Jon Garavaglia

Last updated
Jon Garavaglia
Personal information
Born (1974-04-08) April 8, 1974 (age 49)
Dearborn, Michigan
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school Aquinas (Southgate, Michigan)
College Michigan State (1993–1997)
NBA draft 1997: undrafted
Playing career1997–2004
Position Forward / center
Career history
1997–1999 Oliveirense
1999 Grand Rapids Hoops
1999–2000 Cholet Basket
2000 León Caja España
2000–2001 Adecco Milano
2001–2002 Dafnis
2002 STB Le Havre
2002–2003 SIG Strasbourg
2003 Rockford Lightning
2003–2004 Benfica
Career highlights and awards

Jonathan David Garavaglia [1] (born April 8, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. A strong player who could be used both as a power forward and a center, he was one of the top ranked recruits of the high school class of 1993. After a 4-year college career at Michigan State, he went undrafted in the 1997 NBA draft and played professionally for 7 years, mostly in Europe.

Contents

High school career

Garavaglia was born in Dearborn, Michigan and attended Aquinas High School in the Detroit suburb of Southgate. He started playing varsity basketball in his sophomore year at Aquinas, [2] wearing jersey number 54 [3] and immediately showed good performances, averaging 19.8 points per game in his first season of high school basketball. [4] In his junior year he averaged 19.2 points. [4]

Garavaglia's senior year saw all-around success for him and his team. He was the team captain and averaged 16 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists: his personal scoring numbers decreased because he focused more on team play, involving his teammates and becoming less of a selfish player. [2] [4] He ended the season a Catholic League and Class C champion, and was ranked among the top high school players in the nation. [5] [6] He was named Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, [7] Mr. Basketball of Michigan with 426 votes [8] and ended his career at Aquinas with 1,358 points, a school record. [2] He also earned a selection in the McDonald's All-American team: in the 1993 McDonald's All-American Boys Game he scored 2 points, going 1/2 from the field and 0/2 from the free throw line. [9]

College career

During his high school career Garavaglia was recruited by many Division I college programs, including Arizona State, UNLV and Virginia, [10] but he ultimately restricted his choice between Michigan and Michigan State; he finally chose the latter, feeling that he would have more chances finding playing time in a roster that in his opinion was less talented overall (the Michigan Wolverines were in the Fab Five years). [11] He chose to wear jersey number 21. [12] Garavaglia's freshman season saw him play only 11.3 minutes per game, [10] but he appeared in all 32 games played by the Spartans, averaging 2.7 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists while shooting 51% from the field.

In his sophomore season with the Spartans coach Jud Heathcote promoted Garavaglia to a starter role, and he gained more playing time. He started 23 of the 28 games he played, scoring 7.6 points per game, along with 5.1 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.3 blocks in almost 25 minutes per game. He scored a game-winning shot with 7 seconds left on the shot clock on January 25, 1995 against Minnesota. [13] He switched to jersey number 25 in his junior season [14] and in this season he had a career-high 8 offensive rebounds on November 28, 1995 vs. Arkansas. [15] However, Garavaglia's averages declined both in scoring (5.1) and rebounding (4.5), as his minutes dropped to 20.7 per game and he started only 13 games [10] with newly appointed coach Tom Izzo.

His final year of college basketball saw him recording career-best numbers in all major statistical categories, and he averaged 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 steal per game, while shooting 50% from the field. He scored a career high of 20 points on December 3, 1996 in an 83–78 win against Cleveland State. [16] Throughout his college career he showed inconsistent play, and coach Tom Izzo said that he thought Garavaglia could have been a better player had he been more focused, especially during his first years at Michigan State. [10] [17] Garavaglia ended his college career with 120 games played with career averages of 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists. He scored a total of 761 points for the Spartans.

