Barry Jaquawn "B. J." Elder (born September 4, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. After playing at Morgan County High School in his native Madison, Georgia, Elder played four years of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

with the

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia. The teams have also been nicknamed the Rambl ...

, and reached the Final Four in the 2004 NCAA tournament, losing to the

UConn Huskies The UConn Huskies (or Connecticut Huskies) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's fo ...

in the

championship game In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. After his senior year at Georgia Tech, Elder went undrafted in the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players f ...

, and appeared in the 2005

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season competition organized by the National Basketball Association. NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regular season line-ups ...

with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

before joining

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

team

Gießen 46ers The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people. History The ...

in the

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL season ...

, starting his professional career. He was a D-League All-Star in 2007 with the

Austin Toros Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

and has played in Germany,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, and

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

High school career

Elder was born in

Madison, Georgia Madison is a city in Morgan County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke-Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area. The population was 3,979 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Morgan County and the si ...

, on September 4, 1982, to Barry and LaVonda Elder: his parents later divorced. Elder attended

Morgan County High School Morgan may refer to: People and fictional characters * Morgan (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Morgan le Fay, a powerful witch in Arthurian legend * Morgan (surname), a surname of Welsh origin * Morgan (singer), ...

in Madison, where he soon became a highly touted prospect in the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. In his junior year, Elder averaged 21 points and 5 rebounds per game, earning a selection in the All-State Second Team, and was named the Region 7-AA Player of the Year award. In the summer before his senior year he was invited to participate in the

ABCD Camp The ABCD Basketball Camp was a youth basketball camp founded by Sonny Vaccaro that was held from 1984 to 2006. The camp gathered the highest ranked high school players of the United States, and was considered one of the top events of high school b ...

, a camp for the best high school players in the US. In his senior season Elder improved his averages to 26 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals per game; during the state playoffs that year, Elder shattered a backboard with a dunk. At the end of the season he earned first-team All-State honors, and was ranked among the top 100 players in the country: ''PrepStars'' had him as the 20th best shooting guard in the nation and 73rd overall; ''Hoop Scoop'' ranked him the 100th best player; ''

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

'' included him in their top 100, and he was the 97th best player according to the RSCI (Recruiting Services Consensus Index). His 1,803 career points are an all-time record at Morgan County High School.

College career

Elder signed to play for the

in early November 2000, on the first available signing day, together with

Ed Nelson Edwin Stafford Nelson (December 21, 1928 – August 9, 2014) was an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Michael Rossi in the television series '' Peyton Place''. Nelson appeared in episodes of many TV programs, more than 50 mov ...

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

. Elder had suffered an injury during his senior year of high school, but recovered in time for the beginning of his freshman season at Georgia Tech, and made his debut on November 16, 2001, against

Florida A&M Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), commonly known as Florida A&M, is a public historically black land-grant university in Tallahassee, Florida. Founded in 1887, It is the third largest historically black university in the U ...

, scoring 16 points in 22 minutes. On January 10, 2002, he started his first game, playing 20 minutes against

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, scoring 10 points. He recorded his season high on February 6, scoring 19 points against Clemson. At the end of the season he was the third best scorer on the team with an average of 9.9 points (behind Tony Akins and Marvin Lewis), and ranked fourth in assists and steals per game. He was named in the

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

All-Freshman team, and was third in the voting for the ACC Rookie of the Year award, behind teammate Ed Nelson and

Julius Hodge Julius Melvin Hodge (born November 18, 1983) is an American-Antiguan former professional basketball player and current assistant coach at Little Rock Trojans. Originally from Harlem, New York, Hodge played college basketball at NC State and was se ...

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

. Elder became a full-time starter in his sophomore year, not starting only in the first two games he played. He missed the first game of the year against

Arkansas–Pine Bluff The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) is a public historically black university in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Founded in 1873, it is the second oldest public college or university in the state of Arkansas. UAPB is part of the University of ...

due to a sore foot; in his very first game, against

on November 27, 2002, Elder played 29 minutes and posted a new career high of 24 points. He tied this high on January 11, 2003, against NC State, shooting a season-high 72.7% from the field (8/11, including 3/4 three-pointers). His second year saw him score in double figures on 25 occasions, 8 of which were 20+ games. He ranked second on the team in scoring behind freshman

Chris Bosh Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bos ...

, and was second in assists behind another freshman,

Jarrett Jack Jarrett Matthew Jack (born October 28, 1983) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended four high schools in No ...

. His performance during the season earned him Third-team All-ACC honors. Elder was considered one of the key elements of the team in his junior year. Having lost Bosh and Nelson, coach

Paul Hewitt Paul Harrington Hewitt (born May 4, 1963) is an American college basketball coach and the former head coach at Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and George Mason University. He grew up in Westbury, New York. In 2021, he was named ...

relied more on Elder, Jack, and juniors Isma'il Muhammad and

Luke Schenscher Luke Dean Schenscher (born 31 December 1982) is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played four years of college basketball for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball, Georgia Tech before having stints in the National B ...

