Joel Berry II
![]() Berry with UNC in 2017 | ||||||||||||
No. 18 – Greensboro Swarm | ||||||||||||
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Position | Point guard | |||||||||||
League | NBA G League | |||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||
Born | Orlando, Florida | April 1, 1995|||||||||||
Nationality | American | |||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | |||||||||||
Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | |||||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||||
High school | Lake Highland Preparatory (Orlando, Florida) | |||||||||||
College | North Carolina (2014–2018) | |||||||||||
NBA draft | 2018: undrafted | |||||||||||
Playing career | 2018–present | |||||||||||
Career history | ||||||||||||
2018–2019 | South Bay Lakers | |||||||||||
2019–present | Greensboro Swarm | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||
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Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | ||||||||||||
Medals
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Joel DeWayne Berry II (born April 1, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels and led the team to the 2017 national championship.
High school career
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
Freshman season (2014–15)
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)
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 shot to Villanova, 77-74.
Junior season (2016–17)
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)
In his Senior year, Berry led the Tar Heels to the ACC tournament final. Despite losing in the second round of the 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
South Bay Lakers (2018-2019)
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 preseason 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–present)
The Greensboro Swarm, the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, on September 27, 2019 acquired the rights to Joel Berry II 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 Joel Berry II 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].
Career Statistics
College
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 |
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 |
Professional Career
NBA G League
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2018–19 | South Bay Lakers | 21 | 6 | 22.4 | .391 | .272 | .800 | 1.3 | 2.5 | .6 | .3 | 11.1 |
2019–20 | Greensboro Swarm | 34 | 6 | 17.4 | .425 | .325 | .700 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1 | .2 | 8.0 |
References
- ^ Clemmons, Anna Katherine (March 16, 2016). "Workhorse Joel Berry II the quintessential X-Factor for North Carolina". USA Today. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Carter, Andrew (March 18, 2016). "UNC's Joel Berry makes preseason vision a reality". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ Schlager, Brandon (April 4, 2017). "Joel Berry II lifts Tar Heels to title on bum ankles, earns Final Four MOP honors". Sporting News. Retrieved April 5, 2017.
- ^ Luck, Quierra (May 23, 2020). "Former Tar Heel Joel Berry Interview on 'The Player and The Fan'". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
- ^ "Lakers Sign Joel Berry II". NBA.com. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- ^ "Lakers Waive Joel Berry II and Jeffrey Carroll". NBA.com. October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
- ^ "South Bay finalizes training camp roster and schedule". NBA.com. October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ Camarena, Noah (March 2, 2019). "South Bay Lakers acquire Spencer Hawes". NBA G League. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Trujillo, Justin (March 6, 2020). "Joel Berry drops 44 points in G-League game". 247sports. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 1995 births
- Living people
- African-American basketball players
- All-American college men's basketball players
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players at the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Final Four
- Basketball players at the 2017 NCAA Men's Division I Final Four
- Basketball players from Florida
- Greensboro Swarm players
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- People from Apopka, Florida
- Point guards
- South Bay Lakers players
- Sportspeople from Orlando, Florida
- United States men's national basketball team players