Welcome to the third edition of “Where Are They Now?” Thus far, in Edition I and Edition II, we’ve hunted down the likes of Juan Dixon, Tracy McGrady, Gerry McNamara, Gilbert Arenas and many, many more.
For those wanting more (and I thank you for your suggestions via Twitter), we’re back with a brand new crop of players. From college stars to ex-NBA standouts, we’ve found some of the top ballers of their time.
So where are they now?
1. Morris Almond
From 2003 to 2007, Morris Almond attended Rice University. In that time, the 6’6″ shooting guard developed into one of the nation’s most prolific scorers.
During his junior and senior seasons, Almond made the leap to mid-major stardom.
In 2006, Almond averaged 21.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game on a slash line of .500/.444/.795. That was up from 7.2 points and 2.1 rebounds as a sophomore.
In 2007, he took it to another level—you know, after he already did that before.
Almond won the the 2007 Conference USA Player of the Year award by posting 26.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest. Almond ranked third in the nation in scoring and established himself as a legitimate NBA prospect.
Later that year, the Utah Jazz took him with the 25th overall draft choice.
Almond spent two seasons with the Jazz, but never managed to find consistent playing time. Instead, Utah delegated him to their D-League affiliate, the Utah Flash, for a majority of his tenure.
On December 21, 2007, Almond tied a D-League record by scoring 51 points in one game. In 2008, he won the D-League Impact Player of the Year award.
After being waived by the Orlando Magic in 2009, Almond played for the Springfield Armor and Maine Red Claws through 2010. Upon completing his D-League tenure, Almond went overseas. He started by signing with Real Madrid of Liga ACB.
After playing less than 10 games in Spain, Almond would make the transition to Italy. Vuelle Pesaro of Italy’s Serie A signed Almond, which led to his playing 30 games in Italy.
Per Sportando. Almond averaged 8.5 points per game. Shortly thereafter, Almond made a brief stint with BK Cherkaski of Ukraine.
After returning to the D-League to play for the Maine Red Claws, Almond would sign with the Washington Wizards to complete a return to the NBA. Unfortunately, Almond played just four games and ended up with BC Red Star Belgrade of Serbia.
Since then, Almond has re-joined the D-League and appears to be right at home. He was averaging 19.5 points per game with the Iowa Energy before being traded to the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
A journeyman career continues for this scoring machine.
2. Eric Devendorf
via Photosport
From 2005 to 2009, Eric Devendorf was one of the most revered shooters and hated trash talkers in all of college basketball. As a member of the Syracuse Orange, Devendorf scored 1,680 points and averaged double-figure scoring in all of his four seasons.
Some of you might remember him as a star of the legendary 6-overtime thriller between Syracuse and the Connecticut Huskies in 2009.
Just as Devendorf’s star was at its brightest, however, he suffered a torn ACL. Devendorf had been averaging a career-high 17.0 points on career-best shooting percentages of 46.6 from the field and 40.7 from beyond the arc.
The brash confidence and borderline arrogance went up in flames as Devendorf’s future in basketball came into question. From there, his work ethic was on full display as the 6’4″ guard returned to full health with the athletic eligibility of a junior.
After a turbulent senior season in which Devendorf had been suspended indefinitely, he declared for the 2009 NBA Draft. All 60 picks came and went, thus leading Devendorf to the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League.
In his first year with the team, Devendorf played just three games. After being waived by the team, Devendorf ended up splitting time between the Waikato Pistons and Wellington Saints of New Zealand.
Devendorf made his debut with Waikato by dropping 49 points and ended up winning the 2010 NBL Championship with the Saints.
He then signed with the Melbourne Tigers of NBL, averaging 14.6 points on 41.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc. After establishing this success, Devendorf signed in Turkey with Selcuk Universitesi BK.
Devendorf returned to the D-League, playing for Idaho and Reno.
So where is he now? Seeing solid minutes for BC Dnipro Azot of Ukraine. He’s converting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Kevin Pittsnoggle, Dajuan Wagner, Derrick Zimmerman, Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Jeff Trapagnier, Anthony Goldwire, Big Country, Fred Jones, Chris Taft, Hollis Price.
I wonder what ever happened to the UCLA crew. Tyus Edney and the O’bannons. And what ever happened to Miles Simon from Arizona. I think Dujaun Wagner would be a good one to look into as well.
Former Wisconsin Badger & Suns’ Draft pick Alando Tucker now plays for Inter Bratislava in Slovakia. I had a couple tweets about him — http://www.twitter.com/Luke_Mellow