College statistics

YearTeamGPGSMPGFG%3P%FT%RPGAPGSPGBPGPPG
1993–94 Michigan State 3211.3.512.000.1672.00.50.20.02.7
1994–95 Michigan State 282324.8.484.323.5955.10.60.40.37.6
1995–96 Michigan State 311320.7.354.281.7654.51.10.40.35.1
1996–97 Michigan State 29.500.375.6845.91.11.00.210.4
Career120.460.301.6604.30.80.50.26.3

Professional career

After his senior year of college basketball Garavaglia was automatically eligible for the 1997 NBA draft, but he was not selected. He then transferred to Portugal, signing for Oliveirense, in the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol, the first level of Portuguese basketball. With Oliveirense he also appeared in the 1997–98 FIBA EuroCup. [18] After two seasons with Oliveirense he was cut in January 1999 and joined the Grand Rapids Hoops in the Continental Basketball Association: he played 27 regular season games, averaging 8.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 22.9 minutes per game; in postseason play he averaged 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds in 13.0 minutes per game. [19]

In 1999 he transferred to French club Cholet Basket, and in 12 LNB Pro A games he recorded averages of 9.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in 25.9 minutes per game. He then joined Spanish club León Caja España in March 2000, replacing Saša Radunović, and he briefly played in the Spanish Liga ACB, starting all of his 6 games and averaged 6.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 30 minutes per game. After Spain he moved to another European top-level championship, the Italian Serie A, joining Adecco Milano. In 31 games he averaged 3.9 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.1 blocks while playing 14.3 minutes per game; he had a season high of 15 points on November 19, 2000 against Snaidero Udine.

He then transferred to Dafni, a Greek club based in Dafni, Athens, and played in the 2001–02 Greek Basket League season. After 4 games he was cut and in February 2002 he joined STB Le Havre, another French team. In 14 games he averaged 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in 25.1 minutes. He stayed in France also for the following season, in which he played for SIG Strasbourg: in 27 games he recorded 5.7 points and 3.2 rebounds in 18.8 minutes.

After a brief stint at Rockford Lightning in the CBA, where he played only 2 games, [19] he ended his career after one season at Benfica, in Portugal.

Related Research Articles

Maurice Darnell Ager is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans from 2002 until 2006. Ager led the Spartans to the NCAA Final Four as a junior in 2005 and averaged 14 points per game. He led the Big Ten Conference in scoring during his senior season. Ager was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with 28th overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft. He played parts of four seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets and Minnesota Timberwolves. Ager also played in the NBA Development League and in Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Green (basketball)</span> American basketball player (1933–2023)

John Michael "Jumpin' Johnny" Green was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans, earning consensus second-team All-American honors. He was a four-time NBA All-Star.

Lester C. Abram, Jr. is an American former college basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew Neitzel</span> American basketball player

Drew Neitzel is an American former professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymar Morgan</span> American basketball player

Raymar Morgan is an American professional former basketball player. He played college basketball at the Michigan State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Graham</span> American basketball analyst and sports talk radio host

Justin Jaymes Graham is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Canterbury Rams of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball for San Jose State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Harris</span> American basketball player

Gary Harris is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevis Simpson</span> American basketball player

Trevis JeMar Simpson is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryn Forbes</span> American basketball player

Bryn Jerrel Forbes is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Cleveland State and Michigan State, and became a reliable three-point shooter. He plays both guard positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Costello</span> American basketball player

Matthew Tyler Costello is an American-born naturalized Ivorian professional basketball player for Baskonia of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for Michigan State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Fuller (basketball)</span> American basketball player (born 1989)

Aaron Craig Fuller is an American professional basketball player for Fuerza Regia de Monterrey of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). He played college basketball for the University of Iowa and the University of Southern California before playing professionally in Portugal, New Zealand, Mexico, the Philippines, Luxembourg, Israel, and Uruguay.

Raymond Willis Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Oklahoma and North Carolina Central University before playing professionally in Israel, Finland, Australia and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenyon McNeail</span> American basketball player

Kenyon Tarrell McNeail is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for Kangoeroes Willebroek of the Belgian Basketball League. He played college basketball for Louisiana Tech University.

Kelvin Deion Torbert is an American former professional basketball player.

