Greivis Vásquez
Greivis Josué Vásquez Rodríguez (born January 16, 1987) is a former Venezuelan professional basketball player, who spent six seasons in the NBA. He is currently a coach, most recently working as the associate head coach for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. Vásquez also represented the Venezuela national team in international competitions, as he was born in Caracas and moved to the United States to attend high school at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland in 2004.[1]
Vásquez with the New Orleans Hornets in 2013 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 16, 1987 Caracas, Venezuela |
| Nationality | Venezuelan |
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Listed weight | 217 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Montrose Christian School (Rockville, Maryland) |
| College | Maryland (2006–2010) |
| NBA draft | 2010: 1st round, 28th overall pick |
| Selected by the Memphis Grizzlies | |
| Playing career | 2010–2016 |
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
| Number | 21, 10 |
| Coaching career | 2019–2021 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2010–2011 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2011–2013 | New Orleans Hornets |
| 2013 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2013–2015 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2015–2016 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2016 | Brooklyn Nets |
| As coach: | |
| 2019–2021 | Erie BayHawks (associate HC) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
During his senior year at Montrose he committed to the University of Maryland to play under head coach Gary Williams. He was drafted in 2010 after a U.S. college career with Maryland, where he finished second on the Terrapins' all-time scoring list with 2,171 career points.[2]
In 2007, Vásquez played on the Venezuela national basketball team in the FIBA America Championships. In his final college season of 2009–10, he was one of three Venezuelans playing in NCAA Division I men's basketball, with the others being David Cubillan of the Marquette Golden Eagles and Gregory Echenique of the Creighton Bluejays.
Early life edit
Vásquez grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, where he lived with his parents, Ivis Rodriguez and Gregorio Vásquez, and brother, Ingerman Sanoya. His first name is a portmanteau of his parents' first names. After an impressive youth career in his country where he also led the Venezuelan U-15 National Team to the FIBA U-15 South American Championship title in 2003, he was selected to participate at the NBA's Basketball Without Borders camp (2004) being a headliner at the event.
He started to garner international attention and accepted a scholarship to continue his development in Maryland. At Montrose Christian, Vásquez played under head coach Stu Vetter, and helped the Mustangs post a 43–5 record over his junior and senior seasons. While at Montrose Christian he played for coach Stu Vetter with future NBA star Kevin Durant.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greivis Vásquez SG | Caracas, Venezuela | Montrose Christian School | 6 ft 5.25 in (1.96 m) | 177 lb (80 kg) | Nov 9, 2005 | |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR, 25 (SG) Rivals: 46, 10 (SG) | ||||||
Sources:
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College career edit
Freshman year (2006–07) edit
In the beginning of his freshman year (2006–07), Vásquez did not start for the Terps, but still played solid minutes. Midway through the season, he began starting at the 2 guard position, alongside fellow freshman Eric Hayes at the starting point guard position. He remained a starter for the rest of the season. He heavily contributed to the Terrapins' six-game winning streak at the end of the season, giving Maryland a #4 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Vásquez averaged 9.8 points, 4.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game during his freshman season, and shooting percentages of 44.4 for field goals, 31.6 for three-pointers and 79.8 for free throws.[2]
Sophomore year (2007–08) edit
Vásquez had per-game averages of 17 points, 6.8 assists and 5.7 rebounds, and shooting percentages of 43.2 for field goals, 30.9 for three-pointers and 78.2 for free throws.[2]
Junior year (2008–09) edit
