the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
. He has also spent a short stint in Italy with NGC Cantù
Pallacanestro Cantù
Pallacanestro Cantù is an Italian League professional basketball club that is based in Cantù. For sponsorship reasons, it is also known as Bennet Cantù, after Bennet, an Italian supermarket chain. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below...
.
Early life
Othyus Jeffers was born in Chicago, IllinoisChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Geraldine Allen. He grew up in the Chicago's West Side. His three older brothers, Henry Allen, Gerome Allen and Edmund Allen, all played basketball in high school and Jeffers often attended his brothers' games and practice. In 1993, when Jeffers was in the third grade, Gerome was shot to death near the family's apartment. Nine years later, during his senior year at Hubbard High School, he lost another brother. Edmund was shot to death in another shooting incident nearby. However, the incident did not stop him from playing basketball, as he and his half-brother and high school teammate, Standell King, attended practice just a day after the incident.
Prior to attending Hubbard, Jeffers attended and played basketball with Westinghouse High School
Westinghouse Area Voc High School (Chicago, Illinois)
Westinghouse College Prep is a public high school in Chicago, Illinois. It has recently become a selective college preparatory school with a college to careers program.-History:...
. He transferred to Hubbard as a sophomore and continued to play basketball there. He averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior. In his senior season, he led Hubbard to IHSA
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
Regional and Sectional titles while averaging 28 points and 16 rebounds per game. He graduated as the school's all-time leading rebounder with 1,987 rebounds.
Community college and Illinois-Chicago
Jeffers, who did not qualify academically for an National Collegiate Athletic AssociationNational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) Division I scholarship, opted to attend Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles Southwest College
Los Angeles Southwest College is a community college located in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, California, United States, near the city of Los Angeles...
, a community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
near the city of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He starred and averaged 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds as a freshmen. However, after a year, he returned home to Chicago and transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
(UIC). He was reportedly rejected offers from Big East
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletics conference consisting of sixteen universities in the eastern half of the United States. The conference's 17 members participate in 24 NCAA sports...
and Big 12
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
conference schools and chose to attend Illinois-Chicago in order to be close with his family who lived nearby the school. He started his college career with the UIC Flames
UIC Flames
The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Chicago. They are called the Flames as a reference to the Great Chicago Fire, and their team colors are navy blue and fire engine red. Approximately 300 student athletes compete in 18 varsity sports...
in 2005, after sitting out the 2004–05 season while establishing academic eligibility.
In the 2005–06 season, Jeffers played in all 31 games, 30 as a starter. He led the Flames in rebounding (7.6 rebounds per game) and assists (3.0 assists per game) while also ranked second in scoring with 11.6 points per game. He also won the Horizon League
Horizon League
The Horizon League is a ten school, NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located in five of the Midwestern United States....
Newcomer of The Year awards for his debut season with the Flames. He improved his performance in his junior season by averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2,6 assists per game in 32 games, all as a starter. He recorded a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds at the University of Pennsylvania on December 21, 2005. He led the team in both scoring and rebounding and was named in the All-Horizon League First Team. However, he had a difficult relationship and frequently clashed with head coach Jimmy Collins
Jimmy Collins (basketball)
James E. "Jimmy" Collins is a retired American basketball player and coach. He was the head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of Illinois at Chicago from 1996 to 2010. He was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, where he attended Corcoran High School. Prior to that, he was an...
.
Shooting incident
A few weeks after his junior season finished, Jeffers was shot in the leg while trying to defend his sister from Andre Childs, his sister's boyfriend. His sister earlier called Jeffers for help in a dispute against Childs. Jeffers came to his sister's defense and confronted Childs. After a fight, Childs allegedly pulled a gun fired several shots. Two bullets hit both Jeffers and his sister. Jeffers was shot in the left thigh and his sister was hit in the left calf. Jeffers and his sister survived and Childs was later arrested and charged with attempted murder.Jeffers was fortunate that the bullet went through his thigh without hitting any major arteries. He left the hospital that night after getting treatment, even though the doctor wanted him to stay overnight for further observation. Jeffers, who wanted to play basketball as soon as possible, was supposed to use crutches for three weeks but he only used them for three days. He then began to play basketball again in less than a month.
Robert Morris University
After the shooting incident, combined with his conflict with coach Collins, Jeffers transferred schools once again. He transferred to Robert Morris University who played in the National Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
(NAIA). By transferring from an NCAA school to an NAIA school, Jeffers did not have to sit out another season. He also switched his major from psychology/sociology to business major. He concluded his college career there by averaging 24.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a senior. He led the RMU Eagles to a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference
Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference
The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NAIA. Its 14 members are located in the Midwestern United States...
(CCAC) championship and was named as the CCAC Player of the Year. He then played in the NAIA Basketball Tournament
2007 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 Buffalo Funds - NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament was held from March 14 to 20 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the 70th annual NAIA basketball tournament and features 32 teams playing in a single-elimination format. This tournament had the most total...
