John Bagley (basketball)

John Bagley
Personal information
Born (1960-04-23) April 23, 1960 (age 64)
Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolWarren Harding
(Bridgeport, Connecticut)
CollegeBoston College (1979–1982)
NBA draft1982: 1st round, 12th overall pick
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Playing career1982–1993
PositionPoint guard
Number5
Career history
1982–1987Cleveland Cavaliers
1987–1989New Jersey Nets
1989–1993Boston Celtics
1993Atlanta Hawks
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points5,802 (8.7 ppg)
Rebounds1,729 (2.6 rpg)
Assists3,980 (6.0 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

John Edward "Bags" Bagley (born April 23, 1960) is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Boston College Eagles.

College career

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Bagley played for Boston College for three seasons, where he averaged nearly 18 points a game and became the first Eagle to earn Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Year honors.[1] He averaged 20.4 points per game during the 1980–81 season, his sophomore year, and led the Eagles to the regular-season championship and NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.[2] The following year, Bagley scored 21.1 points per game and led Boston College to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.[2] Bagley also played in the Men's World University Games in 1981, and led the team with 14.8 points per game.[3] He left Boston College after his junior year and entered the 1982 NBA draft. He was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.[2]

On February 25, 2017, Bagley's number 54 was retired at Boston College.[4]

College statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1979–80 Boston College 29 - - .481 - .722 3.1 2.2 1.5 0.0 11.8
1980–81 Boston College 30 29 32.2 .500 - .788 3.8 3.4 1.8 0.1 20.4
1981–82 Boston College 32 31 33.3 .501 - .797 3.8 3.8 1.9 0.2 21.1
Career 91 60 32.7 .496 - .778 3.6 3.2 1.7 0.1 17.9

Professional career

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Cleveland Cavaliers

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Bagley was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 12th pick of the 1982 NBA draft, and was signed to a three-year contract on September 28, 1982.[5]

He played with the Cavs for five seasons, from 1982 to 1987.[6]

His best season was the 1985–86 season, where Bagley hit then career highs of 11.7 points per game and 9.4 assists per game.[6]

During the 1986–87, Bagley had career highs in both free throw and three point percentage, with .831 and .301, respectively.[6]

New Jersey Nets

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After the 1986–87 season, Cleveland traded Bagley to the New Jersey Nets along with Keith Lee for Darryl Dawkins (who was subsequently sent to the Utah Jazz in a three-way deal) and James Bailey.[7] Bagley's first season with the Nets saw him play all 82 games, the only season he did this, as well as score a career high 12 points per game.[6]

He was also the only Net to play 82 games, and as a result, Bagley was given a multiyear extension on September 6, 1988.[8]

On November 17, 1987, Bagley hit a 75-footer at the buzzer against the Houston Rockets when the first quarter drew to a close. Bagley played in 68 games, missing some due to injury, and lost his starting position at point guard to Lester Conner.

Boston Celtics

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On October 5, 1989, Bagley was traded to the Boston Celtics for two draft choices and an undisclosed amount of cash.[9] He has noted that playing with the Celtics in the Boston Garden has been the highlight of his basketball career.[1]

After playing one season for the Celtics, Bagley did not play the entire 1990–91 season. He began the season on the injured list with tendinitis of the right knee, and received arthroscopic surgery on March 3, 1991, ending his season and even becoming an afterthought, with the Celtics emphasizing Brian Shaw and Dee Brown.[10] However, he did end up starting most of the 1991–92 season, mainly after Brian Shaw was traded to the Miami Heat. Despite the starting role, Bagley was not on the team as the 1992–93 season began, but was re-signed by the Celtics on December 23, 1992.[11] Bagley ended up playing in only 10 games that season, then was granted free agency.

