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Alonzo Verge Jr.

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Alonzo Verge Jr.
Verge with Nebraska in 2022
Balıkesir Buüyükşehir Belediyespor
PositionPoint guard / shooting guard
LeagueTürkiye Basketbol Ligi
Personal information
Born (1998-10-17) October 17, 1998 (age 26)
Aurora, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight164 lb (74 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2022: undrafted
Playing career2022–2022
Career history
2022–2023MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza
2023Apollon Patras
2023Al-Rayyan Doha
2023–2024Golden Eagle Ylli
2024–presentBalıkesir Buüyükşehir Belediyespor
Career highlights and awards
  • Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year (2020)
  • First-team NJCAA DI All-American (2019)
  • Second-team NJCAA DI All-American (2018)
  • MCCAC Player of the Year (2019)
  • 2× First-team All-MCCAC (2018, 2019)

Alonzo Verge Jr. (born October 17, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Balıkesir Buüyükşehir Belediyespor of the Türkiye Basketbol Ligi (TBL). He previously played for the Moberly Area CC Greyhounds and the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Early life and high school career

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Verge was born in Aurora, Illinois, and grew up in Hillside and Bellwood.[1] He attended Willowbrook High School in Villa Park, Illinois for his first two years. Verge did not play basketball as a freshman in order to focus on academics.[1] As a sophomore, he averaged 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals per game, leading his team to its first conference title since 1972, but was suspended for the playoffs.[2] Verge planned to transfer to Proviso West High School in Hillside; due to eligibility issues, he instead transferred to Arlington Country Day School in Jacksonville, Florida for his junior season, playing alongside Luguentz Dort.[3][4]

As a senior, Verge transferred to Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Illinois. He recorded 43 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five steals in an 81–70 win over Bloom High School at the Class 4A Richards Regional title game.[5] He averaged 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game and was named Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year.[1] Verge competed for the St. Louis Eagles on the Nike EYBL circuit, playing alongside Jayson Tatum, Tyler Cook and Jeremiah Tilmon. He did not have any NCAA Division I offers out of high school due to academic struggles.[4]

College career

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Moberly Community College

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Verge was suspended for five games during his freshman season at Moberly Area Community College for a violation of team rules. He averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and two steals per game as a freshman, collecting Second Team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I All-American and First Team All-Missouri Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) accolades.[6][7] On November 9, 2018, Verge posted a career-high 55 points, breaking his own school record, six rebounds and five steals in a 106–65 win over Kennedy–King College.[8] As a sophomore, he averaged a nation-leading 30.9 points, 8.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. Verge set single-season and career program records for scoring and assists. He earned First Team NJCAA Division I All-American honors, joining Eddie Smith as the only two-time NJCAA All-Americans in program history.[9] He was named MCCAC Player of the Year and was a First Team All-MCCAC selection for his second season.[10]

Arizona State

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Verge with Arizona State in 2020

On October 2, 2018, Verge committed to Arizona State.[11] He sprained his right wrist after his season debut and missed three games after reaggravating the injury in practice, as he did not inform the coaching staff of the initial injury. Partially as a result, Verge missed his first 13 three-point attempts.[12][13] On December 18, 2019, Verge scored a junior season-high 43 points off the bench in a 96–56 loss to Saint Mary's. He recorded the fourth-most single-game points in program history and the fourth-most single-game points by a bench player in NCAA Division I history.[14][15] As a junior, Verge averaged 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, leading the Division I in bench scoring. He was named Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year and All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention.[16] Verge declared for the 2020 NBA draft before withdrawing his name and opting to return to Arizona State.[17] As a senior, he averaged 14 points and 3.8 assists per game. Following the season, Verge declared for the 2021 NBA draft and entered the transfer portal.[18]

Nebraska

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Verge ultimately withdrew from the NBA draft and transferred to Nebraska for his final season of eligibility.[18]

Professional career

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MKS Dabrowa Gornicza (2022–2023)

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On August 8, 2022, Verge signed with MKS Dąbrowa Górnicza of the Polish Basketball League (PLK).[19] In 11 games, he averaged 18.8 points, 3.4 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 3.2 turnovers, playing around 27 minutes per contest.

AS Apollon Patras (2023)

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On January 16, 2023, Verge moved to Greek club Apollon Patras for the rest of the season. In 11 league games, he averaged 13.5 points, 7 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals, playing around 25 minutes per contest.

Golden Eagle Ylli (2023–2024)

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On December 19, 2023, Verge signed for the Kosovan club Golden Eagle Ylli.[20] He averaged 24.2 points per game in the 2023–24 Superleague season.

