Eban Hyams

Eban Hyams

Hyams during a Lakers' camp in 2013. He later joined the team for two consecutive years.
Free agent
Position Point guard / Shooting guard
Personal information
Born (1981-03-21) 21 March 1981
Pune, India
Nationality Indian / Israeli / Australian
Listed height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight 196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school The Bishop's School (Pune)
Terra Sancta College (Sydney)
College Coastal Georgia (2002–2003)
Georgia Perimeter College (2003–2004)
Career history
1999–2001 Penrith Panthers
2005 Hornsby Spiders
2006 Sydney Comets
2006 Singapore Slingers
2007 Bankstown Bruins
2007 Galil Elyon
2008 Binyamenia
2008–2009 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles
Career highlights and awards

Eban Isaac Hyams (Hebrew: אבן היימס‎, born 21 March 1981) is an Indian-Israeli-Australian professional basketball player, a writer, producer, actor, model and musician. He is 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall, and plays point guard and shooting guard.

He has played professionally in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) and that country's Waratah League, part of the second division Australian Basketball Association (ABA). He has also played in Israel in the first division Super League and the second division Liga Leumit. He is the first ever Indian national to play in ULEB competitions.[1]

Early life

Born on 21 March 1981, in Pune, India, Eban Hyams is an Indian-Israeli-Australian professional basketball guard.

A member of the Bene Israeli community, Eban is Jewish and holds Israeli citizenship. His mother is Marilyn Hyams and his father was Erick Isaac Hyams, a well known singer and guitarist for the Indian band Sweet Slag in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Following his father's death in 1989, he attended boarding school where he excelled in sports. In 1996, his mother remarried and the family moved to Sydney. Earning a scholarship to attend Terra Sancta College in Sydney, Eban was named captain of his school and was introduced to basketball, eventually being selected to the New South Wales Combined Catholic Colleges (NSW CCC) state tryouts.

Basketball career

Breakout in Australia

Eban starred for the Sydney-based Penrith Panthers of the Waratah League, part of the second division Australian Basketball Association, from 1999 through 2002, averaging 15 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists per game.

US Junior College

He spent 2002 through 2004 playing junior college basketball in Georgia, first for the College of Coastal Georgia, then a junior college but now playing in the NAIA, and then Georgia Perimeter College in the NJCAA.

Return to Australia

Following his time in the US, Eban returned to the Australian ABA with the Hornsby Spiders for the 2005 season.

That year Eban also broke out as "Do It All" on the AND1 Mixtape Tour, averaging 18 points and 5 rebounds during streetball exhibition's Asia Pacific circuit.

Embracing his Jewish heritage, he also took part in the 2005 Maccabiah Games in Israel, leading his Australian basketball team to a fourth-place finish.

The following year, Eban played for the ABA's Sydney Comets before moving to the expansion Singapore Slingers of the first division National Basketball League, becoming the first Indian player to complete in that league and earning a place on both the International All-Star and Rookie All-Star teams.

Returning to the ABA with the Bankstown Bruins the following year, Eban excelled, averaging 20 points per game, and earned a three-year contract with Israeli powerhouse Galil Elyon Goba.

Israel, injury and illness

Eban broke his hand in 2008 while visiting his mother and sister in Sydney. Due to a misdiagnosis, it was eight months before he could play again at a professional level and he successfully sued for medical negligence.

Returning to form in 2008 and 2009 with the Waratah League's Manly Warringah Sea Eagles, Eban averaged 23 points a game and earned a place on the Hoopdreamz Great White Sharks, the Australian basketball contingent at the Goodwill Games in Philippines.

In 2011, he travelled to India to train with the India national basketball team ahead of the September 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. Immediately prior to the championships, however, he contracted Dengue fever and, after a period of hospitalisation, required three months of bed rest to recover.

NBA outreach role

Eban Hyams, an Indian-Israeli-Australian professional basketball player, has served as an Indian basketball outreach officer for the NBA from early 2012, including the administration of the Mahindra NBA Challenge.

Prior to his illness, Eban had been working with the NBA on Indian basketball outreach, and following his recovering in early 2012 was hired by the league as its Manager of Basketball Operations India to support and promoting basketball and the league there. Based in Mumbai, he assists in the administration of the Mahindra NBA Challenge amongst other basketball skills development and health education programs.

Return to the US

In June 2013, Eban returned to the United States intending to play professionally during the 2013–2014 season. He was invited to the NBA Development League National Invitational Tryouts in New York City on 15 June 2013 where he competed with other NBA D-League hopefuls for a roster spot. In October 2013, Eban tried out individually for four D-League franchises: the Tulsa 66ers based in Tulsa, Oklahoma (affiliated with the Oklahoma City Thunder); the Reno Bighorns based in Reno, Nevada (affiliated with the Sacramento Kings); the Los Angeles D-Fenders based in Los Angeles, California (owned by the Los Angeles Lakers); and the Texas Legends based in Frisco, Texas (affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks).

Professional statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1999–2001 Penrith Panthers (ABA) 28 28 30 .450 .350 .800 6 3 2 0.5 15
2002–2003 College of Coastal Georgia 30 7 25 .550 .400 .750 4 5 1 0.3 12
2003–2004 Georgia Perimeter College 15 1 20 .520 .500 .700 6 2 2 0.2 7
2005 Hornsby Spiders (ABA) 30 28 25 .560 .500 .850 6 2 3 1 20
2005 AND1 Mixtape Tour – Asia Pacific 4 4 30 .500 .460 – 5 2 3 1 18
2006 Sydney Comets (ABA) 29 4 29 .600 .380 .700 7 4 3 1.5 17
2006 Singapore Slingers (NBL) 18 0 5 .490 .380 .800 2 1 1 0.2 4
2007 Bankstown Bruins (ABA) 30 30 35 .380 .400 .750 6 2 3 2 20
2007 Galil Elyon (Super League) 15 0 2.9 .500 .550 .850 2 .3 2 0.1 2
2008 Binyamenia (Liga Leumit) 10 10 35 .480 .380 .780 6 2 3 1.5 15
2008–2009 Manly Warringah Sea Eagles (ABA) 20 18 36 .550 .580 .750 7 4 3 1.2 23

See also

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, January 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.