Where in the world is Jarvis Varnado?
by Kyle_B on May 24, 2011 3:55 PM PDT
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PrintTrying to discover a second round gem is one of my favorite things to do while looking at the NBA draft. Rashard Lewis, Jeff Hornacek, Michael Redd, Carlos Boozer, Manu Ginobili, Mark Price, Gilbert Arenas, plus many more second rounders have gone on to have long and successful NBA careers. Unfortunately this year is an extremely weak draft class, and I'm finding it hard to search through second round prospects when it's ugly enough at the seventh pick. So instead of pouring over the potential steals from this year's draft, I decided to look into what my favorite second rounder from last year is up to. After reading a little bit, I really think that he could be available if pursued. Ladies and gentlemen, let's see what's new with Jarvis Varnado…
For those of you who don't know who he is, or if you need a refresher, here are his basic measurements and some highlights from Mr. Varnado's collegiate career:
-6'9", 220 with a 7'4" wingspan
-4 year player at Mississippi State, started his final three seasons
-Named SEC Defensive player of the year three straight times (2008-10)
-2009 SEC Tournament MVP
-2010 Lefty Driesell Award Winner (given to the top defensive player in the NCAA)
-NCAA All time leader in blocked shots (564)
-Broke Shaq's SEC Single Season blocks record (154) by swatting 170 shots in a season. Oh yeah, he blocked 170 shots in a season twice.
-He is one of two player to score a 1,000 points, grab 1,000 rebounds and block 500 shots in his NCAA career. The other player is David Robinson.
For more information, check out this wonderful write up on Bullets Forever.
And there's also this incredibly entertaining highlight reel (also, pay attention to the awesome block he pulls off at the 3:03 mark. If the victim looks familiar, it's because it's our beloved Marcus Thornton):
Varnado ended up being drafted by the Miami Heat with the 11th pick in the 2nd round of the 2010 draft (I was really hoping the Kings would take him last year if Whiteside was off the board). He put together a mediocre showing in the Summer league, averaging 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 82 minutes over 4 games. After Miami signed LeBron, Bosh and a few other free agents, his chances of making the roster vanished. Jarvis soon headed overseas to play with Carmatic Pistoia (also referred to as Tuscany Pistoia), a second-division team in the Italian basketball league (aka Italian Lega A).
In case you're interested, here's some info on the league. The Italian Lega A is arguably the best league in the world outside of the NBA (more info on leagues outside the NBA). Like I said before, the team Varnado played for is in the second division of the Italian Lega A, this league is known as Legadue or Lega2. Each year the Lega2 team with the best regular season record is promoted to Lega A along with the the winner of the Lega2 playoffs. To make room for the two Lega2 teams, the bottom 2 teams in Lega A are relegated to Lega2. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that Varnado played in a very solid basketball league last year.
Carmatic Pistoia finished 8th out of 16 teams this past season with a 14-16 record. Varnado was a starter and arguably the best player on the team. He was the team's second leading scorer and best rebounder. While playing in 33 games and averaging 30.9 minutes, he put up 15.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1.8 steals, 3.1 blocks and only 2.9 personal fouls. He shot 55.9% from the field, but only 63.9% from the line. (Check out his game logs from last year. There are some pretty impressive games in there).
The Heat still retain Varnado's rights, so you would have to go through them to attain him. I'm curious to see if they would give him a call if they cut ties with Juwan Howard or Jamaal Magloire. If they don't, I'm curious to see what it would take to get him?
Just to clarify, I am not suggesting the Kings run out and add Jarvis Varnado immediately, nor am I saying that he is the best fit for this team. Since we're in the dark void between the end of the Kings season and the NBA draft, where we rehash the same info a thousand times, I just thought it would be fun to see where one of my favorite 2010 second rounders ended up.
Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear what you all think about this guy.
(This is a FanPost from a member of the Sactown Royalty community. The views expressed come from the member, and not Sactown Royalty staff.)
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He was one of my favs as well
But I’m not sure Miami has the rights to him anymore. 2nd rounders don’t get guaranteed contracts (and that goes both ways) so unless Miami actually signed him to a deal and then let him go to Italy – He’s probably a FA barring whatever contract he has in Europe.
"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."
- Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower
Yes, Miami still has his rights
Remember Dejan Bodiroga? He never came over, but the Kings retained his rights. Remember, this was the case with Marc Gasol, who was a 2nd round pick of the Lakers but didn’t come right over. His rights were shipped to Memphis in the Pau Gasol deal.
SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!
Lawrence Funderburke is another example
drafted by the Kings 51st (and why he wore that number by the way because apparantly he felt he was better than the 51st player) and played outside the US for three years before coming back to give it a go in the NBA.
by wallywagon11 on May 24, 2011 8:19 PM PDT up reply actions
Darius Songalia was another example.
