Othyus Jeffers (born August 5, 1985) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and coach. Jeffers played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

with the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

for two years, before transferring to

Robert Morris University Robert Morris University (RMU) is a private university in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1921 and is named after Robert Morris (financier), Robert Morris, known as the "financier of the American Revolution". It enr ...

for his senior season. He then started his professional career with the

Iowa Energy Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

of the

NBA D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

, a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

basketball organization owned and run by the NBA. He has had stints with three prior NBA teams: the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

, the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, and the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. He has also spent a short stint in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

with NGC Cantù. After his playing career, he returned to Robert Morris and served as head coach of the basketball team from 2017 to 2019.

Early life

Jeffers was born in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, to Geraldine Allen. He grew up in the Chicago's West Side. His three older brothers, Henry Allen, Gerome Allen and Edmund Allen, all played basketball in high school and Jeffers often attended his brothers' games and practice. In 1993, when Jeffers was in the third grade, Gerome was shot to death near the family's apartment. Nine years later, during his senior year at Hubbard High School, he lost another brother. Edmund was shot to death in another shooting incident nearby. However, the incident did not stop him from playing basketball, as he and his half-brother and high school teammate, Standell King, attended practice just a day after the incident. Prior to attending Hubbard, Jeffers attended and played basketball with Westinghouse High School. He transferred to Hubbard as a sophomore and continued to play basketball there. He averaged 22 points and 11 rebounds per game as a junior. In his senior season, he led Hubbard to IHSA Regional and Sectional titles while averaging 28 points and 16 rebounds per game. He graduated as the school's all-time leading rebounder with 1,987 rebounds.

College career

Community college and Illinois-Chicago

Jeffers, who did not qualify academically for a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) Division I scholarship, opted to attend Los Angeles Southwest College, a

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

near the city of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He starred and averaged 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds as a freshman. However, after a year, he returned home to Chicago and transferred to the

(UIC). He reportedly rejected offers from

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

and

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...

schools and chose to attend Illinois-Chicago in order to be close with his family who lived near the school. He started his college career with the

UIC Flames The UIC Flames are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Chicago, located in Chicago, Illinois, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

in 2005, after sitting out the 2004–05 season while establishing academic eligibility. In the 2005–06 season, Jeffers played in all 31 games, 30 as a starter. He led the Flames in rebounding (7.6 rebounds per game) and assists (3.0 assists per game) and also ranked second in scoring with 11.6 points per game. He won the

Horizon League The Horizon League is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in ...

Newcomer of The Year awards for his debut season with the Flames. He improved his performance in his junior season by averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 32 games, all as a starter. He recorded a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

on December 21, 2005. He led the team in both scoring and rebounding and was named in the All-Horizon League First Team. However, he had a difficult relationship and frequently clashed with head coach Jimmy Collins.

Shooting incident

A few weeks after his junior season finished, Jeffers was shot in the leg while trying to defend his sister from Andre Childs, his sister's boyfriend. His sister earlier called Jeffers for help in a dispute against Childs. Jeffers came to his sister's defense and confronted Childs. After a fight, Childs allegedly pulled a gun fired several shots. Two bullets hit both Jeffers and his sister. Jeffers was shot in the left thigh and his sister was hit in the left calf. Jeffers and his sister survived and Childs was later arrested and charged with attempted murder. Jeffers was fortunate that the bullet went through his thigh without hitting any major arteries. He left the hospital that night after getting treatment, even though the doctor wanted him to stay overnight for further observation. Jeffers, who wanted to play basketball as soon as possible, was supposed to use crutches for three weeks but he only used them for three days. He then began to play basketball again in less than a month.

Robert Morris University

After the shooting incident, combined with his conflict with coach Collins, Jeffers transferred schools once again. He transferred to

who played in the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA). By transferring from an NCAA school to an NAIA school, Jeffers did not have to sit out another season. He also switched his major from psychology/sociology to business major. He concluded his college career there by averaging 24.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a senior. He led the RMU Eagles to a

Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its 12 members are loc ...

(CCAC) championship and was named as the CCAC Player of the Year. He then played in the 2007 NAIA Basketball Tournament, leading the Eagles to the Final Four, where they were defeated by the

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

. Despite failing to win the championship, Jeffers was named as NAIA Player of the Year by

The Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...

and as co-Player of the Year the

Basketball Times ''Basketball Times'' was an American basketball magazine that was in circulation from 1978 to 2021, and was published by Akers Ink LLC. ''Basketball Times'' published monthly and mainly focused on college basketball. The headquarters was in Matthe ...

