Kendall Stephens

Kendall Everette Stephens (born November 11, 1994) is an American-Australian professional basketball player for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball at Purdue and Nevada.

Kendall Stephens
No. 21 – South East Melbourne Phoenix
PositionGuard
LeagueNBL
Personal information
Born (1994-11-11) November 11, 1994
Whittington, Victoria
NationalityAmerican / Australian
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Charles East
(St. Charles, Illinois)
College
NBA draft2018 / Undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019Obradoiro
2019–presentSouth East Melbourne Phoenix
Career highlights and awards
  • Third-team All-MWC (2018)
  • Big Ten All-Freshman team (2014)

Early life and high school

Stephens was born in Geelong, Victoria, in the suburb of Whittington, while his father Everette Stephens was playing professional basketball for the Geelong Supercats of the Australian NBL.[1] Stephens' family settled in St. Charles, Illinois after Everette's retirement and he attended St. Charles East High School. He was a standout basketball player for the Fighting Saints and was the number 65-ranked recruit in his class by ESPN and a four-star recruit by most major recruiting outlets. He ultimately committed to play for his father's alma mater, Purdue University, during his sophomore year.[2] During his junior year, Stephens averaged 17.7 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and was averaging 19.2 points per game during his senior season before it was cut short due to injury after 11 games.[3]

College career

Purdue

Stephens began his career at Purdue University, playing there for three seasons. In his freshman season, Stephens averaged 8.0 points per game (second in the conference among freshman) and was named to the 2014 Big Ten All-Freshman team.[4] As a sophomore, he averaged 8.7 points per game while playing through several injuries.[5] After his junior season, Stephens opted to transfer to Nevada after a significant drop in playing time due to injuries and the rise of fellow shooting guard Dakota Mathias.[6] Stephens played 90 games for Purdue, starting 32, and scored 698 total points for an average of 7.8 points per game.[3]

Nevada

After sitting out the 2016–17 season due to NCAA transfer rules, Stephens played his final collegiate season with the Wolf Pack. Stephens made 126 three-pointers, fifth-most in the nation and a Nevada and Mountain West Conference single-season record. He finished the season averaging 13.1 points per game, fourth-best on the team, and shot 43.2 percent from three-point range as Nevada made it to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.[7] Stephens was named third team All-Mountain West by both coaches and the media at the end of the season.[8] Over the course of his collegiate career, Stephens played in 127 games and averaged 9.3 points per game and shot 38.8 percent from three.[9]

Professional career

After going unselected in the 2018 NBA draft, Stephens played on the Orlando Magic's NBA Summer League team and averaged 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds over four games.[10]

Obradoiro

Stephens signed with Monbus Obradoiro of the Spanish Liga ACB on August 19, 2018.[11] On January 19, 2019, Stephens and Obradoiro agreed to part ways after he averaged just 2.8 points in five Liga ACB games.[12]

South East Melbourne Phoenix

Stephens signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) on May 1, 2019 as a non-import player.[13][14] Stephens averaged 4.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 26 NBL games.[15] He re-signed with the team on June 18, 2020.[16]

Personal life

Stephens' father, Everette Stephens, played point guard for Purdue from 1984 to 1988 and scored over 1,000 points for the Boilermakers. Everette was a second-round pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1988 NBA draft and played professionally both in the U.S. and overseas for 11 years, including stints with the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks.[17]

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References
  1. "The Other 'Aussie' at NBA Summer League". NBL.com.au. National Basketball League. June 10, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  2. Miller, Travis (April 5, 2012). "Purdue Basketball Recruiting: Kendall Stephens". HammerAndRails.com. SB Nation. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  3. "Purdue Transfer Kendall Stephens Signs With Nevada Wolf Pack". ktvn.com. May 19, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  4. Baird, Nathan (March 11, 2014). "Purdue's Hammons, Stephens earn Big Ten honors". IndyStar.com. Journal & Courier. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  5. Baird, Nathan (March 31, 2016). "Purdue's Kendall Stephens exploring transfer". Journal & Courier. USA Today. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  6. Crespo, Juan (May 18, 2016). "Kendall Stephens to Transfer to Nevada". HammerAndRails.com. SB Nation. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  7. Bartelson, Jacob (August 20, 2018). "Basketball: Ex-St. Charles East forward Stephens signs contract with Spanish pro team". Kane County Chronicle. Shaw Media. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  8. "Nevada's Kendall Stephens signs with Magic summer league team". KOLOTV.com. June 22, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  9. Murray, Chris (March 29, 2018). "Nevada's Kendall Stephens to have surgery on injured shooting thumb". Reno Gazette-Journal. USA Today. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  10. Baird, Nathan (July 17, 2018). "Purdue basketball alum Caleb Swanigan leads Portland back to NBA Summer League finals". Journal & Courier. USA Today. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  11. Del Gaudio, Julian (August 19, 2018). "Former Nevada sharpshooter Kendall Stephens signs with Monbus Obradoiro". MyNews4.com. KRNV-DT. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  12. Garcia Solano, Manuel (January 19, 2019). "Monbus Obradoiro resigns Kendall Stephens contract". Marca (in Spanish). Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  13. Ward, Roy (May 1, 2019). "South East Melbourne Phoenix sign 'son of a gun' Kendall Stephens". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  14. "Son of former NBL Import signs with South East Melbourne". NBL.com.au. May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  15. "Kendall Stephens International Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  16. "Kendall Stephens re-signs with South East Melbourne Phoenix". Sportando. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  17. Brueske, Craig (January 15, 2013). "Watching son's progress a special thrill for Stephens". Daily Herald. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
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