As a junior, Vásquez led the Terrapins in scoring (17.5), rebounds (5.4), assists (5.0), steals (1.4), and minutes (34.6) per game. He became the first Terrapin basketball player to ever lead the team in points, rebounds and assists in a single season, and only the sixth to accomplish that task in the ACC. On February 21, 2009, Vásquez registered a then career-high 35 points, and 11 rebounds and 10 assists—Maryland's third triple-double in history and the first since 1987—in a come-from-behind 88–85 overtime win over North Carolina.[3][4] At the end of his junior year, Vásquez ranked seventh in scoring, third in free throw percentage (.867), third in assists per game, third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.80) and fifth in minutes per game in the ACC. He reached double figures in scoring in 57 of his last 61 games, including each of his last 17. In Maryland's final ten games, he recorded five 20-point games.[5] Vásquez was named to the All-ACC second team at the close of the regular season.[6]
After the season, Vásquez participated in NBA workouts, where he received mostly positive feedback from professional scouts. He twice met with coach Gary Williams and his Montrose Christian coach, Stu Vetter, to discuss his future. Three hours before the deadline, Vásquez withdrew his name from the NBA draft in order to return to Maryland for his senior season. Williams said, "He talked to about 14 or 15 teams and really got a good feel for his situation. I think he's made a great move. He returns as possibly the best guard in the ACC and one of the best guards in the country."[7]
Senior year (2009–10) edit
As a senior, Vásquez averaged 19.6 points, 6.3 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game over 33 games. Vásquez was the only player in the country to average more than 18 points and 6 assists per game. His honors included the 2010 Bob Cousy Award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to the nation's best collegiate point guard, for which he edged out Sherron Collins (Kansas), Scottie Reynolds (Villanova), Jon Scheyer (Duke), Evan Turner (Ohio State) and John Wall (Kentucky).[8]
Against Georgia Tech on February 20, 2010, Vásquez scored the 2,000th point of his collegiate career, making him the only player in ACC history to compile at least 2,000 points, 700 assists and 600 rebounds.[9] The following week, Vásquez set a new career scoring high with 41 points in the Terrapins' double-overtime victory at Virginia Tech.[10] Vásquez also scored 20 points in Maryland's home win over Duke on Senior Night, and made several critical baskets and assists in the final minutes to secure a victory. Vásquez helped lead Maryland to a 13–3 conference record to tie Duke for the regular season ACC championship. He was named a unanimous first-team All-ACC selection on March 8, 2010, and the ACC Player of the Year on March 9, 2010, beating out Duke's Jon Scheyer and Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney.[11][12] Vásquez also won three ACC Player of the Week honors in his final season, which brought his career total to seven.[13] Vásquez was named a consensus second-team All-American.[14]
NCAA career statistics edit
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Maryland | 34 | 22 | 28.8 | .444 | .316 | .798 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 1.1 | .1 | 9.8 |
| 2007–08 | Maryland | 34 | 34 | 37.0 | .432 | .309 | .782 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 1.4 | .3 | 17.0 |
| 2008–09 | Maryland | 35 | 35 | 34.6 | .405 | .327 | .867 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 1.4 | .4 | 17.5 |
| 2009–10 | Maryland | 33 | 32 | 33.9 | .429 | .359 | .857 | 4.6 | 6.3 | 1.7 | .4 | 19.6 |
| Career[15] | 136 | 123 | 33.6 | .425 | .329 | .828 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 1.4 | .3 | 16.0 |
Professional career edit
Memphis Grizzlies (2010–2011) edit
The Memphis Grizzlies selected Vásquez with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2010 NBA draft, using one of the picks traded from the Los Angeles Lakers via the Pau Gasol trade.[16] Throughout the regular season of his rookie year, Vásquez received spot minutes and scored in double digits only twice, but he gained extensive playing time in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.[17]
Memphis faced the first-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round, where the Grizzlies won their first postseason game in franchise history. In Game Four, Vásquez substituted for starting point guard Mike Conley Jr., who had gotten into foul trouble. During his 13 minutes of playing time, he had nine points and two assists as Memphis won, 104–86.[17]
Memphis advanced to meet the four-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the Conference Semifinals, where Vásquez faced off with his former Montrose Christian classmate, Kevin Durant.[18] The Thunder would win the series.