CBA

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He played with the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) during the 1993 off-season, playing for the Columbus Horizon and Rochester Renegade.[12]

Atlanta Hawks

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Prior to the 1993 season, Bagley signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Hawks, but was released after three appearances on December 13, 1993.[13]

NBA career statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1982–83 Cleveland 68 3 14.6 .432 .000 .762 1.4 2.5 0.8 0.1 5.7
1983–84 Cleveland 76 19 22.5 .423 .118 .793 2.1 4.4 1.0 0.1 8.9
1984–85 Cleveland 81 65 29.6 .488 .115 .749 3.6 8.6 1.6 0.1 9.9
1985–86 Cleveland 78 77 31.7 .423 .243 .791 3.5 9.4 1.6 0.1 11.7
1986–87 Cleveland 72 67 30.3 .426 .301 .831 3.5 5.3 1.3 0.1 10.7
1987–88 New Jersey 82 74 33.8 .439 .292 .822 3.1 5.8 1.3 0.1 12.0
1988–89 New Jersey 68 20 24.1 .416 .204 .724 2.1 5.8 1.1 0.1 7.4
1989–90 Boston 54 17 20.3 .459 .056 .744 1.6 5.5 0.7 0.1 4.3
1991–92 Boston 73 59 23.9 .441 .238 .716 2.2 6.6 0.8 0.1 7.2
1992–93 Boston 10 0 9.7 .360 .000 .833 0.7 2.0 0.2 0.0 2.3
1993–94 Atlanta 3 0 4.3 .000 – 1.000 0.3 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.7
Career 665 401 25.7 .437 .241 .779 2.6 6.0 1.1 0.1 8.7

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1985 Cleveland 4 4 42.0 .393 .000 .700 4.0 10.0 2.5 0.0 12.8
1990 Boston 5 0 14.0 .533 .000 .750 0.8 3.4 0.8 0.2 3.8
1992 Boston 10 10 30.8 .442 .250 .703 2.7 8.5 0.9 0.1 11.1
Career 19 14 28.7 .434 .125 .706 2.5 7.5 1.2 0.1 9.5

Personal life

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Bagley resided in Elgin, Illinois, and coached the Harper College Men's Basketball team.[1] He also ran a 32-team high school summer league, worked at a camp at Harper College, and coached the Chicago Dogs, a semi-pro basketball team. Following his time away from Connecticut, he recently moved back to his home of Bridgeport, CT. Bagley now coaches girls basketball at his alma mater, (Bridgeport) Harding High School.[1]

Bagley has a daughter named Janelle, and a son named C.J., whom he had with his former partner, Varissa Scruggs;[14][15][16] the couple also had an infant son named John Rhyce Scruggs-Bagley, who died of a heart problem in 1993.[17][18][19] Varissa Scruggs died in 2011.[15][16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Goode, Jon (April 14, 2005). "Catching up with John Bagley". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c "Player Bio: John Bagley". Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
  3. ^ "ELEVENTH WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES – 1981". Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  4. ^ Rubin, Dan (February 24, 2017). "A callback to the era of the past". Boston College Eagles. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  5. ^ "SPORTS PEOPLE; King Signs Knick Offer". The New York Times. September 29, 1982. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  6. ^ a b c d "John Bagley Past Stats, Playoff Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards". Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  7. ^ "Transactions – New York Times". The New York Times. October 9, 1987. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  8. ^ "Sports People; Nets Re-Sign Bagley". The New York Times. September 7, 1988. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  9. ^ Brown, Clifton (October 6, 1989). "New Faces and a New Attitude for Nets". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  10. ^ Whiteside, Larry (November 8, 1991). "So far, the condition isn't ideal for Bagley as starter". The Boston Globe. p. 57.
  11. ^ "BASKETBALL; Jordan Goes to High Gear and Scores 57 in Victory". The New York Times. December 24, 1992. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  12. ^ "Transactions – New York Times". The New York Times. July 30, 1993. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  13. ^ "TRANSACTIONS – New York Times". The New York Times. December 14, 1993. Retrieved October 18, 2007.
  14. ^ Goode, Jon (March 12, 2005). "Catching Up with... John Bagley". South Coast Today. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Varissa Scruggs Obituary". Legacy.com. April 1, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  16. ^ a b "Varissa Scruggs Obituary". Laird Funeral Home. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Moran, Malcolm (May 9, 1993). "PRO BASKETBALL; Potholes on Parquet: Celtics Search for Blueprint of Bright Future". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  18. ^ Aldridge, David (August 1, 1993). "Once-Prosperous Celtics Buffeted by Continual Tragedies". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  19. ^ "Transition Team in Place". Hartford Courant. November 5, 1993. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
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