, leading the Eagles to the Final Four, where they were defeated by the Concordia University. Despite failing to win the championship, Jeffers was named as NAIA Player of the Year by The Sporting News and as co-Player of the Year the Basketball Times
Basketball Times
Basketball Times is an American basketball magazine that has been in circulation since 1978, and is published by The Hoop Group LLC. Basketball Times publishes monthly and mainly focuses on college basketball and basketball recruiting.- History :...
.
2008–09 season
Jeffers was automatically eligibleEligibility for the NBA Draft
The NBA Draft, the annual event in which the 30 franchises in the National Basketball Association select new players for their teams, has distinctive eligibility rules, which have changed several times during the history of the league.-Early history:...
for the 2008 NBA Draft
2008 NBA Draft
The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008 at the Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, including...
after finishing his four-year college eligibility. However, he went undrafted. He then signed a contract to play in the NBA Development League
NBA Development League
The NBA Development League, or NBA D-League, is the National Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. Known until summer 2005 as the National Basketball Development League , the NBA D-League started with eight teams in the fall of 2001...
(D-League) and became eligible for the 2008 D-League Draft. On November 7, 2008, Jeffers was selected 47th overall in the third round by the Iowa Energy
Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy are a 2007-08 expansion team of the NBA Development League, of which they are the current defending champions. They play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center....
. On February 11, 2009, after playing 24 games while averaging 19.9 points and 8.9 rebounds with the Energy, Jeffers was selected to the D-League All-Star Game
NBA Development League All-Star Game
The NBA Development League All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game held by the National Basketball Association Development League . The D-League was founded in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League . The league adopted its current name at the start of the 2005–06 season...
roster. In the game, he scored 14 points as his team, the Red Team, defeated the Blue Team 113–103. He also participated in the D-League Dream Factory Friday Night Slam Dunk Contest, but was eliminated in the first round. He averaged 20.9 points on 53.5 percent shooting, 9.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in 47 games and was named as the Rookie of the Year
NBA Development League Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association Development League Rookie of the Year is an annual NBA Development League award given since the 2001–02 NBDL season...
for the 2008–09 season. He played one game in the D-League playoffs as the Energy was eliminated in the first round by the Dakota Wizards
Dakota Wizards
The Dakota Wizards are an American basketball team in the NBA Development League, based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Home games are played at the Bismarck Civic Center.-Beginnings in IBA:...
2009–10 season
During the offseason, he was selected to play with the NBA D-League Select Team in the NBA Summer LeagueNBA Summer League
The NBA Summer League is a period during which NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups. Typically, there is a mix of rookies and some of the younger bench players to see how well some players work with others...
. He played in two games, averaging 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game. After failing to earn a spot in the NBA teams' training camp, he opted to play overseas with the NGC Cantù
Pallacanestro Cantù
Pallacanestro Cantù is an Italian League professional basketball club that is based in Cantù. For sponsorship reasons, it is also known as Bennet Cantù, after Bennet, an Italian supermarket chain. For past club sponsorship names, see the list below...
in Italy. He left Cantù in December 2009 after only playing in 10 games while averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
He returned to the D-League and rejoined the Iowa Energy on January 9, 2010. On March 3, 2010, Jeffers was signed to a 10-day contract by the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Prior to the call-up, he was averaging 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 22 games with the Energy. He made his first NBA appearance on March 6, 2010 in a game against the Los Angeles 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...
. He then signed a second 10-day contract on March 14, 2010. After playing in seven games for the Jazz, he was signed for the remainder of the season on March 24, 2010. He played 10 games with the Jazz, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in 5.1 minutes per game. He also played 6 games in the playoffs.
2010–11 season
Jeffers remained on the Jazz roster throughout the 2010 NBA Summer League2010 NBA Summer League
The 2010 National Basketball Association Summer League was a pro basketball league ran by the NBA in the United States just following the 2010 NBA Draft. Teams consisted of players who have been in the league for three years or fewer as well as newly drafted talent. It gives rookies a chance to...
, the training camp and the preseason games. In the Summer League, he played in five games and averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game. He then played in five preseason games, averaging 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game. However, he was waived before the start of the season. He then returned to the Iowa Energy for the 2010–11 season
2010–11 NBA Development League season
The 2010–11 NBA Development League season is the tenth season of the NBA Development League . The NBA D-League is the official minor league basketball organization owned and run by the National Basketball Association . The league was formed in 2001 as the National Basketball Development League...
. On February 3, 2011, Jeffers, who was leading the league in scoring with 21.1 points per game, received his second selection to the D-League All-Star Game. In the game, he scored 14 points as his team, the Eastern Conference All-Stars, defeated the Western Conference All-Stars 115–108.
