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The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

J.R. Giddens' college career came to a quiet close vs. California in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, but he made a lasting impression on the court during his two seasons with the Lobos.

Off the court, Giddens did have issues. He was stabbed in the right calf, receiving 30 stitches to close the wound after an altercation at a Lawrence, Kansas tavern on May 19, 2005, while playing for the Jayhawks.

For Giddens it was a nightmare, "the worst time of my life," he said in an interview. Perhaps the worst part was that for many that followed the team, the incident wasn't entirely surprising. An column published in the Kansas City Star shortly after the incident stated, "If you had to peg a Kansas basketball player most likely to get involved in an ugly brawl, it would be Giddens."

As the media continued its criticism of the sophomore, Giddens was left to wonder about his future, not only at Kansas, but in the game of basketball. "I didn't know if I was going to come back 100 percent or not, it was just really hard. Everything happens for a reason, and I think in the end it was good that this happened because I had a lot of maturing to do at that time. It gave me the chance to sit there and think hey, I'm not going to let this happen again."

Giddens was charged with misdemeanor battery and disorderly conduct, when he was accused of striking Jeremiah Creswell outside the bar to spark the incident. Giddens' attorney, Debra Vermillion told the judge that she, too, believed that a trial would reveal that Giddens struck Creswell.

Creswell, stating that he was defending himself, was also arrested and charged with stabbing Giddens and four other people after a group of men attacked him outside the bar on May 19. Giddens was hospitalized for treatment of a slashed artery in his leg and received 30 stitches. Creswell needed several staples to close a gash in his head.

In November 2005, no longer at Kansas, Giddens returned to Lawrence to answer the criminal charges. He pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor battery charge. In return for his plea, the state dropped a disorderly conduct charge, said Trent Krug, an assistant Douglas County district attorney. Giddens did not speak when offered the chance before sentencing. He was placed on probation for a year and ordered to take a two-day anger management class.

Violation of the terms of his probation, which were served in New Mexico, could have meant up to six months in prison and fines of up to $1,500. "Mr. Giddens is doing the right thing," said his attorney, Debra Vermillion. "He's taking responsibility for the small part he played in the fiasco that occurred at the Moon Bar." Asked why Giddens changed his plea from not guilty to no contest, Vermillion said, "He wants to do the right thing here. He's ready to move on with academics and with basketball."

It was not Giddens' first major off-court issue. During his senior season at John Marshall High School, he was arrested on Dec. 19, 2002, and charged with felony counts of conspiracy to commit grand larceny, grand larceny from a retailer, concealing stolen property and obtaining property by false pretense in connection with a plot to steal nearly $4,000 worth of electronics from an Oklahoma City Wal-Mart.

The case was settled through a diversion agreement. In a diversion, the juvenile agreed to do a number of things such as pay restitution and perform community service. When he completed those obligations, prosecutors dropped the charges.

Talking to the Topeka Capital-Journal, Dianna Giddens, J.R.'s mother, said although she had been advised by an attorney not to discuss details of the case, she wanted it known that her son told police he thought he was being treated to a Christmas shopping spree by his uncle, who was arrested along with Giddens and two others. "He had no idea anything illegal was going on," Dianna Giddens said.

Oklahoma City police reported that Giddens and Green were part of a conspiracy to steal nearly $4,000 worth of electronic items. According to a police report, one of the alleged conspirators, Amber S. Fletcher, a 19-year-old Wal-Mart cashier, was captured on video surveillance cameras undercharging the other three for goods they brought to her register.

Fletcher pretended to ring up the items but was actually deactivating anti-theft sensors on them, police said. Officials reported that Green, Giddens and Katie L. Citty, a 35-year-old Oklahoma City resident, gave Fletcher about $40 for $3,854 worth of merchandise. On his report, police officer Seth Toler noted that Giddens said Green "told him he would buy him whatever he wanted for Christmas and then took him to Wal-Mart."

However, Toler reported, Giddens made his purchases 32 minutes after Green had made his. Toler said Green was already in custody when Giddens approached Fletcher's register. Giddens was released from juvenile custody.

Trouble would continue to follow Giddens to New Mexico. On Feb. 2, 2007, the Mountain West Conference office suspended two Wyoming players and three New Mexico players, including Giddens, received a public reprimand for their involvement in a fight during their contest.

