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Michael Beasley

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For the soccer player, see Mike Beesley.
Michael Beasley
Beasley with the Heat
No. 30 – Minnesota Timberwolves
PositionForward
Personal information
Born (1989-01-09) January 9, 1989 (age 35)
Frederick, Maryland
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
CollegeKansas State
NBA draft2008: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Selected by the Miami Heat
Playing career2008–present
Career highlights and awards
2009 NBA All-Rookie First Team
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Michael Paul Beasley Jr. (born January 9, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Miami Heat. On July 8, 2010, it was reported that he will be traded to Minnesota Timberwolves. Listed at 6 feet 10 inches, he plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed, though he is also ambidextrous. Beasley played college basketball for Kansas State University for one year before declaring for the NBA draft on April 14, 2008.[1]

High school

Beasley was born in Frederick in Frederick County, Maryland. While growing up in Maryland, Beasley played for one the country's most successful AAU youth teams at the time, the PG Jaguars. Beasley won multiple national championships with this team alongside future fellow blue-chip recruits Kevin Durant (Texas)[2] and Chris Braswell (UNC Charlotte). Beasley later moved on to play AAU ball for DC Assault's 17 & Under team, playing alongside such players as former KSU teammate Ron Anderson, Nolan Smith (Duke), Chris Wright (Georgetown), Austin Freeman (Georgetown), and Julian Vaughn (Georgetown). During this time Beasley also attended a number of high schools including Bowie High School (Bowie, Maryland), National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Maryland), The Pendleton School (a section of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida), Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia), and Notre Dame Preparatory School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts).[3]

He was named as a 2006 USA Men's U18 National Team member on June 26, 2006. Beasley averaged team highs of 13.8 ppg. and 8.3 rpg at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men in San Antonio, Texas. He ranked fifth in rebounds per game (8.3 rpg) among all 2006 tournament leaders, and he ranks third all-time in the USA Men's U18 record book.

Rivals.com rated Beasley first in the class of 2007 high school basketball prospects.[4]

Collegiate career

Beasley began his freshman year at Kansas State in the fall of 2007. In the 2007–2008 regular season, Beasley was one of the most dominant players in the country. His 26.2 points (third-leading) and nation-leading 12.4 rebounds were the most by a Big 12 player in any season. His 866 total points and 408 rebounds ranked third and second among all freshmen in NCAA history. He also led the nation in double-doubles (28), 40-point games (three), 30-point, 10-rebound games (13), and 20-point, 10-rebound games (22).[5] His 28 double-doubles broke the freshman double-double record previously held by Carmelo Anthony[5] who had 22 double-doubles in his only season at Syracuse in 2002–03. On February 23, 2008, Beasley scored a Big 12 record 44 points in a 86–92 loss at Baylor.[6] (This mark has since been matched by Kansas State's Denis Clemente.[7]) Beasley became known as an unstoppable force when shooting, finishing the season shooting 53.7 percent from the field (282 of 525). He also finished the season shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range.

Beasley holds 30 Kansas State career, single-season and freshman records as well as 17 Big 12 single-game and single-season marks. Beasley guided the Wildcats to a 20–10 record and a 10–6 Big 12 Conference record. Some of they key conference victories were a win at Oklahoma and, a home victory against Texas A&M, and a victory against then-unbeaten #2 Kansas, marking the first time in over four years that Kansas State defeated a Top 10 team at home (Kansas State beat #10 Texas, 58–48 on March 6, 2004), the first time K-State beat Kansas in Manhattan since 1983 and the first-ever victory against the Jayhawks in Bramlage Coliseum. The win partially backed up a boast he had made before the season about K-State's prospects against the Jayhawks:

We're going to beat Kansas at home. We're going to beat them in their house. We're going to beat them in Africa. Wherever we play, we're going to beat them.[8]

On March 1, 2008, his boast did not come true, as Kansas won the return match in Lawrence, 88–74 despite 39 points and 11 rebounds from Beasley. He matched a Big 12 record by equaling former Kansas player Drew Gooden's record for most double-doubles in a season (25).[9] With his 33-point, 14-rebound effort against Colorado on March 4, he eclipsed Mitch Richmond's 20-year-old school single-season points record (768; 1987–88), while he broke the Big 12 record for double-doubles in a season with his 26th for the year.[10] He is just the 27th player in NCAA Division I history to post 26 or more double-doubles in a season and the first since Utah's Andrew Bogut (26) did it in 2004–05.

Awards and honors

Beasley and Bob Boozer are the only players in Kansas State history to earn first team All-America honors from the Associated Press. Boozer, the school's only consensus first team All-American, was named to the first team after his outstanding 1959 season. Overall, Beasley is just the fifth player in school history to earn recognition to any of organization's three All-America teams, joining Rolando Blackman (third team – 1980); Bob Boozer (second team – 1958; first team – 1959), Mike Evans (third team – 1978) and Dick Knostman (third team – 1952; second team – 1953).