Aaron Joseph Granger is an American former professional basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket Watts</span> American basketball player

Mark "Rocket" Watts Jr. is an American college basketball player for the Oakland Golden Grizzlies of the Horizon League. He previously played for the Michigan State Spartans and Mississippi State Bulldogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xavier Tillman Sr.</span> American basketball player (born 1999)

Xavier Justis Tillman Sr. is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans.

Aubrey Lamar Reese is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-foot point guard, he played college basketball at Murray State for 3 years, being named the OVC Player of the Year in 2000. After going undrafted in the 2000 NBA draft he started his professional career in the USBL in 2000, and the following season he was named the USBL Player of the Year. He then moved to Europe, and in 2003 he was the top scorer of the LNB Pro A in France. He has played in several countries in Asia and Europe, including France, Germany, Israel, Russia and Turkey.

Charles Wayne Gaines is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Anhui Dragons of the Chinese National Basketball League. He played high school basketball in his native city of Houston, and he spent two years at Southwest Missouri State in the MVC before transferring to Southern Miss, where he played his two remaining years of college basketball eligibility. After going undrafted in the 2004 NBA draft, he started his professional career in the Continental Basketball Association with the Michigan Mayhem, leading the league in rebounding. After several years in Europe, one year in the NBA D-League and one in Israel, Gaines moved to the Chinese Basketball Association. While in China he earned an All-Star selection, was the 2011 scoring champion, and he twice led the league in rebounding.

David Booth is an American basketball executive and former professional player. A native of Peoria, Illinois, Booth played for Manual High School, where he reached the Class AA Tournaments in three consecutive seasons; he would later be inducted in the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame. He then played 4 years of college basketball with DePaul, and graduated as the second best scorer in program history with 1,933 total points. After going undrafted in the 1992 NBA draft, Booth started his career in France and over a 13-year span he also played in Greece, Italy, Japan, the Philippines and Venezuela. In 2009, Booth was inducted in DePaul's Hall of Fame.

References

  1. ↑ "Commencement – 1997 Spring Semester" (PDF). Michigan State University. p. 43.
  2. 1 2 3 "All-State Basketball Team". Detroit Free Press. April 3, 1993. p. 26.
  3. ↑ Cameron, T.C. (2009). Metro Detroit's High School Basketball Rivalries. Arcadia Publishing. p. 118.
  4. 1 2 3 "1993 Mr. Basketball Jon Garavaglia" (PDF). bcam.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-15. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  5. ↑ "HOOP SCOOP'S FINAL RANKING OF THE NATION'S TOP 100 SENIORS". Hoop Scoop. Archived from the original on 2018-10-24. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
  6. ↑ "OPTIMISTIC SPARTANS MUST SURVIVE LEAGUE". msu.edu.
  7. ↑ "1992 – 1993 MICHIGAN BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR JON GARAVAGLIA". Gatorade.com. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ "MICHIGAN HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL RECORD BOOK".
  9. ↑ "The Next 48 are up" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 30, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2020. 1993 game and rosters at page 75.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Krebs, Andrew (January 15, 1997). "Spartan forward Jon Garavaglia looks to make his senior season the most memorable of his career". The Daily Collegian.
  11. ↑ Albom, Mitch (January 31, 1997). "U-M? MSU? PLAYERS' CHOICES OFTEN CLOSE".
  12. ↑ Michigan State Spartans 2007–08 men's basketball, Michigan State University, p. 180.
  13. ↑ Pearson, Mike (January 25, 2015). "Spartifacts". Lansing State Journal.
  14. ↑ Michigan State 2017–18 Spartan Basketball, Michigan State University, p. 168.
  15. ↑ Michigan State Spartans 2007–08 men's basketball, Michigan State University, p. 143.
  16. ↑ "Spartifacts". Lansing State Journal. December 3, 2014.
  17. ↑ Cabell, Terry (March 17, 1996). "Spartans' Garavaglia takes the blame for his team's lackluster season". Detroit Sunday Journal. p. 38.
  18. ↑ "Eurocup 1997–98". linguasport.com.
  19. 1 2 "Jonathan Garavaglia Statistics". StatsCrew.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.