Lesley Varner II explained

Lesley Varner II
Position:Small forward
Height Ft:6
Height In:7
Weight Lb:190
League:Austrian Basketball Superliga
Team:UBSC Graz
Nationality:American
Birth Date:29 April 1998
High School:Cedar Hill
(Cedar Hill, Texas)
Draft Year:2020
Career Start:2021
Years1:2021–present
Team1:UBSC Graz
Highlights:
  • First-team All-WAC (2020)

Lesley Varner II (born April 29, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for UBSC Graz of the Austrian Basketball Superliga. He played college basketball for the Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.

Early life and high school career

Varner attended Cedar Hill High School. During his senior season, he guided the team to a 25–7 record and 11th ranking in Texas. Varner committed to play college basketball at Texas–Rio Grande Valley, turning down offers from Arkansas–Pine Bluff, UC Riverside, and Milwaukee. He stated that he knew Texas–Rio Grande Valley was a good fit after his visit, and he connected with coach Lew Hill.[1]

College career

After posting his first double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in an 85–77 win against Chicago State, Varner was named WAC player of the week on January 24, 2017.[2] Varner averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game as a junior.[3] [4] On December 3, 2019, he scored 33 points and had 13 rebounds, both career-highs, while tying his career-high with five steals in a 90–86 overtime win against Sam Houston State.[5] As a senior, Varner averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the field. He was named to the First Team All-WAC. Varner finished his career with 1,182 points, 16th highest in school history.[6]

Professional career

Varner signed his first professional contract with UBSC Graz of the Austrian Basketball Superliga on August 26, 2021.[7]

Career statistics

College

|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;"| Texas–Rio Grande Valley || 32 || 3 || 14.8 || .357 || .276 || .647 || 2.3 || .9 || .8 || .2 || 4.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18| style="text-align:left;"| Texas–Rio Grande Valley || 33 || 5 || 16.9 || .374 || .269 || .714 || 3.2 || .6 || 1.0 || .3 || 5.1|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19| style="text-align:left;"| Texas–Rio Grande Valley|| 37 || 37 || 26.1 || .469 || .290 || .633 || 5.4 || 1.1 || 1.4 || .4 || 11.2|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20| style="text-align:left;"| Texas–Rio Grande Valley|| 30 || 30 || 28.0 || .433 || .406 || .871 || 6.0 || 1.7 || 1.5 || .3 || 15.6|- class="sortbottom"| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career|| 132 || 75 || 21.5 || .426 || .322 || .736 || 4.2 || 1.1 || 1.2 || .3 || 8.9

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Luca . Greg . UTRGV makes late surge to land three freshmen . September 3, 2021 . . May 6, 2016. Newspapers.com.
  2. News: Varner earns WAC player of the week honors . September 3, 2021 . . January 24, 2017. Newspapers.com.
  3. News: Stayman . Richard . Mavs Donuts: 10 Hidden Gems in This NBA Draft . September 3, 2021 . . June 2, 2020.
  4. Web site: Season Preview: Men's Basketball . . September 3, 2021 . October 30, 2019.
  5. News: UTRGV survives Sam Houston St. 90–86 in double overtime . September 3, 2021 . . . December 3, 2019.
  6. Web site: Varner to Play Professionally in Austria . . September 3, 2021 . August 26, 2021.
  7. Web site: Heinrich . Stefan . Varner Jr starts his pro career at UBSC Graz . Eurobasket . September 3, 2021 . August 26, 2021.