Professional career

Iowa Energy (2008–09)

Jeffers was automatically eligible for the

2008 NBA draft The 2008 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2008, at the The Theater at Madison Square Garden, Washington Mutual Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this NBA draft, draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took t ...

after finishing his four-year college eligibility. However, he went

undrafted In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

. He then signed a contract to play in the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

(D-League) and became eligible for the 2008 D-League draft. On November 7, 2008, Jeffers was selected 47th overall in the third round by the

. On February 11, 2009, after playing 24 games while averaging 19.9 points and 8.9 rebounds with the Energy, Jeffers was selected to the D-League All-Star Game roster. In the game, he scored 14 points as his team, the Red Team, defeated the Blue Team 113–103. He also participated in the D-League Dream Factory Friday Night Slam Dunk Contest, but was eliminated in the first round. He averaged 20.6 points on 53.5 percent shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 48 games and was named as the Rookie of the Year for the 2008–09 season. He played one game in the D-League playoffs as the Energy was eliminated in the first round by the Dakota Wizards

NGC Cantù (2009)

During the offseason, he was selected to play with the NBA D-League Select Team in the

NBA Summer League The NBA Summer League, also known as the Las Vegas Summer League, is an off-season basketball competition organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA teams come together to try out different summer rosters instead of their regula ...

. He played in two games, averaging 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23.0 minutes per game. After failing to earn a spot in the NBA teams' training camp, he opted to play overseas with the NGC Cantù in

. He left Cantù in December 2009 after only playing in 10 games while averaging 9.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Second stint with Iowa Energy (2010)

Jeffers returned to the D-League and rejoined the Iowa Energy on January 9, 2010.

Utah Jazz (2010)

On March 3, 2010, Jeffers was signed to a 10-day contract by the

. Prior to the call-up, he was averaging 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 22 games with the Energy. He made his first NBA appearance on March 6, 2010, in a game against the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

. He then signed a second 10-day contract on March 14, 2010. After playing in seven games for the Jazz, he was signed for the remainder of the season on March 24, 2010. He played 10 games with the Jazz, averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in 5.1 minutes per game. He also played 6 games in the playoffs.

Third stint with Iowa Energy (2010–11)

Jeffers remained on the Jazz roster throughout the 2010 NBA Summer League, the training camp and the preseason games. In the Summer League, he played in five games and averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 19.2 minutes per game. He then played in five preseason games, averaging 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.6 minutes per game. However, he was waived before the start of the season. He then returned to the Iowa Energy for the 2010–11 season. On February 3, 2011, Jeffers, who was leading the league in scoring with 21.1 points per game, received his second selection to the D-League All-Star Game. In the game, he scored 14 points as his team, the Eastern Conference All-Stars, defeated the Western Conference All-Stars 115–108.

San Antonio Spurs (2011)

After playing in 37 games and averaging 21.2 points on 48.0 percent shooting, 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, Jeffers was called up to the

. He signed a 10-day contract with them on March 4, 2011. He played only one game with the Spurs before he returned to the Energy on March 13.

Washington Wizards (2011)

Jeffers played one more game with the Energy before he was signed by the

on March 17, 2011. He signed his second 10-day contracts with the Wizards on March 27, 2011. On April 6, 2011, he was finally signed for the remainder of the season. He scored 15 points, in a game against the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

on March 20, 2011, his first double-figure scoring game in the NBA. Two days later, he started his first NBA game in a game against the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

. He recorded his first

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

with 13 points and 11 rebounds on April 9, 2011. He played 16 games with the Wizards, averaging 5.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 13.0 minutes per game. Although he ended the season with the Wizards in the NBA, Jeffers was named to the All NBA D-League Second Team and the NBA D-League All-Defensive First Team. After the 2010–11 season, Jeffers became a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in some sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the term ...

as the Wizards extended a qualifying offer to him. However, the

2011 NBA lockout The 2011 NBA lockout was the fourth and most recent lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Team owners began the work stoppage upon expiration of the 2005 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The 161-day lockout ...

prevented him from signing the qualifying offer. He also suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a workout in July and was ruled out for six to eight months. The Wizards subsequently withdrew the qualifying offer, thus making him an unrestricted free agent. Jeffers went on to miss the entire 2011–12 season.

Fourth stint with Iowa Energy (2012–14)

In September 2012, Jeffers was invited to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

' training camp and preseason games. He played in one preseason game before he was waived by the Suns before the 2012–13 regular season started. He returned to the D-League and rejoined the Iowa Energy. He averaged 14.7 points on 48.6 percent shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in 33 games. At the end of the season, Jeffers was named to the NBA D-League All-Defensive Third Team. Jeffers joined the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

for the 2013 NBA Summer League. He played in six games, averaging 8.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game. On September 26, 2013, he signed with the Timberwolves for training camp. He was later waived by the Timberwolves on October 25. In November 2013, he was re-acquired by the Iowa Energy. On January 24, 2014, he signed a 10-day contract with the

. On February 1, 2014, he was waived by the Spurs. On February 3, 2014, Jeffers was named to the Prospects All-Star roster for the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star Game. On February 6, 2014, he re-joined the Iowa Energy.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2014)

On April 8, 2014, Jeffers signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rest of the 2013–14 season. On April 24, 2014, Jeffers and

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

were named the co-MVPs of the NBA D-League for the 2013–14 season.

