A. J. Guyton

A. J. Guyton
Windy City Bulls
Position Assistant coach
League NBA Development League
Personal information
Born (1978-02-12) February 12, 1978
Peoria, Illinois
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight 180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school Central (Peoria, Illinois)
College Indiana (1996–2000)
NBA draft 2000 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32nd overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career 2000–2010
Position Shooting guard / Point guard
Number 11
Career history
As player:
2000–2002 Chicago Bulls
2002 Golden State Warriors
2002–2003 Huntsville Flight
2003 Fortitudo Bologna
2003–2004 Hapoel Tel Aviv
2004 Fortutido Bologna
2004–2005 Virtus Bologna
2005–2006 Viola Reggio Calabria
2007 Cedevita Zagreb
2008 Olimpia Larissa
2008 Sundsvall Dragons
2010 Al Rayyan Club
As coach:
2010–2012 Illinois Central College (asst)
2012–2015 Central Illinois Drive / Bloomington Flex
2016–present Windy City Bulls (asst)
Career highlights and awards
As player
As coach
  • 3× PBL champion (2012–2014)
  • 2× PBL coach of the year (2012, 2013)
Medals
Men’s basketball
Representing  United States
Goodwill Games
1998 New York Team competition

Arthur James "A.J." Guyton (born February 12, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Windy City Bulls. He played college basketball for Indiana University.

Indiana University

Guyton chose to play basketball for the Indiana University Hoosiers under coach Bob Knight from 1996 to 2000. He was a four-year starter and appeared in every game while at Indiana. When he left, Guyton was Indiana's all-time leader in three-point baskets (283) and fourth in all-time scoring (2,100).[1] He also ranked eighth in all-time Indiana assists (403) and tenth in steals (128).

Guyton's first year saw him become only the second Hoosier freshman to collect 400 points, 100 steals and 100 assists; the other to pull that off is Isiah Thomas. Guyton made the All-Big Ten Team his sophomore year and the Playboy pre-season All-American Team his last two seasons.

Guyton was rumored to be leaving Indiana following his junior year, but after Luke Recker departed the team one week after the season, Guyton announced he was staying. His senior year was a successful one in which he averaged 19.7 points per game. Guyton later recalled, "I remember it all like it was yesterday. Those are nights you live for. I felt back then I couldn't be guarded."[1] In 2000, he was named Big Ten Co-MVP and that same year was selected to the first team 2000 All-American Team.

The end of his time at Indiana saw tumultuous changes when former Hoosier teammate Neil Reed went public with an accusation that Coach Knight had put a choke hold on him in practice three years before. Calling a special press conference to give the players' point of view were Guyton and his four-year running mate at guard, Michael Lewis. Guyton said later, "We wanted to stand up for coach Knight. We wanted to tell people what they didn't know. People always think it's coach Knight's fault. For him (Reed) to pick that time, our senior year, to come out and tell his story, it showed a lack of respect for our team."[1]

Despite the controversies surrounding Knight, Guyton recalled his Indiana career fondly. "We had a lot of good wins. Those were the best four years of my life. I wouldn't change a thing. I would go back to Indiana and do it all over again."[1]

On June 10, 2014, Guyton learned that he was being inducted into the Indiana University Basketball Hall of Fame.

Professional career

Guyton was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 2nd round (32nd overall pick) in the 2000 NBA Draft. He played for the Bulls from 2000–2002 and briefly for the Golden State Warriors during the 2002-03 season. He later played in the NBDL, Italy, Israel, Croatia, and Sweden.[2] In 2006, he was diagnosed with glaucoma in each eye and underwent treatment for it. "One day in Italy, I looked up for a rebound and lost sight of the ball," he said.[1] "I started having cloudy vision, seeing rings around the lights."

Post-player career

In 2010 Guyton was an assistant coach at Illinois Central College.[3] He was also head coach of the Bloomington Flex, a minor league team located in the Bloomington, Illinois area.[4] Guyton led the Flex, then known as the Central Illinois Drive, to a 22-1 record in 2012 and a Premier Basketball League championship. Guyton also led the Flex to a PBL title in 2013, winning Coach of the Year honors both seasons. In 2014, the Flex were again the top team in the PBL under Guyton's leadership, finishing the season with a perfect 18-0 record.

In 2015, Guyton was appointed Consulting Director with the Midwest Professional Basketball Association.[5]

On September 30, 2016, Guyton was appointed an assistant coach of the Windy City Bulls, a new NBA Development League franchise.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Houser, Lynn (15 January 2007). "Guyton: Indiana's forgotten star". Herald-Times. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
  2. ↑ A.J. Guyton. Eurobasket.com
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-16. Retrieved 2011-02-20.
  4. ↑ Central Illinois Drive name of B-N hoops team
  5. ↑ "Front Office". MPBA web site. Retrieved 2014-11-21. A.J. Guyton, Consulting Director
  6. ↑ "Windy City Bulls Finalize Coaching & Basketball Operations Staff For Inaugural Season". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. September 30, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
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