The Memphis Grizzlies recalled former LBSU basketball star James Ennis from the team’s Development League affiliate, the Iowa Energy, twice in the month of February.
The first call came on Feb. 3, but Ennis remained on the Grizzlies’ bench and headed back to Iowa without logging a single minute in the NBA.
The Grizzlies added Ennis to the team again on Feb. 17, and played his first minutes with the team the very next game for the first time since Jan. 12. Ennis played four minutes on Feb. 19 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, finishing with a steal and a point. He then saw seven minutes of action across two games against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday and Friday. He totaled two points and two rebounds in Friday’s matchup at Staples Center.
Playoffs?!
Both former 49ers playing professional basketball in China missed out on the playoffs. Casper Ware’s team, the Tianjin Steel, went 8-30 on the season, finishing in 18th place in the 20-team league. Lin Chang’s squad, the Jiangsu Nangang Dragons Nanjing, finished with an 18-20 record. The Dragons ended up in 12th place, just four games out of the playoffs.
On the right foot
Recent LBSU graduates Mike Caffey and David Samuels are off to great starts in their first professional seasons in Hungary and Cyprus, respectively.
As the starting point guard for Fortress Jaszbereny, Caffey leads the team with 4.1 assists, is fourth with 14.3 points, and third with 4.5 rebounds per game. Fortress is out of playoff contention with a 3-16 record.
Samuels leads Enosis Neon Paralimni with 9.1 rebounds per game. He also averages 11.5 points per game and owns a team-leading 51.7 shooting percentage. Enosis sits in sixth place in the 8-team league.
In the thick of it
Several former 49ers are in playoff contention with their respective teams.
T.J. Robinson, LBSU’s all-time rebound leader with 1,208 boards from 2008-12, leads England’s Sheffield Sharks with 11.0 rpg and ranks second with 16.6 ppg. The Sharks sit in fourth place of the British Basketball League with a 14-8 record.
Two former LBSU stars are shining in the Mexican league. Eugene Phelps leads Fuerza Regia Monterrey with 23.6 ppg in the month of February. Phelps is leading Fuerza Regia’s playoff charge; they currently sit in third place with a 22-15 record.
Edgar Garibay is also leading the way for his team’s push for the postseason. Garibay is averaging 13.5 ppg and 7.8 rpg in February for Gigantes Edomex Toluca. The Giants sit in seventh place with a 14-22 record while the eighth- and ninth-place Roadrunners and Panthers are within two games behind Toluca.
El jugador mas valioso
Garibay did a little more than participate in the 2016 Mexican National Basketball League All-Star game on Sunday. The 6-foot-11-inch forward led the league’s best Mexican-born players to a 131-129 win over the best foreign players and earned Most Valuable Player.