Rafael Araújo (basketball)

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Rafael Araujo
[[Franca|Franca]]
Center
Personal information
Date of birth August 12, 1980 (1980-08-12) (age 31)
Place of birth Curitiba, Brazil
Nationality Brazilian
High school Padre Anacleto
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 275 lb (125 kg)
Career information
College Arizona Western (2000-2002)
BYU (2002-2004)
NBA Draft 2004 / 8th overall
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Pro career 2004–present
League NBB
Career history
Toronto Raptors (2004–06)
Utah Jazz (2006-07)
Spartak St. Petersburg (2007-08)
Flamengo (2009)
Paulistano (2009-10)
Flamengo (2010-11)

Rafael Paulo de Lara Araújo, nicknamed "Baby" in Brazil, (Portuguese pronunciation: [ʁafaˈɛɫ aɾaˈuʒu]; born August 12, 1980 in Curitiba) is a Brazilian professional basketball player currently with Franca Basquetebol Clube.

Contents

[edit] College career

After attending Padre Anacleto High School in São Paulo, Araújo went to the United States to play college basketball, attending Arizona Western College in Yuma, Arizona. In his freshman season (2000–01), he averaged 12.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.[1] As a sophomore, he tallied 17.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game,[1] leading the Matadors to a 28-3 record and a top ten national ranking among junior colleges.[1] He was named Region Most Valuable Player and 2nd Team NJCAA All-American.[1]

After finishing his junior college career, Araújo moved to Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where as a junior (2002–03), he averaged 12.0 points and 8.9 rebounds per game[2] (second in the Mountain West Conference). In his senior season, Araújo led BYU in scoring (18.4 points per game), rebounding (10.1 rebounds per game), steals (43 total), and blocked shots (25).[3] He was named Co-Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, sharing the honor with Air Force's Nick Welch.[4][5] He was named 2nd Team NCAA All-American by Basketball Times and Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press.

With his size and strength, the 6-foot-11, 295-pound Araújo impressed many pro scouts during his senior season. On December 6, 2003, he dominated a tough Oklahoma State team, totaling 32 points and 17 rebounds in BYU's 76-71 upset victory.[6] He concluded his collegiate career with a 24-point, 12-rebound performance in the Cougars' 80-75 loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.[1][7]

[edit] Controversy

During the 2002 World Championships in Indianapolis, Araújo tested positive for the steroid nandrolone. He was given a 24-month suspension from international play. He was subsequently found clean during tests while a player at BYU, and the NBA did not test players for steroid use.[8]

Araújo was involved in multiple on-court incidents during his senior season at BYU. On March 6, 2004, Araújo was reprimanded by the Mountain West Conference (MWC) for hitting UNLV guard Jerel Blassingame during a 89-88 win.[4][5] Six days later on March 12, in a 54-51 loss to Utah, Araujo was charged with a technical foul for elbowing the Utes' Andrew Bogut in the head in the MWC Tournament.[9]

[edit] Professional career

The Toronto Raptors selected Araújo with the eighth pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, making him the first college senior drafted that year. His NBA career was mostly disappointing with him seeing limited action as a rookie, averaging 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game.[10] He set a career-high with 14 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings on January 5, 2005. Days later, on January 9, he scored a career-high 14 points against the Golden State Warriors. He later matched that total against the Kings on November 25, 2005.

In the 2005-06 season, he again struggled through a disappointing year and had trouble getting playing time, averaging 11.6 minutes a game, 2.3 points, and 2.8 rebounds while shooting a dismal 36.6% from the field. Shortly after that season, Toronto GM Rob Babcock was fired, and it was rumored that the firing, in part, had to do with the drafting of Araújo.[11]

On June 8, 2006, Araújo was traded to the Utah Jazz with an undisclosed amount of money for Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley. Many viewed this as a new beginning for Araújo, a chance for him to change the direction of his career. He worked hard in Utah, dropping his weight from 295 to 275 in an effort to improve his athleticism.[12] However, he did not fit in well in Utah's offense, and he played sparingly during the 2006-07 season. He averaged 2.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 28 games, averaging only 8.9 minutes per appearance.

Araújo's rookie contract expired after the 2006-07 season, and Jazz owner Larry H. Miller said publicly that he liked Araújo and hoped he could return to the team the following season.[13] Araújo played for Utah in the 2007 Rocky Mountain Revue, but the Jazz signed 7-foot-1 Kyrylo Fesenko during the offseason, filling the roster spot that Araújo held previously. With that opportunity gone, and his NBA career likey over, Araújo signed a 1-year, $500,000 contract to play for Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia.[14]

Araújo was in training camp with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves for 2008 but was waived before the 2008-09 season.[15]

In January 2009, Araújo signed with Brazilian club Flamengo for the 2009 season. The details of his contract were not revealed. He became the star of the club's team alongside Marcelinho Machado.[16] Six months later, at the end of the 2009 season, he signed a deal with Paulistano for the 2009-10 season, and on June 2010 he transferred back to Flamengo signing a two-year contract.

Araújo made headlines in January 2011 by shattering a glass backboard with a powerful dunk during a game in the FIBA Americas League. Video of the play was widely circulated across the Internet.[17]

In June 2011, he signed a deal with Franca Basquetebol Clube.

[edit] NBA career statistics

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
(Correct as of 30 May 2009)[18]

[edit] Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Toronto 59 41 12.5 .434 .333 .782 3.1 .3 .4 .1 3.3
2005–06 Toronto 52 34 11.6 .366 .000 .536 2.8 .3 .5 .1 2.3
2006–07 Utah 28 0 8.9 .415 .000 .621 2.4 .4 .2 .1 2.6
Career 139 75 11.4 .405 .250 .679 2.8 .3 .4 .1 2.8

[edit] Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006–07 Utah 5 0 5.6 .375 .000 .417 2.2 .2 .2 .0 2.2
Career 5 0 5.6 .375 .000 .417 2.2 .2 .2 .0 2.2

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e Prospect Profile: Rafael Araujo (Ha-fay-el Ar-RU-joe)
  2. ^ Brigham Young Cougars Statistics - 2002-03
  3. ^ Brigham Young Cougars Statistics - 2003-04
  4. ^ a b Araujo still eligible for MWC tourney
  5. ^ a b Mountain West Conference Reprimands Araujo, March 9, 2004
  6. ^ BYU 76, Oklahoma State 71
  7. ^ McNamara drains nine 3s for career-high 43
  8. ^ Deseret Morning News | Araujo finishing steroid suspension
  9. ^ GAME 29 RECAP -- HEARTBREAKER ENDS COUGARS VICTORY STREAK
  10. ^ Rafael Araújo Player Page
  11. ^ Raptors Trade Bust Araújo to Jazz
  12. ^ Big Loss for Araújo
  13. ^ Miller Hopes To Re-sign Araujo
  14. ^ Araujo finds a home with Russian Team
  15. ^ Timberwolves Waive Center Rafael Araujo
  16. ^ Ex-pivô da NBA já treina no Flamengo (Portuguese)
  17. ^ Rafael Araújo Shatters Backboard
  18. ^ Rafael Araújo NBA Stats (English)

[edit] External links
First round
Second round
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