Maurice Ager

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Maurice Darnell Ager (born February 9, 1984, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player who plays the shooting guard position for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA. Ager played for the Fort Worth Flyers of the D-League^[1] to whom he was assigned by the NBA's Dallas Mavericks after playing 15 games for them in the 2006-07 season, averaging 1.5 points in 4.3 minutes per game.^[2] He played collegiately for the Michigan State Spartans from 2002 until 2006. The 6' 5" (1.95 m) guard was best known for his athleticism and pure shooting.

[edit] 2005 Tournament

In 2005, Ager was the top scorer for Michigan State, who reached the Final Four by defeating the Kentucky Wildcats in a classic double-overtime game in the Elite Eight. He was named to the Austin All-Regional team after averaging 16.8 points and 5 rebounds a game. Ager scored 24 points against North Carolina in the Final Four, but the Spartans lost to the eventual champions.

[edit] Senior year

Even though Ager averaged a team-high 19.3 points a game, the Spartans did not live up to the expectations analysts gave them. Once ranked #5 in the country, they received a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to George Mason in the first round. (George Mason went on to the Final Four.)

[edit] 2005 Maui Invitational Tournament

On November 22, 2005 at the Maui Invitational Tournament, Ager faced off against Gonzaga's Adam Morrison in one of the most thrilling battles of the year. Down by three with virtually no time remaining on the clock, Ager sank a three-point shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. Despite Ager's team-high 36 points, Gonzaga knocked off the Spartans in triple overtime 109-106. The next day Ager led the Spartans with 20 points to defeat Arizona 74-71 in overtime.

[edit] Professional career

On June 28, 2006, Ager was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Draft with the 28th overall pick. He played his first game in a Mavs uniform on July 1, 2006, for the Mavericks Summer League Team against the Nigerian national team. He led the Mavs with 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal. His 23 points included a huge three-pointer with 2:15 to go to put the Mavs up by 1 and ahead for the rest of the way. The Mavs won 89-85.

On July 6, 2006 the Mavericks' Summer League Team played their first game of the Toshiba Vegas Summer League, in which they fared extremely poorly against the Denver Nuggets Summer League Team, losing 85-113. Ager again led the way for the Mavs though, putting up a respectable team-high 17 points. On July 8, 2006, the Mavs faced off against the Boston Celtics Summer League Team, losing once again, 91-85. Ager led the team once again with 23 points and 2 assists. Despite a dislocated index finger, Ager continued to consistently lead the Mavericks through the end of the Toshiba Vegas Summer League and was named to First Team All-TVSL.

On February 19, 2008, Ager was traded, among others, by the Mavericks to the New Jersey Nets in a multi-player deal involving point guard Jason Kidd.^[3]

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Maurice Ager Info Page at NBA.com
• Maurice Ager Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
• Player profile