Two weeks after the fight, New Mexico head coach Ritchie McKay suspended Giddens from the team on Feb. 16. He was kicked out of a Friday practice, but there was no specific incident that triggered the suspension, McKay said. "It just came to a point where I felt like it was important not only to our team, but to J.R. and the rest of our basketball family that I make the decision," he said.

Giddens did not join the team in their 74-58 win over Texas Christian at The Pit and sat out the next game vs. San Diego State before rejoining the team. McKay said the suspension was basketball-related. "He did nothing illegal, nothing unethical," he said. "This program tries to promote being a good teammate, and I want to emphasize that."

Giddens said in a news release that he does not dispute McKay's decision. "I respect coach's decision," he said. "He's the leader of our team. He's the person of authority, and if he feels like this is what's best for the team right now, then I accept his decision."

At John Marshall High School, Giddens earned McDonald's All-American honors. He was ranked as the 17th-best prospect in the country by ESPN.com and named Oklahoma's Gatorade Player of the Year. He led the Bears to the state championship as a senior, earning tournament MVP honors. That season, he averaged 22.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. He also ran track in high school and cleared 6-10 in the high jump. He was chosen co-MVP of the 2003 Global Games and won the tournament's Slam Dunk contest.

Giddens enrolled at Kansas in 2003-04, earning All-Big Twelve Conference honorable mention and was named to the league's All-Freshman team. He averaged 11.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, leading the team with 74 3-point field goals. He also shot 47.5 percent from the field and 40.7 percent from 3-point range while starting 29-of-32 games.

Giddens saw action in 30 games, starting 27 for the Jayhawks in 2004-05. He totaled 302 points (10.1 per game), making 40.4 percent of his field goals (111-of-275). He grabbed 114 rebounds (3.8 per game), blocked 22 shots and had 41 assists. After the season, he transferred to New Mexico, sitting out the 2005-06 campaign under NCAA transfer rules.

Giddens earned All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention in 2006-07. His 290 rebounds were the most ever by a UNM guard in a season, as he averaged 15.8 points and 6.5 boards per game. He hit on 156-of-354 field goals, handing out 60 assists to go with 22 steals and 13 blocked shots, despite missing five games with a nagging ankle sprain.

As a senior, the All-Mountain West Conference first-team pick shared league Player of the Year honors. He was selected USBWA District VIII Player of the Year and picked up third-team All-American recognition. His five MWC Player of the Week honors tied a conference season-record. He started all 33 games, scoring 537 points (16.3 per game) while taking down 290 rebounds (8.8 per game). He was credited with a career-high 103 assists, as he also had 47 steals and 39 blocked shots.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Lacks the size you want from a two guard, but compensates with excellent leaping ability (42-inch vertical), long wingspan (83 inches) and standing reach (8'8") ... With his recent maturity on the court, he has also become less selfish with the ball, looking for an open teammate to increase his assist totals each season ... Times his leap well, not only going for the rebound, but also in attempts to block shots (despite standing 6-foot-4, he had a career-high 39 blocked shots last season) ... Uses his strong frame well to draw contact on the way to the basket, but is a poor foul shooter ... His ability to hang in the air for a long time and crash the boards has seen him put together record-breaking rebounding totals for a guard (290 rebounds in 2007-08 set a school record for guards and his average of 8.8 per game saw him become the first guard to ever lead the Mountain West Conference in a season) ... Uses that elevation to also generate quite a few putbacks and second-chance points ... Shows good balance coming off the screen, as he has a quick pivot move to separate from the defender and put the ball up ... Creates mismatches vs. wing players with his explosive first step driving to the rim and is very good at taking his man off the dribble ... Sets his feet well firing off his jumper and knows how to elevate his jump shot over taller defenders, showing a high release point ... Needs to refine his mechanics -- gets too erratic, but has the range to connect from the NBA 3-point range ... Sometimes deliberate creating his own shot, but is best when he gets the ball in transition and makes a snap decision ... Seems more comfortable shooting when he can get space in the open floor, but showed better determination driving into the post as a senior ... Has also shown better patience and the ability to create his shot when operating on the perimeter than he did in the past ... Quick moving on the defensive rotation and has become very active disrupting the passing lanes, registering a career-high 47 steals as a senior (second-best among shooting guards in the 2008 draft) ... Has the basketball IQ to know when to pass the ball out of double-team activity, showing good precision with his post entry passes to create good scoring opportunities for his bigger teammates inside.

