Yvon Joseph
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Cap-Haïtien, Haiti | October 31, 1957
Nationality | Haitian |
Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Collège Notre-Dame (Cap-Haïtien, Haiti) |
College |
|
NBA draft | 1985: 2nd round, 36th overall pick |
Selected by the New Jersey Nets | |
Position | Center |
Number | 40 |
Career history | |
1985 | New Jersey Nets |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball Reference |
Yvon Joseph (born October 31, 1957) is a retired Haitian basketball player. He played collegiately at Georgia Tech and appeared in one game in the National Basketball Association. Joseph was the first native Haitian to play NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States.[1]
Joseph, a 6'11" center from Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, had never played organized basketball in 1980 when he was discovered by a coach from Miami Dade College and was offered a scholarship to the school.[2] A former volleyball player, Joseph picked up the game quickly, leading the team to an undefeated regular season in his sophomore campaign and reaching the NJCAA Tournament final, falling to Spud Webb and Midland College in overtime.[1] As an assistant coach at Miami Dad's, Bruce Comer passed him many many balls in the post to help him develop into a basketball player. He then moved to Georgia Tech to play for coach Bobby Cremins, where he played from 1982 to 1985. He teamed with future NBA players Mark Price and John Salley to lead the Yellow Jackets to their first Atlantic Coast Conference title and the regional finals of the 1985 NCAA Tournament.[3] For his Georgia Tech career, Joseph scored 758 points (11.7 per game) and 446 rebounds (6.9 per game).[4]
After the close of his college career, Joseph was selected by the New Jersey Nets in the second round of the 1985 NBA draft (36th pick overall). He played only one game in the NBA, scoring 2 points and committing a personal foul in 5 minutes of action against the Indiana Pacers on October 26, 1985.[5]
After basketball, Joseph became a businessman who provides water-purification systems to developing countries.[3]
References
- ^ a b Johnson, Michael L. (1988). The Juco Classic: 40 Years of the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament. Taylor Publishing. ISBN 0943335027. pg. 237-243
- ^ "Joseph Made Tremendous Progress for Tech". The Wilmington Star-News. March 18, 1984. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
- ^ a b Newberry, Paul (January 15, 2010). "Former Ga Tech basketball star Yvon Joseph was in Haiti when devastating earthquake struck". The Star-Tribune. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
- ^ "2012-13 Georgia Tech men's basketball media guide, page 63" (PDF). Georgia Tech athletics. 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
- ^ "Yvon Joseph basketball-reference.com profile". Basketball-reference.com. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- 1957 births
- Living people
- Centers (basketball)
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players
- Haitian men's basketball players
- Haitian emigrants to the United States
- Miami Dade Sharks men's basketball players
- National Basketball Association players from Haiti
- New Jersey Nets draft picks
- New Jersey Nets players
- People from Cap-Haïtien