. Elder opened the season scoring 17 points against

Louisiana-Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...

; on January 3, 2004, he posted a new career-high of 25 points against Georgia. He further improved his career high on January 27, when he scored 36 against Clemson. Elder was the 7th best scorer in the ACC with an average of 14.9 points during conference play and was a second-team All-ACC selection. At the

2004 ACC men's basketball tournament The 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball tournament took place from March 11–14 in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Maryland Terrapins won the tournament as the #6 seed, upsetting #3 seed Wake Forest, #2 ...

Georgia Tech reached the semifinals, losing 85–71 to Duke; Elder scored 25 points and earned a selection to the All-Tournament Second Team. The Yellow Jackets qualified for the 2004 NCAA tournament, and Elder scored 12 points in the win against

Northern Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, and then 18 against

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

. At the third minute of the game against

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Elder suffered a

sprained ankle A sprained ankle, also known as a twisted ankle or rolled ankle, is an injury where sprain occurs on one or more ligaments of the ankle. It is the most common injury to occur in ball sports, such as basketball, volleyball, football, and racquet s ...

and exited the game; he was then forced to play limited minutes against

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

and

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New M ...

. He was selected as a starter for the national championship game against the

, and was second on the team with 14 points, behind

Will Bynum William Bynum (born January 4, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Arizona and Georgia Tech before going undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft. He was the 2007 Israeli Basketbal ...

's 17. At the end of the NCAA Tournament, Elder was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. Elder entered his senior year as a preseason

John R. Wooden Award The John R. Wooden Award is an award given annually to the most outstanding men's and women's college basketball players. The program consists of the men's and women's Player of the Year awards, the Legends of Coaching award, and recognizing the ...

and

Naismith Award Naismith Award is a basketball award named after James Naismith, and awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. Naismith Awards include: * Naismith College Player of the Year (men's and women's; NCAA Division I basketball) * Naismith College Coach of the ...

candidate, together with teammates Jack and Schenscher. He made his debut on November 19, 2004, against Alabama State, scoring 15 points. He scored 27 points and 10/12 shooting against

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

on November 30; on January 1, 2005, he suffered a

pulled hamstring Straining of the hamstring, also known as a pulled hamstring, is defined as an excessive stretch or tear of muscle fibers and related tissues. Hamstring injuries are common in athletes participating in many sports. Track and field athletes are p ...

in a game against Kansas, and had to miss 9 games, returning on the court on February 8. He scored 19 points during the quarterfinals win against

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

in the 2005 ACC tournament, and played 34 minutes (9 points) in the final game against Duke, lost by the Yellow Jackets. He also played 2 games during the 2005 NCAA tournament, scoring 15 points against the

George Washington Colonials The George Washington Colonials are the athletic teams of George Washington University of Washington, D.C. The Colonials compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference for mo ...

, and 3 in the loss to

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

. He ended the season as the second-best scorer on the Yellow Jackets behind Jarrett Jack, and was the third-best three-point shooter behind Jack and

Anthony Morrow Anthony Jarrad Morrow (born September 27, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who is an executive for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Georgia Tech. He ...

. His 1,616 career points ranked him 13th in the Yellow Jackets all-time scorers list.

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 2001–02 , align="left" ,

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

, 31 , , 13 , , 20.3 , , .428 , , .360 , , .787 , , 2.1 , , 1.4 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 9.9 , - , align="left" , 2002–03 , align="left" ,

, 30 , , 28 , , 29.5 , , .461 , , .396 , , .691 , , 2.6 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , 0.1 , , 15.0 , - , align="left" , 2003–04 , align="left" ,

, 38 , , 36 , , 26.5 , , .415 , , .374 , , .780 , , 2.8 , , 1.4 , , 0.7 , , 0.1 , , 14.9 , - , align="left" , 2004–05 , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 21 , , 26.3 , , .399 , , .341 , , .717 , , 2.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.8 , , 0.1 , , 12.6 , - , align="left" , Career , align="left" , , 122 , , 98 , , 25.7 , , .427 , , .370 , , .751 , , 2.5 , , 1.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 13.2 , -

Professional career

After the end of the senior season, Elder was automatically eligible for the

, but he was not selected by an NBA franchise, despite some sources mentioned him as a possible second-round pick. In July 2005 Elder played for the

in the Rocky Mountain Revue, an

tournament played in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

: in 5 games he averaged 3.2 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 14 minutes per game. The Spurs ultimately did not sign him, and Elder joined

team

, where he made his professional debut. He played 26 games during the 2005–06 Bundesliga, starting 24, and averaged 12.9 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 26.6 minutes per game, with a career high of 29 points against

EnBW Ludwigsburg Riesen Ludwigsburg ( en, Giants Ludwigsburg), for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg, is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of ...

posted on December 10, 2005. In 2006 Elder returned to the United States and signed for the

, and played the 2006–07 D-League season. He was selected as a D-League All-Star, playing for the Eastern Division team. Elder finished the season with averages of 19.9 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game over 45 appearances (all starts), and was selected in the All-D-League Second Team. In 2007 Elder returned to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and joined

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

team

Pallacanestro Biella Pallacanestro Biella, known as Angelico Biella for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Biella, Piedmont. It plays in the second division Serie A2 as of the 2015-16 season. For past club sponsorship names, see ...