In the 2011 offseason, Vásquez took part in a United States State Department sponsored trip to his native Venezuela to hold clinics and meet with sports officials.[19][20]
New Orleans Hornets (2011–2013) edit
On December 24, 2011, Vásquez was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for Quincy Pondexter.[21]
On February 1, 2012, against the Phoenix Suns, Vasquez recorded 20 points and 12 assists off the bench. Vasquez received his first set of starts for the Hornets after a sore knee injury to Hornets guard Jarrett Jack.
Vasquez received the starting job as point guard for the Hornets in the 2012–13 NBA season. On November 23, 2012, Vasquez tallied 25 points and 14 assists (both career highs) in a loss to the Phoenix Suns.
On January 1, 2013, Vasquez earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors.
On February 8, 2013, in the game against the Atlanta Hawks, Vasquez scored 21 points, along with 12 assists and 11 rebounds to secure his first career NBA triple-double.[22]
Vasquez finished the 2012–13 season as the league leader in total assists, with 704, and finished second in voting for the NBA Most Improved Player award.
Sacramento Kings (2013) edit
On July 10, 2013, Vasquez was traded to the Sacramento Kings in a three-team deal that also involved the Portland Trail Blazers.[23]
Toronto Raptors (2013–2015) edit
On December 9, 2013, the Kings traded Vásquez, along with Patrick Patterson, John Salmons, and Chuck Hayes to the Toronto Raptors for Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy, and Aaron Gray.[24]
On July 17, 2014, Vásquez re-signed with the Raptors[25] to a reported two-year, $13 million contract.[26] On April 18, 2015, Vásquez hit a game tying three-pointer with 25 seconds left in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference quarter-finals.
Milwaukee Bucks (2015–2016) edit
On June 25, 2015, Vásquez was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for the draft rights to Norman Powell and a protected 2017 first-round pick.[27] He made his debut for the Bucks in the team's season opener against the New York Knicks on October 28, recording 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in a 122–97 loss.[28] On December 15, he underwent successful surgery to remove a bone spur and loose bodies from his right ankle.[29] He was subsequently ruled out for three to four months.[30]
Brooklyn Nets (2016) edit
On July 13, 2016, Vásquez signed with the Brooklyn Nets.[31] On November 9, 2016, he was waived by the Nets after appearing in three games.[32]
Venezuela's National Team career edit
After winning at the U-15 level in 2003, Vásquez was called up for the U-21 Venezuelan NT for the 2004 U-21 Americas Tournament being four years under the tournament's age. Those were his only appearances on the youth national team setup.
Vásquez made his Senior National Team debut in 2007 during the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas while being a sophomore at the University of Maryland. He was the second leading scorer of his squad averaging 12.1 points per game, third in rebounds with 4.1 per game and second best in assists with 3.3 Ast per contest. Venezuela finished 8th (2-6 record) out of 10 ten participating teams.
His ascent was headlined during the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship, where he carried the Venezuelan team to a 5th-place finish. Already an NBA player, Vásquez was the second best scorer of the tournament with 19.3 PPG and first in assists with 5.8 APG.
Coaching career edit
On August 15, 2019, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that Vásquez would serve as the associate head coach for the Erie BayHawks.[33]
NBA career statistics edit
| 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 |
| * | Led the league |
Regular season edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Memphis | 70 | 1 | 12.3 | .408 | .291 | .733 | 1.0 | 2.2 | .3 | .1 | 3.6 |
| 2011–12 | New Orleans | 66* | 26 | 25.8 | .430 | .319 | .821 | 2.6 | 5.4 | .9 | .1 | 8.9 |
| 2012–13 | New Orleans | 78 | 78 | 34.4 | .433 | .342 | .805 | 4.3 | 9.0 | .8 | .1 | 13.9 |
| 2013–14 | Sacramento | 18 | 18 | 25.8 | .433 | .320 | .938 | 1.9 | 5.3 | .3 | .1 | 9.8 |
| 2013–14 | Toronto | 61 | 5 | 21.5 | .417 | .389 | .855 | 2.3 | 3.7 | .4 | .1 | 9.5 |
| 2014–15 | Toronto | 82 | 29 | 24.3 | .408 | .379 | .758 | 2.6 | 3.7 | .6 | .1 | 9.5 |
| 2015–16 | Milwaukee | 23 | 0 | 20.0 | .326 | .247 | .846 | 2.0 | 4.0 | .4 | .0 | 5.7 |
| 2016–17 | Brooklyn | 3 | 0 | 13.0 | .250 | .333 | .667 | .7 | 1.7 | .3 | .3 | 2.3 |
| Career | 401 | 157 | 23.7 | .418 | .349 | .817 | 2.5 | 4.8 | .6 | .1 | 9.0 | |
Playoffs edit
References edit
- ^ Tysiac, Ken. "Q&A with Maryland guard Greivis Vásquez" 2007-12-20 at the Wayback Machine, Sporting News, November 29, 2007. Accessed December 1, 2007. "Q: What was Kevin Durant like when you played with him at Montrose Christian?"
