Kyle Weems

Kyle Weems
Weems in September 2019
No. 34 – Derthona Basket
PositionSmall forward
LeagueLBA
Personal information
Born (1989-08-23) August 23, 1989 (age 35)
Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Listed height1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)
Listed weight100 kg (220 lb)
Career information
High schoolHighland Park (Topeka, Kansas)
CollegeMissouri State (2008–2012)
NBA draft2012: undrafted
Playing career2012–present
Career history
2012–2013Telekom Baskets Bonn
2013–2014Medi Bayreuth
2014–2015JSF Nanterre
2015–2016Strasbourg
2016–2018Beşiktaş
2018–2019Tofaş
2019–2023Virtus Bologna
2023–presentDerthona Basket
Career highlights and awards

Kyle Jordan Weems (born August 23, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for Derthona Basket of the Italian LBA. He played collegiately for Missouri State University and was named Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year and an All-American in 2011.

College career

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Weems, a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) forward from Topeka, Kansas, came to Missouri State in 2007. He redshirted the 2007–08 season and played his freshman season in 2008–09 season. As a freshman, Weems started 19 games and averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebounds per game and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) all-freshman team. As a sophomore, Weems helped lead the Bears to the 2010 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) championship as he averaged 13.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. In the CIT final, Weems scored 14 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked four shots against Pacific.[1]

In his junior season, Weems became a force in the MVC. He upped his averages to 16.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and led the Bears to their first MVC regular season championship.[2] At the end of the season, Weems was named the MVC Player of the Year[3] and an Associated Press honorable mention All-American — the first player so honored in MSU's Division I history.[1] The Bears played in the 2011 National Invitation Tournament, defeating Murray State in the first round before falling to Miami in the second round.

Prior to the start of his senior season, Weems was named to the preseason candidate list for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.[4] He was also named the preseason MVC Player of the Year.[5]

Professional career

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Germany, France and Turkey (2012–2019)

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Weems went undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft. On July 26, 2012, he signed his first professional contract with Telekom Baskets Bonn in Germany's top professional league.[6] On August 19, 2013, he signed with BBC Bayreuth.[7]

On June 10, 2014, he signed with JSF Nanterre of the French LNB Pro A for the 2014–15 season.[8]

On July 5, 2015, he signed with Strasbourg IG for the 2015–16 season.[9]

On July 15, 2016, Weems signed a 1+1 deal with Turkish team Beşiktaş.[10] In the 2017–18 season he averaged 8.6 points per game. Weems signed with Tofaş S.K. on July 10, 2018.[11]

Virtus Bologna (2019–2023)

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On July 20, 2019, he signed with Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). [12] On April 7, 2020, after more than a month of suspension, the Italian Basketball Federation officially ended the 2019–20 season, due to the coronavirus pandemic that severely hit Italy.[13] Virtus ended the season first, with 18 wins and only 2 defeats, but the title was not assigned.[14] On May 5, the EuroCup season ended too.[15]

In the following season, in April 2021, despite a winning record of 19–2, Virtus was defeated in the EuroCup's semifinals by UNICS Kazan.[16] However, the season ended with a great success. In fact, after having knocked out 3–0 both Basket Treviso in the quarterfinals and New Basket Brindisi in the semifinals, on 11 June Virtus defeated 4–0 its historic rival Olimpia Milano in the national finals, winning its 16th national title and the first one after twenty years.[17] On 30 June, Weems signed another two-year deal with Virtus.[18]

On September 21, the team won its second Supercup, defeating Olimpia Milano 90–84.[19] Moreover, after having ousted Lietkabelis, Ulm and Valencia in the first three rounds of the playoffs, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the EuroLeague after 14 years.[20] However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both Pesaro and Tortona in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milan.[21]

On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69 Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy.[22] However, despite good premises Virtus ended the EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs.[23] Moreover, the team was defeated in the Italian Basketball Cup final by Brescia. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball.[24][25]

Derthona Basket (2023–present)

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On July 11, 2023, he signed with Derthona Basket of the Italian LBA.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "MSU profile". Missouri State Athletics. 2011. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  2. ^ "Bears Earn First MVC Regular-Season Title with 69–64 Win Over WSU". Missouri State Athletics. 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  3. ^ Kevin Haskin (March 1, 2011). "Weems named Valley player of year". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  4. ^ "NCAA men's and women's basketball candidates announced for 2011–12 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award". Lowe's Senior CLASS. 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  5. ^ "Creighton Picked to Win MVC Men's Basketball". Missouri Valley Conference. 2011. Archived from the original on May 8, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  6. ^ "Telekom Baskets Bonn land rookie Kyle Weems". Sportando.net. 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  7. ^ "BBC Bayreuth signs Kyle Weems". Sportando.net. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
  8. ^ "PRO A: Kyle Weems, la deuxième recrue !". jsfnanterre.com. June 10, 2014. Archived from the original on June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  9. ^ "SIG Strasbourg lands Kyle Weems". Sportando.com. July 5, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
  10. ^ "Besiktas sign Kyle Weems". Sportando.com. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  11. ^ "Tofas lands Kyle Weems". Sportando. Retrieved July 10, 2018.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "Virtus Bologna added Kyle Weems". Eurohoops. July 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  13. ^ Italian Basketball Federation officially ends LBA 2019–20 season, Sportando
  14. ^ Italian Basketball president Petrucci announces that LBA title won’t be assigned, Sportando
  15. ^ Basketball’s EuroLeague cancels season because of virus[dead link], Washington Post
  16. ^ Virtus, la notte più nera. In Eurolega vanno i russi, la Repubblica
  17. ^ Virtus, sei magnifica! Bologna, scudetto dopo 20 anni, Milano schiacciata 4–0, Gazzetta dello Sport
  18. ^ Virtus Bologna: ufficiale il rinnovo di Kyle Weems, Sportando
  19. ^ Basket, la Virtus Bologna vince la Supercoppa: Milano ancora ko, la Repubblica
  20. ^ "Game Night: Virtus is the 7DAYS EuroCup champion and headed back to the EuroLeague!". euroleaguebasketball.net. 11 May 2022.
  21. ^ "Olimpia Milano campione d'Italia, Virtus Bologna ko 81–64 in gara-6". Sky Sport. 18 June 2022.
  22. ^ "Supercoppa, trionfa la Virtus Bologna! Canestro decisivo di Mickey, Sassari cede 72–69". Gazzetta dello Sport. 29 September 2022.
  23. ^ Virtus, il punto a fine EuroLega. BolognaBasket
  24. ^ Basket, Milano batte Bologna nella decisiva gara 7 e vince il suo 30esimo scudetto. Gli highlights. la Repubblica
  25. ^ Basket, Milano batte Bologna 67–55 nella finalissima e si conferma campione per la trentesima volta. Rai News
  26. ^ "Un grande nome per il Derthona: Kyle Weems è bianconero". derthonabasket.it (in Italian). July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
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