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (2014)

On May 4, 2014, he signed with the

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters The TNT Tropang 5G is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the PLDT, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The ...

for the 2014 PBA Governors’ Cup. He made his one and only appearance for Talk 'N Text on May 21 as he recorded 38 points, 13 rebounds and 2 steals in the 105–99 win over

Meralco Bolts The Meralco Bolts is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team began in 2010 after the Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) acquired the PBA franchise of the Sta. Lucia Realtors. The team is one of thre ...

. Jeffers did not play in the 2014–15 basketball season reportedly because of a knee injury he suffered.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (2016)

On January 4, 2016, he signed with the

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in the league, it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distiller ...

for the

2016 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2016 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner's Cup, also known as the 2016 Oppo-PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the second conference of the 2015–16 PBA season. The tournament allowed teams to hire forei ...

and also for the 2016 Governors' Cup.

Post-playing career

On December 22, 2016, it was announced that Jeffers would return to

of the

(NAIA) and served as associate head coach. He accumulated a 9–19 record during his first season as head coach in 2017–18.

Career statistics

College

, - , align="left", 2005–06 , align="left", Illinois-Chicago , 31 , , 30 , , 32.3 , , .488 , , .000 , , .530 , , 7.6 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 11.6 , - , align="left", 2006–07 , align="left", Illinois-Chicago , 32 , , 32 , , 33.0 , , .469 , , .167 , , .665 , , 8.6 , , 2.6 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 15.4 , - , align="left", 2007–08 , align="left", Robert Morris (Illinois) , 33 , , , , 29.5 , , .602 , , , , .682 , , 8.8 , , 3.3 , , , , , , 21.5 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 96 , , , , 31.6 , , .528 , , , , .636 , , 8.4 , , 2.9 , , , , , , 16.3

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left", , align="left",

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, 14 , , 0 , , 5.2 , , .414 , , .000 , , .684 , , 1.4 , , .1 , , .3 , , .0 , , 2.6 , - , align="left", , align="left",

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .333 , , .000 , , .000 , , 2.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left", , align="left",

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, 16 , , 1 , , 19.6 , , .484 , , .250 , , .652 , , 4.1 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , 5.7 , - , align="left", , align="left",

, 4 , , 1 , , 8.5 , , .600 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.8 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 35 , , 2 , , 12.3 , , .465 , , .200 , , .657 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .6 , , .0 , , 3.9

Playoffs

, - , align="left",

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, align="left",

, 6 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .167 , , .000 , , .000 , , .2 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 6 , , 0 , , 1.7 , , .167 , , .000 , , .000 , , .2 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3

D-League

Regular season

, - , align="left", 2008–09 , align="left",

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, 48 , , 32 , , 37.1 , , .535 , , .286 , , .738 , , 8.8 , , 2.7 , , 2.0 , , .4 , , 20.6 , - , align="left", 2009–10 , align="left",

, 22 , , 16 , , 29.2 , , .510 , , .167 , , .663 , , 6.8 , , 1.9 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , 14.3 , - , align="left", 2010–11 , align="left",

, 38 , , 37 , , 38.2 , , .482 , , .311 , , .731 , , 9.1 , , 3.1 , , 1.9 , , .2 , , 21.1 , - , align="left", 2012–13 , align="left",

, 33 , , 31 , , 32.9 , , .486 , , .348 , , .741 , , 5.4 , , 3.7 , , 1.7 , , .1 , , 14.7 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 141 , , 116 , , 35.2 , , .506 , , .311 , , .729 , , 7.8 , , 2.9 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , 18.4

Playoffs

, - , align="left", 2009 , align="left",

, 1 , , 1 , , 43.0 , , .722 , , .000 , , .714 , , 14.0 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 31.0 , -class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 1 , , 1 , , 43.0 , , .722 , , .000 , , .714 , , 14.0 , , 4.0 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 31.0

References

External links

*
NBA D-League ProfileESPN.com Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeffers, Othyus 1985 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines American men's basketball players American shooting survivors Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players from Chicago Iowa Energy players Junior college men's basketball players in the United States Minnesota Timberwolves players Pallacanestro Cantù players Philippine Basketball Association imports Robert Morris Eagles men's basketball players San Antonio Spurs players Shooting guards Small forwards TNT Tropang 5G players UIC Flames men's basketball players Undrafted NBA players Utah Jazz players Washington Wizards players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen American men's basketball coaches Los Angeles Southwest Cougars athletes