William Avery
Drafted by:
Minnesota, Round 1, pick 14.

 
EXPERT ANALYSIS
  "Everyone has an opinion on whether William Avery is making a good decision entering the NBA draft, and he has distinguished himself as the first Duke basketball player to leave early without the blessing of his coach. That aside, there is no doubt that Avery has very good skills and will be a top-15 pick.

Avery is a great athlete that excels in the open court. He has very good speed with and without the ball, and has the strength to get into a defender and into the lane. Avery showed that he could play the point, even though he is primarily an off-guard. Avery has, by far, the deepest shooting range of any point guard and hits his free throws, too. He has the athletic skill and shooting ability to run the screen and roll effectively, and along with Steve Francis and Baron Davis, could wind up as the best guards in the draft.

The concerns with Avery, as with most players, are on the defensive end. Avery did not always defend effectively by staying in front of his man, but overall, he puts good pressure on the ball and can move his feet. He has the athletic ability to be a good defender. The big question on Avery: Can he play the point effectively and run a team, or is he more of a glorified scoring point that cannot get others involved?"
-- ESPN's Jay Bilas

College: Duke
Height: 6-2
Weight: 180 pounds
Position: Guard
Age: 19 (Aug. 8, 1979)
Birthplace: Augusta, Ga.

Career highlights

  • Early entry candidate for 1999 NBA draft after two seasons at Duke
  • Named Honorable Mention All-America by The Associated Press as a sophomore
  • Helped Duke reach NCAA Championship game as a sophomore

    College highlights
    Sophomore

  • Second Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference, when he started all 39 games
  • Third on team in scoring at 14.9 ppg, shooting .483 from the field, including .411 from 3-point range and .810 from the foul line
  • Led team in assists at 5.0 apg, ranking fourth in ACC, and was second on team with 57 steals
  • Averaged 19.3 ppg in three ACC tournament games, including 29 in title game vs. North Carolina on March 7
  • Averaged 14.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 2.8 apg in six NCAA Tournament games
  • Sank 76 treys, seventh-highest in a season by a Duke player
  • Scored in double figures in 33 of 39 games, with 20+ points seven times
  • MVP of Great Alaska Shootout after averaging 20.3 ppg in three games, including career-high 30 vs. Cincinnati on Nov. 28
  • Netted school-record eight 3-pointers vs. Florida on Dec. 9
  • Twice handed out career-high 11 assists, vs. Fresno State and Michigan
  • Led or tied for team lead in scoring nine times, assists 24 times and rebounding twice
  • Hit 20 of his last 40 three-point attempts

    Freshman

  • Came off the bench in 35 games and averaged 8.5 points and 2.5 assists in 19.3 minutes per game
  • Sank 32 3-pointers, including at least one in 20 games
  • Scored in double figures 15 times, including six of last 13 games
  • Tallied season-high 21 vs. Arizona
  • Handed out season-high nine assists vs. South Carolina State
  • Led or tied for team lead in scoring twice and assists seven times
  • Sank game-winning basket vs. Clemson in ACC tournament semifinal

    College statistics
    SEASON G FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT REB AST PTS AVG
    1997-9835102239.4276182.74469872978.5
    1998-9939201416.483102126.81013719658014.9
    TOTALS74303655.463163208.78420628387711.9
    Three-point field goals: 1997-98, 32-for-108 (.296); 1998-99, 76-for-185 (.411). Totals: 108-for-293 (.369).











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