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Joel Berry II

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Joel Berry II
Berry with the North Carolina Tar Heels in 2017
Personal information
Born (1995-04-01) April 1, 1995 (age 29)
Orlando, Florida, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolLake Highland Preparatory
(Orlando, Florida)
CollegeNorth Carolina (2014–2018)
NBA draft2018: undrafted
Playing career2018–2021
PositionPoint guard
Number2, 18, 21
Career history
2018–2019South Bay Lakers
2019–2020Greensboro Swarm
2020–2021Beşiktaş
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Representing the  United States
FIBA World U17 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2012 Lithuania National team

Joel DeWayne Berry II (born April 1, 1995) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and led the team to the 2017 national championship. Berry played professionally for two seasons in the NBA G League and one season in Turkey before his retirement in 2021.

High school career

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Berry during the 2014 McDonald's All-American Game

Berry, a 6'0" point guard, played high school basketball at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, Florida. He led his team to two state titles and was the first player named Florida Mr. Basketball three times. He was named a Parade All-American and McDonald's All-American as a senior in 2014.[1]

College career

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Freshman season (2014–15)

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Berry's freshman season was hampered by injury. He averaged 4.2 points and 1.5 assists per game backing up junior Marcus Paige at point guard.

Sophomore season (2015–16)

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As a sophomore, Berry moved into the starting lineup at point guard, with Paige shifting over to shooting guard, resulting in a dramatic increase in Berry's offensive production. Berry helped the team to an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular season title. He then helped the team to an ACC tournament championship, averaging 17 points per game and coming away with Most Valuable Player honors.[2][3] In the post-season, Berry and the Tar Heels made the Final Four and 2016 NCAA championship game. During the championship game, Berry scored 20 points and dished out four assists, but North Carolina fell short on a last-second three-pointer to Villanova, 77–74.

Junior season (2016–17)

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As a junior, Berry led the Tar Heels to the ACC regular season title. In the NCAA Tournament, despite playing with injuries to both ankles, Berry led the Tar Heels to a 2017 NCAA men's basketball championship. In the national title game against Gonzaga, Berry scored 22 points and had six assists, and was thereafter named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, becoming the first player since Bill Walton to score 20 points or more in back-to-back title games.[4] While Berry was one out of 182 players that declared early entry into the 2017 NBA draft, he ultimately decided to return to North Carolina for his senior season instead, announcing his decision on April 25, 2017.

Senior season (2017–18)

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In his senior year, Berry led the Tar Heels to the ACC tournament final. Despite losing in the second round of the 2018 NCAA tournament, he averaged 17.1 points and 3.2 assists per game and had 93 three-pointers.[5] He was named the winner of the Dean Smith Most Valuable Player award at the 2017–18 UNC men's basketball awards ceremony, and was one of eight finalists for the James E. Sullivan Award, which is presented by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) to the top amateur athlete in the United States. He was also voted a third team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Berry earned this distinction just two weeks after being named a 2018 first team All-ACC selection.

Professional career

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South Bay Lakers (2018–2019)

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After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA draft, Berry played with the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team, and they signed him to an NBA contract afterwards.[6] On October 8, 2018, he was waived by the Lakers after appearing in three pre-season games.[7] He was subsequently signed by the Lakers' G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.[8] On March 2, 2019, Berry was removed from the active roster by the Lakers due to a season-ending injury.[9]

Greensboro Swarm (2019–2020)

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The Greensboro Swarm, the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, on September 27, 2019, acquired the rights to Berry in a trade with the South Bay Lakers (Los Angeles Lakers affiliate). In return, the Swarm sent its second-round selection in the 2019 NBA G League draft (No. 40 overall) to South Bay.[10] On March 6, 2020, Berry scored a career-high 44 points on 17-for-29 shooting from the field and 8-for-15 from three to go along with two assists and three rebounds in the Greensboro Swarm's 134–129 loss to the Erie Bayhawks.[11]

Beşiktaş (2020–2021)

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On November 24, 2020, Berry signed with Beşiktaş of the Basketball Super League (BSL).[12] On August 4, 2021, Berry was added to the Charlotte Hornets Summer League roster.[13] On August 24, 2021, Berry announced his retirement from professional basketball on the "Ceiling is the Roof" podcast.[14]

Post-playing career

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On October 12, 2021, Berry joined ACC Network as a college basketball studio analyst on the show Nothing but Net.[15]

Career statistics

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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

Professional

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Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 South Bay Lakers NBA G League 21 22.4 .391 .272 .800 1.3 2.5 .6 .3 11.1
2019–20 Greensboro Swarm NBA G League 34 17.4 .425 .325 .700 2.1 2.1 1 .2 8.0
2020–21 Beşiktaş Basketball Super League 26 23.3 .420 .365 .854 1.7 3.3 1.1 .0 9.2

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014–15 North Carolina 30 0 13.2 .404 .354 .757 .9 1.5 .4 0 4.8
2015–16 North Carolina 40 39 30.7 .448 .376 .872 3.3 3.8 1.5 .2 13.4
2016–17 North Carolina 38 37 30.4 .426 .383 .774 3.1 3.6 1.4 .1 14.7
2017–18 North Carolina 36 36 33.1 .396 .344 .893 3.5 3.2 1.2 .3 17.1
Career 144 112 27.6 .420 .365 .834 2.8 3.1 1.1 .2 12.7

References

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  1. ^ Clemmons, Anna Katherine (March 16, 2016). "Workhorse Joel Berry II the quintessential X-Factor for North Carolina". USA Today. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  2. ^ Schramm, Stephen (March 13, 2016). "UNC's Joel Berry saves his best moments for the ACC's biggest stage". fayobserver.com. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  3. ^ Carter, Andrew (March 18, 2016). "UNC's Joel Berry makes preseason vision a reality". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  4. ^ Schlager, Brandon (April 4, 2017). "Joel Berry II lifts Tar Heels to title on bum ankles, earns Final Four MOP honors". Sporting News. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
  5. ^ Luck, Quierra (May 23, 2020). "Former Tar Heel Joel Berry Interview on 'The Player and The Fan'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "Lakers Sign Joel Berry II". NBA.com. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  7. ^ "Lakers Waive Joel Berry II and Jeffrey Carroll". NBA.com. October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "South Bay finalizes training camp roster and schedule". NBA.com. October 20, 2018. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  9. ^ Camarena, Noah (March 2, 2019). "South Bay Lakers acquire Spencer Hawes". NBA G League. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  10. ^ Trujillo, Justin (September 27, 2019). "Greensboro Swarm Acquires Returning Player Rights To Joel Berry II From South Bay Lakers". NBA.com. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Trujillo, Justin (March 6, 2020). "Joel Berry drops 44 points in G-League game". 247sports. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  12. ^ "Joel Berry II joins Besiktas". Sportando. November 24, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  13. ^ "Joel Berry Makes Charlotte Hornets Summer League Roster". 247sports. August 28, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  14. ^ Harmer, George (August 25, 2021). "Joel Berry II announces his retirement". Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  15. ^ Ufnowski, Amy (October 12, 2021). "Former Tar Heel Standouts Joel Berry II and KJ Smith Join ACC Network's Studio Team". espnpressroom.com. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
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