Notebook: Weber State’s Harding, Brown to play in NBA Summer League
After going overseas, two former Weber State men’s basketball guards are getting their first shots in NBA events.
Weber State’s all-time scoring leader Jerrick Harding (2017-20) and 2021 Big Sky newcomer of the year Isiah Brown have signed to play in the NBA Summer League.
Harding, who participated in a free-agent workout with the Dallas Mavericks last week, has signed to play for the Mavs during NBA Summer League, WSU announced Tuesday.
Brown will play with the Los Angeles Clippers at Summer League, the 6-foot-2 guard told the Standard-Examiner on Friday.
Neither team has officially released Summer League rosters.
Harding scored 2,266 points at Weber State and has played two seasons with Nymburk in the Czech Republic. He graduated at the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic and did not get a usual run of NBA or G League opportunities that may have been available otherwise.
Harding played 43 games for Nymburk in the Czech NBL this season, averaging 18.1 points in 23 minutes per game, shooting 56.8% overall and 45.2% from 3.
Brown’s career 2020-21 college season included averages of 17.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for Weber State.
He played his first professional season with Achilleas Kaimakliou in Cyprus in the 2021-22 season, averaging 21.9 points and 5.2 assists in 36 minutes per game.
Another Utah college alum will join Brown with the Clippers; Justin Bean of Utah State signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the club. That type of deal is a one-year, minimum agreement with no guarantees, but with clauses that make it possible to convert the contract into a two-way deal, or to pay the player bonuses for signing and playing with their G League affiliate.
BYU’s efficient scoring guard Alex Barcello will play Summer League with the Toronto Raptors.
The main NBA Summer League includes all 30 teams and is scheduled July 7-17 in Las Vegas.
SLC SUMMER LEAGUE
The Utah Jazz released the schedule for its four-team SLC Summer League scheduled July 5-7 at Vivint Arena.
The three-day schedule includes games on July 5-6 on ESPN2 and on July 7 on NBA TV. All three Jazz games will also air locally on KMYU.
The Jazz are expected to have former BYU and SLC Stars player Yoeli Childs, Johnny Juzang (UCLA) and Kofi Cockburn (Illinois) on the Summer League roster, among others.
July 5: Memphis vs. Philadelphia (5 p.m.), Utah vs. Oklahoma City (7 p.m.)
July 6: Oklahoma City vs. Memphis (5 p.m.), Utah vs. Philadelphia (7 p.m.)
July 7: Philadelphia vs. Oklahoma City (4 p.m.), Utah vs. Memphis (6 p.m.)
WATERMAN SIGNS WITH BYU
BYU finished its men’s basketball recruiting class by signing three-year player Noah Waterman from Detroit Mercy.
The 6-foot-11 forward is a career 44% 3-point shooter and had reportedly had big schools pursuing late, but he opted to choose BYU as it moves into the Big 12 after this coming season.
Waterman needs a waiver to play immediately and has up to three seasons left to play. He appeared in eight games as a freshman at Niagara but can recoup that season of eligibility with a medical hardship waiver. His first season after transferring to Detroit Mercy was 2020-21, which did not count against eligibility across all sports nationwide due to COVID-19.
Waterman is BYU’s third Division I transfer of the class, joining senior Rudi Williams from Coastal Carolina and sophomore Jaxson Robinson of Arkansas. Farmington’s Collin Chandler and Braden Moore of Tennessee are true freshmen, as is former Fremont star Dallin Hall with his recent return from missionary service.