After Boston drafted Songalia, he went back to Lithuania and came back to the NBA to play for the Kings. After Songalia graduated Wake Forest of course.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
how did Songolia go from being drafted by the Celtics to being signed by the Kings?
by wallywagon11 on May 24, 2011 9:34 PM PDT up reply actions
were the rights to him traded to the Kings or did the Celtics cut him somewhere in between there?
by wallywagon11 on May 24, 2011 9:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Yeah.
The Kings traded 2 2nd round picks for Songalia.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
I believe he would have had to come to Miami for preseason and compete for a roster spot and been cut in order for this to apply
by wallywagon11 on May 24, 2011 6:25 PM PDT up reply actions
Didn't he?
sounds like that is what happened. They never signed him to a contract which they aren’t required to do. He wasn’t an international case either as section mentions, he’s an american kid.
but I’m not sure either way.
"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."
- Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower
by lietothegirls on May 24, 2011 7:34 PM PDT up reply actions
They drafted him and never waived him
He went to Europe on his own. Heck, he may have gone at the suggestion of the Heat. But the Heat never waived him, so they still have his rights.
SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!
That does sound correct to me
"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."
- Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower
by lietothegirls on May 24, 2011 7:47 PM PDT up reply actions
doesn't matter if he is American or not
Just matters if they waived him in preseason. If he took another offer to go to Europe after Summer League or before getting officially cut in preseason they still have rights to him.
By the way, bit of a sidenote but Marc Gasol went to high school in Memphis and actually moved from the US back to Spain to play there.
by wallywagon11 on May 24, 2011 8:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Can't have a parent who is not a US citizen or born out of wedlock (please completely ignore Andrew Jackson or the US Constitution)
(okay I’ll stop)
by wallywagon11 on May 25, 2011 9:18 AM PDT up reply actions
Even if the crap were true (and it's obviously not)
it’s vague Constitutionally as to whether being born of an American citizen mother, who has never had any other citizenship, wouldn’t make him legally American born anyway. ALA John McCain (Panama), though not an exact equivelent.
"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake."
- Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower
by lietothegirls on May 25, 2011 11:10 AM PDT up reply actions
Ira Winderman from the Palm Beach Post reported on August, 16 2010
Miami Heat second-round draft choice Jarvis Varnado, the 41st overall selection in June’s NBA Draft, has signed to play with second-division team Carmatic Pistoia of the Italian League.
The move allows the Heat to retain the rights to the shot-blocking forward out of Mississippi State.
Do the Heat hold his right indefinitely?
Yep. They surely do until they renounce him or a team tries to trade for him.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
And indefinitely is not the case.
Until Varnado retires the Heat hold his rights.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Isn't there a rule whereby if a player stays out of professional ball x 1 year (or more) they can re enter the draft?
by betweentheeyes on May 24, 2011 9:38 PM PDT up reply actions
I think that's the case if they don't play any pro ball over seas or here.
/ Wondering if I should change my signature
yes
they can’t play professionally for the entire year
by wallywagon11 on May 24, 2011 9:48 PM PDT up reply actions
That's only if they stop playing professionally.
In Varnado’s case, it’s not an issue.
EvilCowtownInc: Screwin Suckaz over since 1985...... On Twitter
No mistakes in the tango, Donna. Not like life. Simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, and get all tangled up, you just tango on.....
Nice read, good job
I’m all for giving him a look.
I love beating dead horses.
by allbenji's on May 24, 2011 5:07 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
Nice look at a different path for a college prospect, entertaining write up
I remember Varnado – he was a part of the year of the block – it seemed that he, Whiteside, Sanders, Brackins and a few others were blocking a lot of shots last college season.
My concern with Varnado was his body language (and The Pout aka DMC plays for the Kings). He seemed to take plays off (usually on offense more than defense) and he is the only player I can recall who would lean over and grab the lower rim of his shorts legs and watch the game during live action (usually this move is done during free throws, to rest). Wonderful athletcism and timing – not sure about his head and his level of maturity.
Yes, there were a lot of shot blockers that year
but Varnado showed over his career that he was an elite shot blocker, so I think he’s a little different than the others. I agree with you on his maturity and his mentality, but I’m hoping that maybe spending a year in Italy helped with that. I suppose there’s really no way for us to know other than scouting reports from this year.
i know, just a joke
technically you want to write that he averaged 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks within 20.5 minutes over 4 games.
by wallywagon11 on May 24, 2011 7:13 PM PDT up reply actions
"I was educated in El Dorado County"
Oxymoron.
Kidding – I love you hill people!
SACTOWN ROYALTY - Try our thick creamy shakes!
We prefer "hill folk"
It is troubling when I think about the fact that I grew up in a town with the moniker “Old Hangtown”… Yikes. It’s hard to explain that to people down here in LA, they instantly assume I must have tie to the Ku Klux Klan.
Oh lord...
They just took this down a few years ago. I remember seeing that when I was about 8 after my family moved there from Oakland. I was terrified.
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