Negatives: Has been relatively trouble free the last year-and-a-half, but has a checkered past off the court and was suspended for his attitude during his time at Kansas and New Mexico, causing some teams to "red flag" him ... Has good hip swerve, but it seems to take him quite a long time to change direction ... More right-hand dominant as a shooter, showing much less confidence putting the ball up with his left hand ... Did a better job of driving to the basket as a senior, but still resides in the mid-range area too much, as he struggles to make his shot coming off the dribble and seems to shy away from contact, evident by his minimal chances of getting to the foul line throughout his career ... Also a very poor free-throw shooter, almost negating his opportunities at the charity stripe with his erratic shooting (shot just .588 at New Mexico from the foul line) ... Shows better court vision to create scoring opportunities for others, but still needs to have a better handle on the ball, as his dribble can be too high and loose ... Not really good drawing contact, as he gets too reckless driving into the lane and fails to get the space he needs to take a clean shot (too many off-balanced attempts have led to him leaving a lot of potential points on the floor) ... Must be more precise with his feet and take better angles when trying to separate from the defender to get shots off ... Needs to show a better and more consistent release, as he holds the ball too long looking to create a better chance for a teammate and other times leading to rushed shots ... Can be a physical lock-down type of defender, but will go through the motions at times and is susceptible to biting on fakes and hesitation moves ... Better at causing steals in the passing lane than he is in staying in front of the shooter, as he seems to lack a great feel (or desire) for defending along the perimeter ... Must show better effort working on defensive rotations (loses focus).

Compares To: BONZI WELLS-New Orleans ... There is no questioning Giddens' mid-range shooting game or explosive leaping ability. He is one of the best rebounders in the game among backcourt players, but he leaves a lot of points on the floor with his very poor foul-shooting mechanics and when he tries to rush his shot too much. Like Wells, you wonder which J.R. Giddens you will have in the locker room -- the one that toed the line as a senior, or the one that was suspended for indifferent play as a junior. His two major off-court issues are also a concern. Still, if his head is on straight, his ability to crash the boards and even defend will be a benefit.

CAREER NOTES

In 63 games at Kansas, Giddens started 56 times, making 252-of-572 field goals (44.1 percent) and 35-of-52 free throws (67.3 percent) while hitting on 137-of-369 3-point attempts (37.1 percent) for a total of 676 points (10.1 per game) ... Grabbed 233 rebounds (3.7 rpg), with 69 assists, 49 steals and 42 blocked shots ... In 59 games at New Mexico, Giddens started 55 times, piling up 950 points (16.1 per game) on 48.1 percent shooting from the field (210-of-417) and 58.8 percent from the foul line (151-of-257) ... Pulled down 459 rebounds (7.8 per game), adding 163 assists, 52 blocked shots and 69 steals ... His 290 rebounds in 2007-08 set a school season-record for a back court player ... For his entire career, Giddens started 111-of-122 games, amassing 1,626 points (13.3 per game), on 618-of-1,333 field goals (46.4 percent), 203-of-580 3-pointers (35.0 percent) and 186-of-309 free throws (60.2 percent) ... Collected 692 rebounds (5.7 per game), with 122 coming from the offensive glass ... Handed out 232 assists, as he also had 94 blocked shots and 118 steals ... Charged with 228 personal fouls, fouling out of three contests, as he also had 227 turnovers ... In 2007-08, he joined Utah's Andrew Bogut (2004-05) as the only players in Mountain West Conference history to lead the MWC in scoring and rebounds during league play in the same season ... His average of 8.8 rebounds per game in 2007-08 marked the first time in conference history that a guard led the MWC in that category ... Giddens scored 20 points and had a career-high 19 rebounds vs. Wyoming (1/02/08), falling one rebound shy of becoming the first Lobo since Jimmy Allen on 12/01/76 to post 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game (Allen had 21 points and 20 boards vs. New Mexico State).