Beasley was selected to the 10-member 2008 John R. Wooden Award All-America team as well as one of five finalists for the prestigious John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award, which was awarded to Tyler Hansbrough on April 11 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Beasley became the second consecutive standout freshman (after Kevin Durant the previous year) to win both Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year accolades.

Beasley became the fourth player in school history to be honored as the league's Player of the Year and the first since the inception of the Big 12. He joined Lon Kruger (1973 and 1974), Mike Evans (1977 and 1978) and Rolando Blackman (1980) as Wildcats to be named to conference Player of the Year. He was the first player to earn the distinction of league Freshman of the Year and the 12th overall to be selected as either Freshman or Newcomer of the Year since 1970. Six freshmen (Bob Zender – 1970; Steve Mitchell – 1971; Lon Kruger – 1972; Mike Evans – 1975; Curtis Redding – 1977 and Ed Nealy – 1979) in school history have been named Newcomer of the Year.

Beasley earned his second major National Player of the Year honor as he was selected to the honor by Rivals.com. He was also named the organization's National Freshman of the Year and to its All-America first team.

In addition to earning Player of the Year accolades from both CBS Sports.com and Rivals.com, Beasley was named one of four finalists for the 2008 Naismith Player of the Year Award, which was awarded to Tyler Hansbrough, presented by AT&T and the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

He, along with fellow finalists Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts, North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough and UCLA's Kevin Love, traveled to the Final Four on April 6, 2008, where the trophy was presented at the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Guardians of the Game awards program. He also was one of 10 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year award and one of 25 for the John R. Wooden Award, which was also claimed by Tyler Hansbrough.

In addition to his National Player of the Year awards, Beasley was named National Freshman of the Year by four organizations, including CBS Sports.com, Rivals.com, The Sporting News and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). He has also been selected a first team All-American by numerous outlets, including CBS Sports.com, Dick Vitale, ESPN.com, Rivals.com, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. In addition, he was chosen as a first team Freshman All-American by CBS Sports.com and Rivals.com, while teammate Bill Walker was announced to CBS Sports.com's Freshman All-America third team.[11]

Post-season information

Beasley led the Wildcats to a 10–6 record in conference play, earning a number 3 seed in the 2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Wildcats faced the #6 seed Texas A&M Aggies and lost 77–71. Beasley had 25 points and 9 rebounds, one board short of a double-double. He shot 10–21 from the field and 1–4 from behind the three-point line. He also registered three blocks.

The Wildcats earned a berth in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament as the #11 seed in the Midwest Region. They beat the #6 seed USC Trojans. Beasley had 23 points and 11 rebounds for his 27th double-double of the year.[12] However, the Wildcats lost 72–55 to #3 Wisconsin in the second round of the tournament. Beasley added 23 points (only 6 scored in the second half) and 13 rebounds against the Badgers his 28th and final double-double.[13]

On April 14, 2008, Beasley announced that he would enter the NBA Draft and thus forgo his last 3 years of eligibility.[14] At the Draft combine Michael was measured at 6-7 without shoes despite being listed at 6-10 throughout his college and professional career.[15]

NBA career

Miami Heat

Michael Beasley dunking, 2009

On June 26, 2008, Beasley was selected 2nd overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat.[5] He signed with the Heat on July 2.[16] In his NBA Summer League debut on July 7, Beasley scored 28 points and grabbed 9 rebounds (and 2 assists[17]) in 23 minutes played.[18][19] He was second in the league in rebound average, and tied for third in scoring average in the 2008 Summer League.[20] During his first official practice with the Heat, he was accidentally hit in the chest with an unidentified teammate's elbow.[21] He was evaluated and returned to the team a day later with chest bruising, but only participated in non-contact play.[22] He had slightly cracked his sternum, and resumed contact drills 2 days after that.[23]

In his first preseason game, Beasley scored 16 points against the Detroit Pistons.[24] He followed those performances with 21 points and 7 rebounds,[25] 12 points and 11 rebounds,[26] 14 points and 6 rebounds,[27] 19 points and no rebounds,[28] 14 points and 3 rebounds,[29] and 19 points and 9 rebounds.[30] On opening night of the 2008–09 regular season, Beasley scored 9 points in a loss against the New York Knicks. He posted double-digit point totals for the next nine straight games, including a career-high 25 in a loss to Charlotte on November 1.[31]

After the Heat's first round exit from the 2009 playoffs, it was reported that Beasley, along with fellow rookie Mario Chalmers, had been fined multiple times throughout the season for violations of team policy.[32]

Minnesota Timberwolves

On July 8, 2010, according to sources close to ESPN, Beasley will be traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a 2011 second-round draft pick. Beasley was traded in order to clear salary cap space for Miami, allowing them to sign free agents LeBron James and Chris Bosh, and to re-sign Dwyane Wade.[33]