After playing in 37 games and averaging 21.2 points on 48.0 percent shooting, 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, Jeffers was called-up to the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
. He signed a 10-day contract with them on March 4, 2011. He played only one game with the Spurs before he returned to the Energy on March 13. He played one more game with the Energy before he was signed by the Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
on March 17, 2011. He signed his second 10-day contracts with the Wizards on March 27, 2011. On April 6, 2011 he was finally signed for the remainder of the season. He scored 15 points, in a game against the Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
on March 20, 2011, his first double-figure scoring game in the NBA. Two days later, he started his first NBA game in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
. He recorded his first double-double
Double (basketball)
In basketball, a double is the accumulation of a double-digit number total in one of five statistical categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots—in a game. Multiple players usually score double-digit points in any given basketball game; the double nomenclature is usually...
with 13 points and 11 rebounds on April 9, 2011. He played 16 games with the Wizards, averaging 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 13.0 minutes per game. Although he ended the season with the Wizards in the NBA, Jeffers was named to the All NBA D-League Second Team
All-NBA Development League Team
The All-NBA Development League Team is an annual National Basketball Association Development League honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBADL season. The voting is conducted by the league's head coaches. The team has been selected in every season of the league's...
and the NBA D-League All-Defensive First Team.
College
|-|align="left"| 2005–06
|align="left"| Illinois-Chicago
UIC Flames
The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Chicago. They are called the Flames as a reference to the Great Chicago Fire, and their team colors are navy blue and fire engine red. Approximately 300 student athletes compete in 18 varsity sports...
| 31 || 30 || 32.3 || .488 || .000 || .530 || 7.6 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .6 || 11.6
|-
|align="left"| 2006–07
|align="left"| Illinois-Chicago
UIC Flames
The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Chicago. They are called the Flames as a reference to the Great Chicago Fire, and their team colors are navy blue and fire engine red. Approximately 300 student athletes compete in 18 varsity sports...
| 32 || 32 || 33.0 || .469 || .167 || .665 || 8.6 || 2.6 || 1.7 || .2 || 15.4
|-
|align="left"| 2007–08
|align="left"| Robert Morris (Illinois)
| 33 || || 29.5 || .602 || || .682 || 8.8 || 3.3 || || || 21.5
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 96 || || 31.6 || .528 || || .636 || 8.4 || 2.9 || || || 16.3
Regular season
|-|align="left"|
|align="left"| Utah
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 14 || 0 || 5.1 || .414 || .000 || .684 || 1.4 || .1 || .3 || .0 || 2.6
|-
|align="left"|
|align="left"| San Antonio
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
| 1 || 0 || 11.6 || .333 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .0 || .0 || 2.2
|-
|align="left"|
|align="left"| Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 16 || 1 || 13.0 || .484 || .250 || .652 || 4.1 || 1.2 || 1.1 || .0 || 5.7
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 31 || 1 || 12.7 || .457 || .250 || .662 || 2.8 || .7 || .7 || .1 || 4.2
Playoffs
|-|align="left"| 2010
2010 NBA Playoffs
The 2010 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2009–10 season. The playoffs started on April 17, 2010 with ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
|align="left"| Utah
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 6 || 0 || 1.7 || .167 || .000 || .000 || 0.2 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 0.3
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 6 || 0 || 1.7 || .167 || .000 || .000 || 0.2 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 0.3
Regular season
|-|align="left"| 2008–09
|align="left"| Iowa
Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy are a 2007-08 expansion team of the NBA Development League, of which they are the current defending champions. They play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center....
| 47 || 32 || 37.9 || .535 || .286 || .735 || 9.0 || 2.8 || 2.1 || .4 || 21.0
|-
|align="left"| 2009–10
|align="left"| Iowa
Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy are a 2007-08 expansion team of the NBA Development League, of which they are the current defending champions. They play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center....
| 22 || 16 || 29.2 || .510 || .167 || .663 || 6.8 || 1.9 || 1.8 || .3 || 14.3
|-
|align="left"| 2010–11
|align="left"| Iowa
Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy are a 2007-08 expansion team of the NBA Development League, of which they are the current defending champions. They play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center....
| 38 || 37 || 38.2 || .482 || .311 || .731 || 9.1 || 3.1 || 1.9 || .2 || 21.1
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 107 || 85 || 36.2 || .510 || .301 || .724 || 8.6 || 2.7 || 2.0 || .3 || 19.7
Playoffs
|-|align="left"| 2009
|align="left"| Iowa
Iowa Energy
The Iowa Energy are a 2007-08 expansion team of the NBA Development League, of which they are the current defending champions. They play their home games at the Wells Fargo Arena at Iowa Events Center....
| 1 || 1 || 43.0 || .722 || .000 || .714 || 14.0 || 4.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 31.0
|-class="sortbottom"
|align="center" colspan="2"| Career
| 1 || 1 || 43.0 || .722 || .000 || .714 || 14.0 || 4.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 31.0
External links
- Othyus Jeffers at NBA.com
- Othyus Jeffers at NBA.com/DLeague
- Othyus Jeffers Stats at ESPN.com
- Othyus Jeffers College Stats at ESPN.com
- Othyus Jeffers NBA Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- Othyus Jeffers D-League Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- Othyus Jeffers College Basketball Statistics at Sports-Reference.com
- Othyus Jeffers at UIC Flames