Weems wins D-League Jefferson in NBA

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –- Former Arkansas Razorback Sonny Weems scored a game-high 25 points to lead the Colorado 14ers to a 123-104 victory over the Utah Flash and the NBA Development League championship on Friday in Broomfield, Colo.

Weems played 28 minutes off the bench. He missed all six of his three-point attempts, but was 10-of-23 shooting overall, and added four rebounds, seven assists and one steal.

One of the leaders for Utah during the regular season was former Razorback Dontell Jefferson, who was signed by the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats at the end of the season and did not participate in the D-League playoffs.

Weems was an NBA second-round pick of the Chicago Bulls last year but was immediately traded to Denver. He earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2008 after averaging a team-high 15.0 points along with 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals. He helped the Razorbacks go 23-12, reach the finals of the SEC Tournament and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Colorado went a league best 34-16 during the season and won the title with series wins over Erie and Austin before topping Utah in the finals. The 14ers won the final series 2-0 after winning game one 136-131 in overtime.

Weems appeared in four playoff games for the 14ers, all wins. He played once in the series with Erie, once in the series with Austin and the twice in the finals. He scored 11 points in the first game against Erie, but had 27 against Austin, 28 in the first game against Utah and 25 in the last game. He averaged 22.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the post-season, and shot 48 percent from the field (34-71) and 88 percent at the line (22-25).

He played in 22 games with Colorado during the regular season and made eight starts. He averaged a team-high 20.5 points along with 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists. He shot 49 percent from the field (190-389) and 71 percent at the line (53-75).

Weems also spent time with the NBA’s Nuggets. He played in 12 games for Denver, although he was on the active roster for more, and averaged 1.6 points while making 8-of-25 shots.

Meanwhile, Jefferson spent most of the season in the D-League, but ended the year in the NBA with the Bobcats. After signing late in the season, he played in six games, but he was also on the active roster for more. He averaged 4.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He made 11-of-22 shots from the field (.500) and 6-of-9 free throws (.667).

In 33 games with the Utah Flash, all starts, he averaged 18.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals. He was named D-League Co-Player of the Month in January after averaging 21.4 points and 6.2 assists in 11 games, including a career-high 38 points against Fort Wayne on Jan. 26.

In three D-League seasons, Jefferson has career averages of 14.1 points, 4.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 114 games with Dakota and Utah, and helped Dakota win the championship in 2007. He also spent part of the 2008 season with Barons/LMT Riga in Latvia where he averaged 8.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 15 games in the Latvian League, and 7.5 points in seven games in the Baltic League.

Jefferson lettered at Arkansas in 2005 and 2006, averaging 4.1 points and 2.1 assists as a junior, and 3.2 points, 4.4 assists and 3.1 rebounds as a senior on a team going 22-10 and earning an NCAA Tournament bid.

Two other former Razorbacks off last year’s team also played in the D-League this year. Gary Ervin played for the Tulsa 66ers, and in 25 games averaged 8.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Steven Hill’s season was cut short by injury, but in seven games with the 66ers, he made five starts, and averaged 7.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots.