Kevarrius Hayes (born March 5, 1997) is an American-Central African professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

. Internationally, he represents the .

Early life and high school

Hayes was born and grew up in Live Oak, Florida and attended Suwannee High School. He was student body president. Ranked the 58th-best college prospect by '' ESPN.com'' for his class, Hayes committed to play college basketball at the University of Florida as a sophomore in high school. He was named second team Class 5A All-State in both his junior and senior seasons.

College career

Hayes was a member of the

for four seasons. He played mostly as a backup center during his true freshman season, starting six of 35 games played, and averaged 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He saw more playing time and became a starter for the team towards the end of his sophomore season, averaging 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and led the team with 60 blocked shots. As a junior, Hayes averaged 4.8 points and five rebounds over 33 games played (25 starts) and again led the team and finished 5th in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with 67 blocks. In his senior season, Hayes set career highs with 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over 36 games, starting all but one, and led the team a third straight year with 67 blocks (3rd in the SEC). He finished his collegiate career with averages of 5.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game in 140 games played (82 starts). His 214 career blocks were the second most in Gators history.

Professional career

Cantu (2019–2020)

On July 8, 2019, Hayes signed with Pallacanestro Cantù of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A. In his first professional season, Hayes averaged 9.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and led Serie A with 2.6 blocks per game and was named honorable mention All-Serie A by ''

Eurobasket.com Eurobasket.com also commonly referred to as "Eurobasket News", is a basketball-centered website that provide coverages of every professional and semi-professional leagues around the world. Although primarily focusing on European basketball, th ...

''.

ASVEL (2020–2021)

On June 8, 2020, Hayes signed a one-year deal with ASVEL of the French

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...

Bursaspor (2021–2022)

On July 2, 2021, Hayes signed with Frutti Extra Bursaspor of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). In 53 games played for Bursaspor, Hayes averaged 9.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.

Žalgiris (2022–present)

On July 29, 2022, Hayes signed a one-year contract with Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL), with an option for an additional year.

National team career

Hayes was on the roster for the Central African Republic national basketball team for AfroBasket 2021.

References

External links

Florida Gators bioEuroBasket profileEuroLeague profileRealGM profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Kevarrius 1997 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Lithuania American expatriate basketball people in Turkey American men's basketball players ASVEL Basket players Basketball players from Florida BC Žalgiris players Bursaspor Basketbol players Naturalized citizens of Central African Republic Central African Republic men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Florida Gators men's basketball players Lega Basket Serie A players Pallacanestro Cantù players People from Live Oak, Florida