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KC Ndefo

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KC Ndefo
Ndefo with Saint Peter's in 2018
No. 11 – South Bay Lakers
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (2000-03-01) March 1, 2000 (age 24)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeSaint Peter's (2018–2022)
Seton Hall (2022–2023)
NBA draft2023: undrafted
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024Texas Legends
2024Memphis Hustle
2024–presentSouth Bay Lakers
Career highlights and awards

Kenechukwu "KC" Ndefo (born March 1, 2000) is an American basketball player for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Peter's Peacocks and the Seton Hall Pirates.

High school career

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Ndefo began his high school career at Elmont Memorial High School.[1] He helped lead team to a Class A state title as a sophomore.[2] Ndefo helped Elmont Memorial win the Nassau Championship as a junior. He finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks in the title game and hit the game-winning buzzer-beating shot in the 58–56 win against South Side High School.[3] After his junior season, Ndefo transferred to Abraham Lincoln High School. He averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds per game as a senior. In January 2018, the New York Board of Education ruled Ndefo ineligible, causing him to miss the remainder of the season.[1] He committed to playing college basketball for Saint Peter's, the only Division I school to offer him a scholarship.[2]

College career

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As a freshman, Ndefo averaged 7.8 points and 5 rebounds per game.[4] Ndefo averaged 8.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game as a sophomore.[5] He was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, MAAC Sixth Man of the Year, and Third Team All-MAAC.[6][7] Ndefo posted a career-high seven blocks against Siena on January 23, 2021.[8] On February 26, 2021, he scored a career-high 22 points in a 66–52 win against Rider.[9] As a junior, Ndefo averaged 13.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 50 percent from the floor.[10] His 3.6 blocks per game led Division I in that category, and he was the shortest player to lead the nation in blocked shots per game since William Mosley of Northwestern State in 2011.[11] He was named to the First Team All-MAAC as well as repeating as MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.[12] Following the season, Ndefo entered the transfer portal, but ultimately returned to Saint Peter's.[13] On February 4, 2022, he scored 14 points and had a program-high 11 blocks in an 83–74 victory over Quinnipiac. Ndefo also surpassed the 1,000-point mark during the game.[14] He was named to the Third Team All-MAAC as well as MAAC Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, becoming only the third player in MAAC history to win the award three times.[15][16] Ndefo helped lead the Peacocks to a MAAC tournament title and a surprising run to the Elite 8 in the subsequent NCAA tournament as a 15-seed. Following the season, Ndefo declared for the 2022 NBA draft and entered the NCAA transfer portal.[17]

On May 28, 2022, Ndefo transferred to Seton Hall, following his head coach Shaheen Holloway, who left Saint Peter's after the 2021–22 season to fill the head coaching vacancy at his alma mater.[18]

Professional career

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After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Ndefo joined the Ontario Clippers of the NBA G League on October 30, 2023, following a tryout.[19] However, he was waived on November 7.[20] On January 9, 2024, he joined the Texas Legends,[21] but was waived on January 26.[22] Four days later, he joined the Memphis Hustle.[23] However, he was waived on February 9[23] and re-signed three days later.[23] On February 27, he was waived by Memphis.[23] On February 29, he joined the South Bay Lakers.[24]

Career statistics

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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
* Led NCAA Division I

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Saint Peter's 31 19 27.3 .437 .222 .657 5.0 .9 .9 1.8 7.8
2019–20 Saint Peter's 28 2 22.0 .462 .000 .636 5.3 1.1 1.4 2.4 8.5
2020–21 Saint Peter's 25 24 28.8 .504 .118 .597 6.5 1.5 1.4 3.6* 13.7
2021–22 Saint Peter's 34 34 25.9 .470 .286 .537 6.1 2.4 1.3 2.8 10.5
2022–23 Seton Hall 33 32 26.1 .525 .200 .657 5.2 1.5 1.0 1.9 8.4
Career 151 110 26.0 .480 .202 .608 5.6 1.5 1.2 2.5 9.7

References

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  1. ^ a b Libert, Mike (May 23, 2018). "Recruiting Update: KC Ndefo '18". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Lorensen, Nick (December 17, 2020). "Shaheen Holloway is building Saint Peter's into a contender in the MAAC". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  3. ^ Herzog, Bob (March 4, 2017). "K.C. Ndefo's putback at buzzer gives Elmont the Nassau Class A crown". Newsday. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "2018-19 Saint Peter's Basketball Game Notes" (PDF). Saint Peter's Peacocks. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  5. ^ Kelly, Michael (January 21, 2021). "Siena men's basketball brings 16-game winning streak into matchup with Saint Peter's". The Daily Gazette. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "Siena's Jalen Pickett Named Player of the Year, Saint Peter's Sweeps Remaining Major Awards". Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. March 11, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "2019-20 MAAC Announces Men's Basketball All-MAAC Teams". Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. March 8, 2020. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Wittry, Andy (September 23, 2021). "These are the top 9 returning shot-blockers in men's college basketball". NCAA. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "Ndefo scores 22 to lead St. Peter's over Rider 66-52". USA Today. Associated Press. February 26, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Ndefo Selected to NABC All-District Second Team". Saint Peter's Peacocks. March 16, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "Saint Peter's KC Ndefo Named NCAA Division I Statistical Champion in Blocked Shots". Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. April 7, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "KC Ndefo Selected as Unanimous MAAC Defensive Player of the Year". Saint Peter's Peacocks. March 10, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  13. ^ Carino, Jerry (September 28, 2021). "College basketball 2021-22: Early projections for New Jersey's Division I teams". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved October 12, 2021.
  14. ^ "Ndefo Sets Reaches 1,000 Point Milestone, Sets Single Game Blocks Record to Lead Men's Basketball Past Quinnipiac". Saint Peter's Peacocks. February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  15. ^ "Iona's Tyson Jolly Headlines MAAC Men's Basketball Major Award Winners". MAACSsports.com (Press release). Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "MAAC Reveals 2021-22 Men's Basketball All-MAAC Teams". Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2022.
  17. ^ Zagoria, Adam (April 27, 2022). "Saint Peter's star KC Ndefo declares for NBA Draft, enters Transfer Portal". NJ.com. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  18. ^ Braziller, Zach (May 28, 2022). "Saint Peter's star KC Ndefo following Shaheen Holloway to Seton Hall". New York Post. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  19. ^ "Ontario Clippers Announce Training Camp Roster for 2023-24 NBA G League Season". OurSportsCentral.com. October 30, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
  20. ^ "2023-2024 Ontario Clippers Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
  21. ^ Wynn, Britney (January 9, 2024). "LEGENDS ACQUIRE KC NDEFO". NBA.com. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  22. ^ "2023-2024 Texas Legends Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c d "2023-2024 Memphis Hustle Transaction History". RealGM.com. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  24. ^ "South Bay Lakers Acquire KC Ndefo". NBA.com. February 29, 2024. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
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