Former KU standout, 9-year NBA veteran Mario Chalmers continuing pro career overseas
Nine-year NBA veteran Mario Chalmers is giving international basketball a try at the age of 32.
Chalmers, a 6-foot-2 combo guard out of the University of Kansas, has played the past four weeks for Virtus Bologna of the Italian League in his first stint overseas.
Chalmers — he sat out the entire 2016-17 season while rehabbing a ruptured Achilles — in all played seven full seasons (and six games in 2015-16) for the Miami Heat and one full season (and 55 games in ’15-16) for the Memphis Grizzlies.
He did not land a guaranteed contract with an NBA team this season, electing to continue his career in Italy after signing on March 1. The contract reportedly is just for the end of this season. He’ll be an NBA free agent once again this summer.
On Wednesday, Chalmers scored seven points on 2-of-11 shooting (1 of 5 from three) with three rebounds, three assists and three steals in Virtus Bologna’s 73-58 victory over Nanterra in a quarterfinal playoff game in the Basketball Champions League.
The victory assured Virtus a spot in the league’s Final Four. The semifinals will be contested on May 3 with the third-place game and final scheduled on May 5. Site of the Final Four will be announced later this week.
The other surviving teams: Brose Bamberg of Germany, Telenet Giants Antwerp of Belgium and Iberostar Tenerife of Spain.
Chalmers, a member of KU’s 2008 NCAA title team and two-time NBA champ with the Heat, will return to Lawrence for his 11th annual annual charity golf tournament, set for July 29 at Jayhawk Club Golf Course. Information is available at his foundation website.
Graham gaining NBA experience
Former KU guard/NBA rookie Devonté Graham may be the Charlotte Hornets point guard of the future. Graham has averaged 4.6 points games and 2.6 assists in 41 games this season. He’s been tutored by Kemba Walker, who is to be a free agent this offseason and Tony Parker, who will turn 37 in May.
Graham has had 36 assists to three turnovers over the last seven games (4-3 record).
“If I hadn’t gone all four years (at Kansas) I don’t believe I’d be in the position I’m in right now,” Graham told the Charlotte Observer. “Playing every one of those games at the highest level of college basketball taught me how to compete, how to get in the weight room, how to make winning plays.”
Parker, who played his first 17 seasons in the league with San Antonio, has tried to tutor Graham in Charlotte.
“He knows what to do. I feel he’s way more in control of what to do (of late),” Parker told the Observer. “He chooses better. That all comes with experience and confidence. Watching me and Kemba, he’s improved a lot.”
Graham, a native of Raleigh, N.C., was the fourth pick of the second round in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Hornets surrendered two future second-round picks to the Atlanta Hawks to land Graham.
USA camp this weekend
Several of the top high school basketball players in the recruiting classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022 will participate in USA Basketball’s men’s junior national team training camp Thursday through Sunday in Minneapolis, site of the 2019 Final Four.
Many of the prospects have KU on their list of prospective schools, including R.J. Hampton, the No. 5-ranked high school junior in the country according to Rivals.com.
Hampton, a 6-5 point guard from Little Elm (Texas) High School, lists KU, Kentucky, Duke, TCU and Memphis as his five finalists.
“KU is college basketball,” Hampton told Jayhawkslant.com in an interview in February. “The atmosphere is second to none. Coach (Bill) Self is a Hall of Famer. They always push for the title and the development, (and) the strength and conditioning program is top-notch. There is a lot to like about Kansas.”
Some other juniors to attend the camp who have mentioned KU: B.J. Boston, 6-6 guard from Norcross (Georgia) High School, who is ranked No. 7 in the Class of 2020; Josh Christopher, 6-4 shooting guard from Mayfair High in Lakewood, California, ranked No. 12; Jalen Green, 6-5 shooting guard from Prolific Prep in Fresno, California, ranked No. 2; and Daishen Nix, 6-4 point guard from Las Vegas Trinity International, ranked No. 17.
Some sophomores who are considering KU at this early date will attend. They are: Patrick Baldwin, 6-8 small forward from Hamilton High School in Sussex, Wisconsin, ranked No. 1 in the Class of 2021 by Rivals.com; Khristian Lander, 6-2 guard from Reitz High School in Evansville, Indiana, ranked No. 23 and Michael Foster, 6-9 forward from Milwaukee Washington High ranked No. 4.
Lander is projected to emerge as one of the best players in the Class of 2021. He has received early scholarship offers from KU, Kansas State, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio State, Purdue and others. He also has heard from Kentucky.
“They offered me on my visit,” Lander said of the Jayhawks. He visited KU this past season. “I didn’t think that it was going to happen but they offered me right before I left. It felt amazing there with their history so it was just a really big deal.”
Of Lander, Corey Evans of Rivals.com says: “Lander looks the part of one of the top guard prospects in the 2021 class. His quickness, playmaking ability and willingness to create first for others stand out immediately.”
As far as the upcoming camp … on Saturday, the participants will scrimmage teams from the NBA Global Academies before attending the NCAA Final Four semifinal games. On Sunday, members of the Class of 2020 will participate in an intrasquad scrimmage at U.S. Bank Stadium, site of the Final Four. Members of the class of 2021 and 2022 will scrimmage at the Minnesota Timberwolves practice facility.
Enaruna to visit soon
Tristan Enaruna, a 6-foot-7 senior forward from Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, who is ranked No. 105 in the recruiting Class of 2019 according to Rivals.com, will start making visits after the Geico Nationals, set for Thursday through Saturday in New York, he told Rivals.com on Tuesday night.
Enaruna has scholarship offers from KU, Creighton, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Texas Tech and others.
“I’ll visit Kansas before I make my decision,” Enaruna told JayhawkSlant.com.
Transfers galore
It remains to be seen if KU will pursue any graduate transfers or traditional transfers this offseason. Grad transfers will be immediately eligible in 2019-20 and not have to sit out a season as they already have their degrees.
Rayjon Tucker, a 6-5 graduate transfer out of Arkansas-Little Rock, will visit West Virginia on April 12, 247sports.com reports. According to 247sports.com, he lists KU, Memphis, Texas Tech, Auburn, North Carolina, Louisville, Arizona, Arizona State, South Carolina and Iowa State as possible destinations. Tucker — he started his career playing for former KU assistant Joe Dooley at Florida Gulf Coast — averaged 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a game last season. … Daniel Utomi, a 6-6 grad transfer from Akron who averaged a team-leading 14.2 points on 40.3 percent shooting last season for the Zips — has mentioned KU, Clemson, Nevada, Ole Miss, USC, Illinois, Xavier, Indiana, Seton Hall, Creighton, North Carolina, Iowa, Wichita State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Iowa and Michigan according to Jeff Goodman of Stadium. Utomi, who is originally from Houston, hit 93 of 249 three-pointers for 37.3 percent a year ago. He hit 52 of 77 free throws for 46.9 percent. He averaged 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 33.7 minutes a game. ... According to SBNation.com, David Jenkins, a 6-2 sophomore guard out of South Dakota State, who attended Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas, is considering KU, Butler, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, Oregon State, Gonzaga, TCU, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, UNLV, Arizona, Memphis, Nevada, UNLV, Notre Dame and others. He will have to sit out a season before being eligible to play in games in 2020-21.