, which at the time was playing in the

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

, the top level of Italian basketball. During the

2007–08 Lega Basket Serie A The 2007–08 Lega Basket Serie A season, known as the Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons, was the 86th season of the Lega Basket Serie A, the highest professional basketball league in Italy. The regular season ran from September 30, 2007 to Apri ...

Elder played 34 games, averaging 30.3 minutes, 15.3 points, 3 rebounds and 2.2 assists, shooting 32.7% from three and 76% from the free throw line. In the summer of 2008 Elder appeared in the NBA Summer League in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, playing 4 games with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

, averaging 6.5 points per game in 18.4 minutes of playing time. For the following season Elder signed for

Pallacanestro Cantù Pallacanestro Cantù, known for sponsorship reasons as Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Cantù, Lombardy. On the European-wide club competition scene, Cantù is second to Real Madrid – again ...

, joining the team on July 30, 2008. In the 2008–09 Serie A season Elder scored 13 points per game, and added 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists, shooting 38.3% from three-point range. In 2009 Elder left Italy for

, and signed with

Greek Basket League The Greek Basket League (GBL), often also referred to as the Greek A1 Basketball League, or Greek Basketball Championship (originally called Panhellenic Basketball Championship), and also known as the Stoiximan Basket League for sponsorship reaso ...

team

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club (Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan- Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'') ...

. During the 2009–10 season Elder appeared in 23 regular season games, playing 24.9 minutes and posting averages of 7.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists; his team qualified for the playoffs, and Elder played both games against

Panathinaikos Panathinaikos Athlitikos Omilos ( el, Παναθηναϊκός Αθλητικός Όμιλος, literally in English: "Panathenaic Athletic Club" or Panathinaikos A.C.), also known simply as Panathinaikós , is a major Greek multi-sport club ba ...

, playing limited minutes (8.5 per game). In 2010 Elder returned to Italy and signed for

Aurora Basket Jesi Aurora Basket Jesi is an Italian professional basketball club based in Jesi. It plays in the second division Serie A2 as of the 2015-16 season. History In 1965, Gianni Rossetti (a television journalist for RAI), Carlo Barchiesi (current presiden ...

, a team of Serie A2, the second level of Italian basketball. At Jesi, Elder appeared in 30 games, and averaged 14.5 points per game while shooting 43.1% from three-point range. In late December 2011 Elder signed for Veroli Basket, also of Serie A2, replacing

Jason Rowe Jason Rowe, who formerly recorded under the name Jai, is a British pop and soul singer currently residing in London, England. Life and career Jason Rowe was born in Yeovil, England, in December 1969. He moved to London in the mid-1990s and b ...

as the second American player on the team. Elder played 13 games with Veroli, averaging 12.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in the 2011–12 season. In the offseason Elder signed with

Aquila Basket Trento Aquila Basket Trento, also known for sponsorship reasons as Dolomiti Energia Trento, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Trento, Trent, Trentino. It was founded in 1995 as an amalgamation of two local clubs, going from the amateur ...

, staying in the Serie A2 for the third consecutive season. He averaged 16 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting a career-high 44.2% from the three-point line. Trento reached the playoffs, and Elder appeared and started in 7 games, averaging 18.3 points and shooting 47.5% on three-pointers. He also won the Legadue Italian Cup, a competition for Serie A2 teams. Elder retired after the 2013–14 Legadue season, ended with Trento's promotion in Serie A, after averaging 14.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists over 28 appearances. Throughout his professional career he primarily played as a

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

, but was also considered for the shooting guard and

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers. When on Of ...

positions.

References

External links

Career stats at ProBallers.comProfile at RealGM.com
*

G-League stats at

Basketball-Reference.com Sports Reference, LLC, is an American company which operates several sports-related websites, including Sports-Reference.com, Baseball-Reference.com for baseball, Basketball-Reference.com for basketball, Hockey-Reference.com for ice hockey, Pro- ...

Italian league statsGerman league stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elder, B. J. 1982 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Aquila Basket Trento players Austin Toros players Basketball players from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets men's basketball players Giessen 46ers players Pallacanestro Biella players Pallacanestro Cantù players Panionios B.C. players Shooting guards Small forwards Veroli Basket players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportspeople