Jeffree David Withey (born March 7, 1990) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for

Bilbao Basket Club Basket Bilbao Berri S.A.D., commonly known as Bilbao Basket (), also known as Surne Bilbao Basket for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Bilbao, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is the Bilba ...

of the

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

. He played college basketball for the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

where he became known for his shot-blocking ability and his defensive presence. He was drafted 39th overall in the 2013 NBA draft by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

High school career

Withey led Horizon High School to the state Division IV title in his sophomore season (2006) and he graduated in the class of 2008. In the game preceding the state championship game, Withey and his teammates had to face a

San Joaquin Memorial High School San Joaquin Memorial High School is a private Roman Catholic high school in Fresno, California, United States. Founded in 1945, it is the only Catholic high school in the greater Fresno area. It is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno and has a ...

team in the Southern California Regional Championship game that featured three seniors who were future NBA players,

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

Brook Lopez Brook Robert Lopez (born April 1, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played two years of college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal. Lopez was selected ...

and

Quincy Pondexter Quincy Coe Pondexter (born March 10, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He is currently an assistant coach for the University of Washington men's basketball team. He played high school basketball in Fresno, California, a ...

. In a dramatic double-overtime game, Withey and his teammates overcame the San Joaquin squad and went on to win the title in the following game. In his senior season he averaged 20.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 7.3 blocked shots per game. Considered a four-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

, Withey was listed as the No. 8 center and the No. 36 player in the nation in 2008.

College career

Arizona (2008)

Withey had originally committed to play for Louisville, but switched his commitment to Arizona. Following the resignation of

Lute Olson Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...

in October of Withey's freshman season, he decided to transfer from Arizona. He did not see any playing time for the Wildcats during his semester of the 2008–09 season.

Kansas (2009–2013)

Withey transferred to Kansas in January 2009, but was ineligible to play until the end of the 2009 fall semester due to the NCAA transfer rules requiring him to sit out a year. He initially saw limited playing time during the second half of the 2009–10 season and the 2010-11 season, playing behind

Cole Aldrich Cole David Aldrich (born October 31, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He previously played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Minnesota Timberwol ...

and the Morris twins. In his

junior year A junior is person in the third year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In United States high schools, a junio ...

, after twin brothers Marcus and

Markieff Morris Markieff Morris (born September 2, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks before being drafted 13th overall i ...

left for the NBA draft, he became a starter, playing for the 2011–12 squad which lost to Kentucky in the NCAA championship game. Withey blocked 31 shots in the 2012 tournament, breaking

Joakim Noah Joakim Simon Noah ( ; born February 25, 1985) is an American-born French-Swedish former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, winning back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007. The Chicago B ...

's tournament record of 29. During the 2011-12 season, he was named

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...

defensive player of the year and set a Big 12 record with 140 blocks for the season.

2012–13 season

On October 4, 2012, Withey was named to the Preseason all-Big 12 unanimously.Jeff Withey named to preseason all-Big 12; Elijah Johnson honorable mention
Lawrence Journal-World, October 4, 2012. On December 3, 2012, Withey was named Big 12 Player of the Week. To earn the honor, he scored a

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

against

San Jose State Spartans The San Jose State Spartans are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent San José State University. SJSU sports teams compete in the Mountain West Conference (MW) at the NCAA Division I level, with football competing in the Football B ...

on November 26. In that game, Withey scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked 12 shots, for the second triple-double in KU history. On February 18, 2013, Withey was named Big 12 Co-Player of the Week. He had

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

s against both

Kansas State Wildcats The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are generally used as c ...

and

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

. He also made his 265th blocked shot to set a new Big 12 record for career blocked shots. Withey finished his senior year of college by averaging 13.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks. On March 10, 2013, he was named defensive player of the year in the Big 12 for 2012–13 and he was named first team All Big 12. On March 11, 2013, Withey was named 2nd Team All-American by The Sporting News. On March 31, 2013, Withey was accorded third-team All-American mention 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 ...

. On April 5, 2013, the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, head men's basketball coach at the University o ...

named Withey the co-National Defensive Player of the Year.

College statistics

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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 ...

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2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

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, 26, , , , 6.2, , .647, , , , .515, , 1.8, , .2, , .2, , .7, , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39, , 39, , 24.8, , .536, , , , .795, , 6.3, , 0.7, , 0.6, , 3.6, , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

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, 37, , 37, , 30.9, , .582, , 1.000, , .714, , 8.5, , 0.9, , 0.8, , 3.9, , 13.7

Professional career

New Orleans Pelicans (2013–2015)

Withey was selected with the 39th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the

. He was traded to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

in a three-team trade involving the Trail Blazers and the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

on July 10, 2013. In two seasons for the Pelicans, he averaged 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 95 games.

Utah Jazz (2015–2017)

On August 24, 2015, Withey signed with the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. On December 28, 2015, he recorded a season-high 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds as a starter in a 95–91 win over the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

Dallas Mavericks (2017)

On August 21, 2017, Withey signed a one-year deal with the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

. He was waived on December 19, 2017.

Tofaş (2018)

On July 24, 2018, Withey signed with the Turkish team

Tofaş Tofaş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, who was the founder of Koç Hold ...

for the 2018–19 season. On December 28, 2018, Withey parted ways with Tofaş after appearing in 19 games.

Lavrio (2019)

On February 28, 2019, Withey signed with Greek team

Lavrio Laurium or Lavrio ( ell, Λαύριο; grc, Λαύρειον (later ); before early 11th century BC: Θορικός ''Thorikos''; from Middle Ages until 1908: Εργαστήρια ''Ergastiria'') is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Greec ...

for the rest of the season. On March 30, 2019, Withey recorded a season-high 18 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the field, along with six rebounds and two blocks in an 88–99 loss to PAOK. In 10 games played for Lavrio, he averaged 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. On July 4, 2019, Withey joined the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

for the

2019 NBA Summer League The 2019 NBA Summer League was held at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the campus of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It began on July 5 and ended on July 15. All 30 teams and two national teams, China and Croat ...

Ironi Nes Ziona (2019–2020)

On August 18, 2019, Withey signed a one-year deal with

Ironi Nes Ziona Ironi Ness Ziona B.C. (or spelled as Ironi Nes Ziona B.C.) is a professional basketball club based in Ness Ziona, Israel. The team plays its home games at the Lev Hamoshava, which has capacity for 1,200 people. The club plays in the Israeli Bask ...

of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

. On October 23, 2019, Withey recorded a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds, leading Nes Ziona to an 82–75 win over the

Kapfenberg Bulls Kapfenberg Bulls, also known simply as Bulls, is a professional basketball club that is based in Kapfenberg, Styria, Austria. History Since 1991, the Kapfenberg Bulls have played in the Österreichische Basketball Bundesliga, the highest Austri ...

. He was subsequently named Europe Cup Round 1 Top Performer. On December 5, 2019, Withey was named Israeli League Player of the Month after averaging a double-double of 16.3 points and 13.3 rebounds, while shooting 66 percent from the field in eight games played in November. On December 23, 2019, Withey recorded a new career-high 24 points, while shooting 10-of-12 from the field, along with seven rebounds and three steals in a 95–80 win over

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv ( he, הפועל תל אביב) is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, suc ...

Goyang Orion Orions (2020–2021)

On July 9, 2020, the

Goyang Orion Orions Goyang Carrot Jumpers (Korean: 고양 캐롯 점퍼스) is a professional basketball club based in Goyang, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. Before the change of ownership in 2022, they were called Orions. History Dayo ...

added Withey to their roster. He averaged 8.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in the Korean Basketball League.

Bilbao Basket (2021–present)

On July 21, 2021, Withey signed with

of the

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 58 , , 4 , , 11.8 , , .535 , , .000 , , .712 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , .3 , , .9 , , 3.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 37 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .500 , , .000 , , .680 , , 1.7 , , .3 , , .1 , , .5 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

, 51 , , 10 , , 12.9 , , .537 , , .000 , , .729 , , 3.4 , , .4 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 4.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 51 , , 1 , , 8.5 , , .534 , , .000 , , .750 , , 2.4 , , .1 , , .3 , , .6 , , 2.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

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Playoffs

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, 3 , , 0 , , 6.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 6.9 , , .500 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.3 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.7

References

External links

DraftExpress.com profileRealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Withey, Jeff 1990 births Living people All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Spain American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players Basketball players from San Diego Bilbao Basket players Centers (basketball) Dallas Mavericks players Ironi Nes Ziona B.C. players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Lavrio B.C. players Liga ACB players New Orleans Pelicans players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Tofaş S.K. players Utah Jazz players