Wednesday, Jun. 30
John Celestand
Drafted by:
L.A. Lakers, Round 2, pick 30.
College: Villanova
Height: 6-3
Weight: 175 pounds
Position: Guard
Age: 22
(March 6, 1977)
Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Career highlights
At Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game
During career at Villanova, played both guard positions and finished eighth on Villanova's career assists list with 450, 10th in steals with 155 and 32nd in scoring
College highlights
Senior
Sat out opening game of senior year with lower back spasms, came off the bench in the next two games and then started the remaining 29 games
Led Wildcats in scoring (14.3 ppg) and assists (4.4 apg)
MVP of Top of the World Classic in Alaska, averaging 16.7 ppg and shooting 65 percent in three games
Matched career high with nine rebounds against St. Joseph's
Scored in double figures in 17 of last 18 games, and had 20 points or more in five of last eight outings
Rose to the occasion in Big East Tournament for the second year in a row, scoring a career-high 26 points against West Virginia and 24 points against Syracuse
Junior
Played in all 29 games and made 21 starts, leading Wildcats in scoring (13.2 ppg), assists (5.1 apg) and steals (1.66 spg) and ranking fourth in rebounding (4.1 rpg)
Ranked second on team with 47 3-pointers
Averaged 20.7 ppg, 6.7 apg and 5.7 rpg over last six games of the season, shooting .517 (46-for-89) from the field and .514 (19-for-37) from 3-point range
Scored 20 or more points six times, including four of last six games
Tallied season-high 25 points vs. Pittsburgh and 23 points vs. Syracuse in Big East Tournament
Had consecutive 24-point games vs. Syracuse and Connecticut during season
Handed out a career-high 13 assists vs. West Virginia
Sophomore
Named Villanova's Most Improved Player
Played in all 34 games, making 24 starts including final 21 games of the season
Ranked fourth on the team in scoring at 8.3 ppg, reaching double figures 13 times including a season-high 17 points in NCAA Tournament game against Long Island
Also had a career-high nine rebounds and a season-high nine assists in that game
Turned in outstanding defensive performance against Boston College, limiting high-scoring Scoonie Penn to eight points on 3-for-18 shooting from the field
Freshman
Appeared in 30 games, all off the bench as a backup to Alvin Williams (Toronto Raptors), and averaged 3.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg and 1.5 apg
Led Wildcats with 19 points in 21 minutes against Georgetown, shooting 7-for-10, plus season-high five rebounds.
College statistics
| SEASON |
G |
FGM |
FGA |
PCT |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT |
REB |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
|
1995-96 | 30 | 35 | 93 | .376 | 18 | 26 | .692 | 36 | 44 | 98 | 3.3
| | 1996-97 | 34 | 97 | 255 | .380 | 60 | 91 | .659 | 90 | 121 | 283 | 8.3
| | 1997-98 | 29 | 136 | 329 | .413 | 65 | 90 | .722 | 120 | 148 | 384 | 13.2
| | 1998-99 | 31 | 151 | 347 | .435 | 99 | 124 | .798 | 96 | 137 | 459 | 14.3
| | TOTALS | 124 | 419 | 1,024 | .409 | 242 | 331 | .731 | 342 | 450 | 1,224 | 9.9
| | 3-point field goals: 1995-96, 10-for-39 (.256); 1996-97, 29-for-102 (.284); 1997-98, 47-for-144 (.326); 1998-99, 58-for-153 (.379). Totals: 144-for-438 (.329).
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