Weber looks like a steal for Honey Badgers
Hamilton pro hoops squad signs 2013-14 NCAA steals leader who’s played 45 NBA games
With the signing of Brianté Weber, the Hamilton Honey Badgers think they got a real steal.
They certainly got a guy who can really steal.
In 2013-14, the 27-year-old point guard from Virginia led all of U.S. college basketball in steals while at Virginia Commonwealth, where he played under Shaka Smart, now the head coach at Texas.
Commonwealth was known for its entertaining, exciting game pace and made it into the second round of March Madness.
Weber was only 12 steals away from setting the all-time NCAA record when he tore both his MCL and ACL in January of his senior year (2015). He is still ranked third all-time in U.S. college steals.
He was the three-time defensive player of the year in the Atlantic 10 Conference but severe knee injuries resulted in NBA teams passing on him in the 2015 draft. But, under a series of 10-game NBA contracts, over the next three seasons he played 45 games for Memphis, Miami, Golden State, Charlotte and Houston, starting four and averaging nearly a steal (0.9) per game, in limited minutes.
During those three years, he also played in the NBA G League, and was twice named to the league’s alldefensive team before spending last season with Levallois in France’s top professional league.
“Brianté has always been a leader and what he brings defensively, it’s going to be very special for us,” firstyear Honey Badger GM Jermaine Anderson told The Spectator. “I think that he’s going to be a great mentor for Kadre Gray (Hamilton’s top 2020 U Sports draft pick).”
As a fourth-year pro, Weber still has NBA aspirations. In April, the Honey Badgers also signed the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s first NBA-drafted player: Toronto native Justin Jackson.
The CEBL announced this week that it’s aiming for a tournamentstyle format for its sophomore season, all in a hub location, likely at the Meridian Centre in St. Catharines from mid-July into early August.