Off court issues

On September 3, 2008, at the NBA's Rookie Transition Program, Beasley was involved in an incident along with fellow rookies Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur. Police responded to the hotel room of Chalmers and Arthur following a fire alarm at 2 a.m. and claimed that the room smelled strongly of burning marijuana but none was found and no charges were filed. Chalmers and Arthur were excused from the camp[34] because of the incident and were later fined $20,000 each for missing the rookie camp, but were not fined or suspended for any drug-related violations. Both later denied any involvement with marijuana.[35] Originally, ESPN reported that Beasley was also present in the room,[36] but was not asked to leave camp. The story was later updated and any mention of Beasley was removed from the article.[37] On September 18, 2008 Beasley was fined $50,000 by the league for his involvement in the incident after Pat Riley forced him to confess to league officials that he had slipped out the door when the police arrived.[38][39][40]

On August 24, 2009 Beasley reportedly checked into a Houston rehab center, just days after he posted pictures of himself to Twitter with what some have speculated to be marijuana in the background.[40]

Personal

Beasley's parents are Fatima Smith[41] and Michael Beasley, Sr.[42] He has two brothers, Leroy Ellison and Malik Smith, and two younger sisters, Mychaela Beasley and Tiffany Couch.[43] His god brother is NBA journeyman DerMarr Johnson.[43] He resides in Seat Pleasant, Maryland,[43] and has a daughter named Mikaiya Zenee Beasley who was born on May 19, 2009.[44]

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

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Miami 81 19 24.8 .472 .407 .772 5.4 1.0 .5 .5 13.9
2009–10 Miami 78 78 29.8 .450 .275 .800 6.4 1.3 1.0 .6 14.8
Career 159 97 27.3 .461 .333 .786 5.9 1.2 .8 .5 14.3

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Miami 7 0 25.4 .386 .308 .765 7.3 1.0 .3 1.0 12.1
2009–10 Miami 5 5 27.0 .449 .500 .778 5.8 .6 .8 0.0 10.4
Career 12 5 26.1 .409 .333 .769 6.7 .8 .5 .6 11.4

See also

References

  1. ^ "Beasley to declare for NBA Draft". 2008-04-14.
  2. ^ "Michael Beasley: Ready to Rock in the NBA". 2008-06-14.
  3. ^ "For Beasley, It's a Jumping Point". 2007-03-17.
  4. ^ "Rivals.com Rivals150 2007". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  5. ^ a b c HEAT Select Michael Beasley In The 2008 NBA Draft
  6. ^ Beasley's Big 12 record 44 points not enough to save Kansas State on road
  7. ^ Clemente's 44 tie Big 12 mark as K-State drops No. 12 Texas
  8. ^ Stats LLC (2008-01-30). "Kansas-Kansas St. Preview". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-03-01. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Kansas capitalizes on Beasley's early foul trouble to rout Wildcats
  10. ^ Kansas St. 78, Colorado 72 – Recap – March 4, 2008
  11. ^ Beasley earns another Player of the Year award – Kansas State University Wildcats Official Athletics Site
  12. ^ Walker leads young Wildcats past Mayo and USC
  13. ^ Wisconsin holds Beasley to six second-half points, moves on to Sweet 16
  14. ^ "Kansas State freshman Beasley decides to go pro". 2008-04-15.
  15. ^ "True measure of the man: Michael Beasley is not 6-10". 2008-06-3. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Heat Sign Beasley
  17. ^ Beasley, Chalmers Shine in Pro Debut
  18. ^ Beasley takes Round 1 with fellow top draft pick Rose
  19. ^ Beasley stars in summer league debut
  20. ^ HEAT: HEAT Player 2008: Michael Beasley
  21. ^ Beasley elbowed in chest during first Heat practice
  22. ^ Beasley returns to summer-league workout after bruising chest
  23. ^ Beasley resumes contact drills with Heat
  24. ^ Beasley's Preseason Debut
  25. ^ Nets 100, Heat 98 – Box score – October 9, 2008
  26. ^ Heat 92, Nets 94 – Box score – October 12, 2008
  27. ^ Magic 100, Heat 92 – Box score – October 18, 2008
  28. ^ Grizzlies 85, Heat 102 – Box score – October 21, 2008
  29. ^ Heat 80, Hornets 100 – Box score – October 23, 2008
  30. ^ Heat 96, Spurs 93 – Box score – October 24, 2008
  31. ^ Michael Beasley: Complete 2008–09 Regular Season Game Log
  32. ^ http://msn.foxsports.com/rumors/nba#10
  33. ^ "Sources: Heat clear space, deal Beasley". ESPN. July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  34. ^ Chris Broussard, Chalmers, Arthur caught with marijuana at rookie camp, September 3, 2008
  35. ^ Chalmers, Arthur fined $20,000 after rookie symposium incident
  36. ^ Report: Arthur, Chalmers Sent Home from Rookie Camp
  37. ^ [1]
  38. ^ Beasley fined $50,000 for involvement in Rookie Transition Program incident
  39. ^ Miami's Beasley Fined
  40. ^ a b Heat’s Beasley admitted into rehab center
  41. ^ Day After Draft, Michael Beasley Meets the Heat
  42. ^ Michael Beasley Biography
  43. ^ a b c Template:PDFlink; retrieved February 1, 2009
  44. ^ For Miami Heat's Michael Beasley, what a difference a year makes. Retrieved on June 23, 2009.
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