2007-08 SEASON

All-American third-team selection by CollegeHoops.net, adding honorable mention from The NBA Draft Report and Associated Press ... All-Mountain West Conference first-team pick, adding MWC co-Player of the Year honors ... Also named District VIII Player of the Year by the US Basketball Writers Association ... NAME All-District first-team choice ... Won the team's Bob King MVP Award and shared team Outstanding Defensive Player Award honors with Dairese Gary ... Started all 33 games at the two-guard position, leading the team with 537 points (16.3 per game), hitting on 210-of-407 field goals (51.6 percent), 25-of-75 3-pointers (33.3 percent) and 92-of-157 free throws (58.6 percent) ... Grabbed 290 rebounds (8.8 per game), the most ever in a season by a UNM guard ... Handed out 103 assists, as he registered 47 steals and 39 blocked shots ... Fouled out of two contests, as he was charged with 64 personal fouls and 73 turnovers ... Scored in double digits 27 times and produced 11 double-double performances.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Grabbed 12 rebounds and scored 13 points while blocking three shots vs. Eastern Washington ... Tallied 16 points with eight boards vs. Presbyterian and scored 21 points while grabbing six rebounds vs. Loyola-Marymount ... Posted nine rebounds, 18 points and a pair of steals vs. Weber State, adding 11 rebounds, three assists and 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting the next game vs. Hawaii ... Hauled down 19 rebounds to go with 20 points and seven assists vs. Texas-El Paso ... Made 10-of-18 field goals for 24 points and pulled down 11 rebounds vs. San Diego State ... In a second meeting vs. Wyoming, Giddens totaled 36 points on 15-of-24 field goals, adding 11 boards, three assists and six steals ... Followed with 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting, as he also had 11 rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and two steals vs. San Diego State ... Added 25 points and eight rebounds vs. Texas Christian ... Snatched seven rebounds while putting in 30 points with three assists and three blocked shots vs. Brigham Young ... Closed out his career with 28 points, 17 boards and three assists vs. Utah in the MWC Tournament, followed by 26 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two steals vs. California in the NIT Tournament.

2006-07 SEASON

All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention, starting 22-of-26 games in the backcourt, as he missed four winter contests with a nagging ankle sprain and was suspended for the Texas Christian and San Diego State clashes in mid-February ... Led the team in scoring with 412 points (15.8 per game), as he hit on 156-of-354 field goals (44.1 percent), 59-of-100 free throws (59.0 percent) and 41-of-136 3-pointers (30.1 percent) ... Pulled down 169 rebounds (6.5 per game), as he blocked 13 shots and had 22 steals with 60 assists (third on the team) ... Was charged with 41 personal fouls and 69 turnovers.

2005-06 SEASON

Played on the scout team at New Mexico, sitting out the season under NCAA transfer rules.

2004-05 SEASON

Appeared in 30 games, starting 27 contests at Kansas ... Scored 302 points (10.1 per game), as he shot 40.4 percent from the field (111-of-275) and 68.0 percent from the foul line (17-of-25) ... Made 63-of-187 3-point attempts (33.7 percent) ... Tallied 114 rebounds (3.8 per game), 41 assists, 22 blocked shots and 25 steals ... Charged with 48 turnovers and 54 personal fouls.

2003-04 SEASON

Earned All-Big Twelve Conference honorable mention and was named to the league's All-Freshman team after averaging 11.3 points (374 total) and 3.6 rebounds (119) per game in his first season at Kansas ... Led the team with 74 3-point field goals (182 attempts, 40.7 percent), as he shot 47.5 percent from the field (141-of-297) and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line 18-of-27) ... Credited with 28 assists, 24 steals and 20 blocked shots.

INJURY REPORT

2006-07: Sat out the Alcorn State (12/28), Colorado State (1/06), Air Force (1/09) and Nevada-Las Vegas (1/27) games with a nagging ankle sprain.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended John Marshall (Oklahoma City, Okla.) High School, playing basketball for head coach John Martin ... Earned McDonald's All-American honors ... Ranked as the 17th-best prospect in the country by ESPN.com and named Oklahoma's Gatorade Player of the Year ... Led the Bears to the state championship as a senior, earning tournament MVP honors ... That season, he averaged 22.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game ... Also ran track in high school and cleared 6-10 in the high jump ... Chosen co-MVP of the 2003 Global Games and won the tournament's Slam Dunk contest.

PERSONAL

University Studies major ... Son of Diana and Charles Giddens ... Born Justin Ray Giddens on 2/13/85 ... Resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.