On March 9, 2024, Verge was awarded the Hoops Agents Player of the Week award for Round 23. He had a game high 21 points and 7 assists.[21] On March 12, 2024, Verge was awarded again the Hoops Agents Player of the Week award for Round 24. He had 37 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists for his team's victory.[22]

After the season, Verge was awarded All-Kosovo League First Team and All-Imports Team.[23]

Yalova Belediye Spor (2024)

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On August 21, 2024, he signed with Yalovaspor of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).[24]

Balıkesir Buüyükşehir Belediyespor (2024–Present)

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On October 17, 2024, Verge signed with Balikesir Buyuksehir Belediyespor of the Turkish Basketball Second League.[25]

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

College

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NCAA Division I

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Arizona State 28 9 26.8 .438 .289 .737 3.5 2.3 1.4 .1 14.6
2020–21 Arizona State 23 21 29.8 .391 .333 .809 3.9 3.8 1.2 .2 14.0
2021–22 Nebraska 31 31 28.4 .456 .315 .770 4.5 5.5 1.6 .2 14.5
Career 82 61 28.2 .431 .313 .771 4.0 3.9 1.4 .2 14.4

JUCO

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Moberly Area CC 25 13 – .558 .320 .750 4.1 6.1 2.0 .2 20.8
2018–19 Moberly Area CC 35 33 – .488 .418 .759 4.2 8.2 2.4 .5 30.9
Career 60 46 – .510 .392 .756 4.2 7.3 2.2 .4 26.7

Personal life

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His father, Alonzo Verge Sr., played basketball for Proviso West High School in Hillside, where he earned All-State and All-Area honors.[1] In 2024, he converted to Islam in Therandë.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d O'Brien, Michael (March 9, 2017). "2017 Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year: Thornton's Alonzo Verge". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  2. ^ O'Brien, Michael (November 17, 2016). "O'Brien: Alonzo Verge is back, Thornton is a contender". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  3. ^ Holmes, C. J. (March 17, 2019). "Getting to know Zo: ASU recruit eager to stay on the right path, excel in Tempe". The Athletic. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Gardner, Michelle (February 27, 2020). "Chicago native Alonzo Verge thriving in role as ASU's sixth man". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  5. ^ Phillips, Scott (March 4, 2017). "In virtuoso performance, Alonzo Verge finally gets his first regional title at Thornton". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  6. ^ Embree, Chuck (April 12, 2018). "George and Verge Jr. named NJCAA All-Americans, White to continue basketball career at higher level". Moberly Monitor-Index. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  7. ^ "Men's Basketball All-Conference 2018". Missouri Community College Athletic Conference. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  8. ^ Embree, Chuck (November 12, 2018). "Verge blazes the nets setting a Greyhounds record 55 points in win over Kennedy King College". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  9. ^ Embree, Chuck (April 11, 2019). "Verge revered being one of the greatest players in Greyhounds history". Moberly Monitor-Index. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  10. ^ "Men's Basketball All-Conference 2019". Missouri Community College Athletic Conference. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  11. ^ Daniels, Evan (October 2, 2018). "JUCO standout Alonzo Verge commits to Arizona State". 247Sports. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  12. ^ Booth, Trevor (December 11, 2019). "'It's going to come': Verge patient amid offensive slump". 247Sports. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  13. ^ Kaye, Jordan (March 10, 2020). "Comfortable being alone: How college matured Alonzo Verge". Rivals. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  14. ^ "Alonzo Verge Jr. Scores 43 In @SunDevilHoops Loss To St. Mary's". Arizona State University Athletics. December 18, 2019. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Bumbaca, Chris (December 19, 2019). "Alonzo Verge Jr. comes off bench to score 43 of Arizona State's 56 points in loss". USA Today. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  16. ^ Newman, Logan (March 10, 2020). "Alonzo Verge's move to bench helped spark ASU's Pac-12 run". KMVP-FM. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  17. ^ Pascoe, Bruce (July 18, 2020). "Alonzo Verge returning to ASU after testing NBA Draft". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Washut, Robin (July 8, 2021). "Arizona St. grad transfer Alonzo Verge Jr. commits to Nebraska basketball". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
  19. ^ "Alonzo Verge w MKS". plk.pl (in Polish). August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  20. ^ "Ylli përforcohet me Alonzo Verge Jr". Klan Kosova (in Albanian). 19 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Verge Jr's 21 points and 7 assists give him Player of the Week award". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  22. ^ "Kosovan Superliga round 24 best performance: Alonzo Verge Jr –". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  23. ^ "Eurobasket.com All-Kosovo League Awards 2024". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  24. ^ @YalovaBasket (August 21, 2024). "Welcome to Yalova, Alonzo Verge" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ "Balikesir Buyuksehir Belediyespor signs Alonzo Verge Jr –". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  26. ^ "Basketbollisti amerikan që po luan në Kosovë, konvertohet në Islam (VIDEO)" (in Albanian). 11 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
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