- ^ a b c Greivis Vásquez stats
- ^ Vásquez records triple-double to lead Maryland's rally past No. 3 UNC
- ^ "Greivis Vásquez, Maryland upsets North Carolina". Interbasket.net. February 21, 2009.
- ^ "Greivis Vásquez Basketball Profile". UMTerps.com.
- ^ "Greivis Vásquez named second-team All-ACC". baltimoresun.com.
- ^ Steve Yanda, Terrapins Guard Greivis Vasquez Withdraws From NBA Draft, Will Return to Maryland for Senior Season, The Washington Post, June 16, 2009.
- ^ "Vásquez named one of six Cousy Award finalists". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- ^ Ginsburg, David (February 20, 2010). "Maryland squeezes past Georgia Tech 76–74". Associated Press. Retrieved February 21, 2010.
- ^ "Terps outlast Va. Tech in double overtime". Baltimore Sun. February 27, 2010.
- ^ . Archived from the original on 2012-01-23.
- ^ . TheACC.com. March 9, 2010. Archived from the original on December 31, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2010.
- ^ "Maryland's Greivis Vásquez and Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors earn ACC Basketball Honors". TheACC.com. February 22, 2010. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
- ^ Greivis Vásquez Earns Consensus All-American Honors Archived 2012-07-24 at archive.today, CSN Washington, April 3, 2010.
- ^ Greivis Vasquez 2012-07-26 at the Wayback Machine, terrapinstats.com, accessed 12 July 2012.
- ^ Greivis Vásquez drafted, celebration begins, The Washington Post, June 24, 2010.
- ^ a b Without shimmies, Vásquez shines on big stage, The Baltimore Sun, April 30, 2011.
- ^ Kevin Durant, Greivis Vásquez will play their roles — against each other — in NBA playoffs, The Washington Post, April 30, 2011.
- ^ Frommer, Frederic (15 June 2011). "Vazquez, State Dept. team up on trip to Venezuela". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
- ^ Van Valkenburg, Kevin (15 June 2011). "Greivis Vasquez: NBA player, sports diplomat". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ^ "HORNETS ACQUIRE GREIVIS VASQUEZ". NBA.com. 2011-12-24. Retrieved 2011-12-25.
- ^ "Hornets catch Hawks off-guard". Anderson Independent-Mail. Associated Press. February 9, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "KINGS ACQUIRE GREIVIS VÁSQUEZ IN THREE-TEAM TRADE". NBA.com. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
- ^ . NBA.com. December 9, 2013. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ Raptors Re-Sign Greivis Vasquez
- ^ Greivis Vasquez To Re-Sign With Raptors On Two-Year, $13M Deal
- ^ "BUCKS ACQUIRE GREIVIS VASQUEZ". NBA.com. June 25, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ^ . NBA.com. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ "MEDICAL UPDATE ON GREIVIS VASQUEZ". NBA.com. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- ^ "Greivis Vásquez out at least 3 months after ankle surgery". ESPN.com. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
- ^ . NBA.com. July 13, 2016. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Waive Greivis Vasquez". NBA.com. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ "2019-20 Erie BayHawks Coaching Staff". NBA.com. August 15, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com