Lehmon Colbert

Lehmon Colbert
No. 6 – UCC Demons
Position Power forward / Center
League Premier League
Personal information
Born April 14, 1988
Roberta, Georgia
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school Crawford County (Roberta, Georgia)
College Jacksonville (2006–2010)
NBA draft 2010 / Undrafted
Pro career 2010–present
Career history
2010–2012 Plymouth Raiders
2013 Leñadores de Madera
2013–present UCC Demons
Career highlights and awards
  • Premier League champion (2015)
  • All-Premier League First Team (2015)
  • 2× Irish National Cup champion (2014, 2015)
  • 2× Irish National Cup MVP (2014, 2015)
  • 2× Irish Champions Trophy champion (2014, 2015)
  • Second-team All-Atlantic Sun (2010)
  • Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team (2007)

Lehmon Colbert, Jr. (born April 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the UCC Demons of the Irish Premier League. He played college basketball for Jacksonville University.

High school career

Colbert attended Crawford County High School in Roberta, Georgia. As a senior in 2005–06, he averaged 25 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks per game.[1] He was named second-team all-state in Class 2A as a junior, and first-team all-state in Class 2A as a senior.[2]

On April 12, 2006, Colbert signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Jacksonville University.[1]

College career

In his freshman season at Jacksonville, Colbert earned Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team honors. In 29 games (28 starts), he averaged 11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.[2][3]

In his sophomore season, Colbert had his most productive college season, scoring in double figures 24 times while going for 20 points or more three times. In 31 games (all starts), he averaged 13.1 points, 6.3 rebounds an 2.6 assists per game.[2][3]

In his junior season, Colbert became the 26th member of the school's 1,000-point club. He scored in double figures 22 times while going for 20 points or more two times. In 32 games (all starts), he averaged 11.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.[2][3]

In his senior season, Colbert earned second-team All-Atlantic Sun honors. In 28 games (26 starts), he averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28.5 minutes per game.[3][4] He finished his four-year career with 1,460 points, the thirteenth-highest point total ever for a Dolphins' player.[5]

Professional career

Plymouth Raiders (2010–2012)

Colbert went undrafted in the 2010 NBA draft. In August 2010, he signed a one-year deal with the Plymouth Raiders of the British Basketball League.[6] In May 2011, he signed a one-year contract extension with the Raiders.[7] In 83 games for Plymouth over two seasons, he averaged 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.[8]

Mexico (2013)

After not receiving any contract offers for the 2012–13 season, Colbert moved to Mexico in May 2013 where he joined Leñadores de Madera of the LiMeBa Liga.[9] It was a strange experience for Colbert, as he stated he "wouldn’t wish it on anybody" and felt unsafe in the "dangerous" country.[10] He averaged 28 points and 10 rebounds per game over his stint with Leñadores.[11]

UCC Demons (2013–present)

In September 2013, Colbert signed with the UCC Demons of Ireland for the 2013–14 Premier League season.[12] He had a very successful season with the Demons as helped the team finish second on the ladder with a 16-2 win/loss record, while also helping the team win the National Cup and the Champions Trophy. In 18 regular season games, he averaged 19.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.

Colbert returned to the Demons for the 2014–15 season,[13] and on February 5, 2015, he earned BI Player of the Month honors for January and was named the National Cup MVP after leading the Demons to a second consecutive National Cup title.[14] The club went on to finish the regular season in first place with a perfect 18-0 record, garnering their seventh league title.[15] In 18 regular season games, he averaged 22.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[16] On March 26, 2015, he was named an inaugural All-Premier League first teamer alongside teammates Kyle Hosford and Colin O'Reilly.[17] Three days later, he recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds in the Champions Trophy final win over Templeogue.[18] The win created history in Irish basketball as the Demons became the first side ever to remain undefeated for an entire season – a campaign that saw them win 24 games in a row.[19]

Personal

Colbert is the youngest of six children to mother Irene and father Lehmon Sr., who died when Colbert was 18.[20] His daughter, Kyla, was born in 2011.[10]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Men's basketball adds three student-athletes for 2006-07". CSTV.com. April 12, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "2009-10 Men's Basketball – Lehmon Colbert". JUDolphins.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Lehmon Colbert Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  4. ↑ "#41 COLBERT, Lehmon". JUDolphins.com. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  5. ↑ Elliott, Jeff (March 23, 2010). "Ben Smith-Lehmon Colbert pairing was most prolific in JU basketball history". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert completes Plymouth Raiders squad". BBC.co.uk. August 27, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert signs new deal with Plymouth Raiders". BBC.com. May 26, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Player statistics for Lehmon Colbert". FoxSportsPulse.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  9. ↑ "El nuevo refuerzo lehmon colbert!!". Facebook.com (in Spanish). May 31, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Murphy, Éamonn (January 10, 2014). "DEMONS’ OVERSEAS LEADERS". EveningEcho.ie. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert's Mexico Highlights". YouTube.com. July 16, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Basketball Teams Bounce Into New Season". TheCorkNews.ie. October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  13. ↑ Coughlan, John (October 3, 2014). "Neptune and Demons renew rivalry". IrishExaminer.com. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  14. ↑ "C&S UCC DEMONS GET BI AWARDS FOR JANUARY". BlueDemonsBC.com. February 5, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  15. ↑ "C&S UCC DEMONS WILL CARRY CONFIDENCE INTO THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON". BlueDemonsBC.com. March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Men's Premier League 2014-15 – Lehmon Colbert". bi.comortais.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  17. ↑ "Inaugural All-Stars Revealed". BasketballIreland.ie. March 26, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
  18. ↑ "UCC Demons vs Templeogue". FIBALiveStats.com. March 29, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  19. ↑ "UCC Demons created Irish basketball history as they remain undefeated all season". UCC.ie. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert is finding right recipe in rookie year". WesternMorningNews.co.uk. March 10, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2014.

External links