Kelsey Weems

Kelsey Russell Weems (September 16, 1967 – August 20, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. A point guard from the state of Georgia, Weems played college basketball at NC State and stayed four years despite limited playing time. He went undrafted in the 1989 NBA draft and played several seasons in the CBA, earning two selections in the United States national team: he won the gold medal during the 1993 Tournament of the Americas and the silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games.

High school career A native of Atlanta, Weems played basketball at Walker High School (now McNair High School) as a point guard, and was part of the team since his sophomore year. As a junior, he averaged 13.5 points and 10 assists per game, shooting 54% from the field, and in his senior year, he greatly improved his scoring, reaching an average of 27.8 points per game until the month of January, and ended the season with a 27.0 average. He recorded a near-triple double in the title game for the 4-AAA state tournament against Upson with 32 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists; his team lost 90–63. During his senior year he was considered one of the best prospects in the state of Georgia at the point guard position, and was nationally ranked among the best senior guards.

College career Weems was heavily recruited in high school and received offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, Kentucky and NC State. After restricting his choice between Auburn and NC State, he ultimately signed with the latter on April 10, 1985. but putting him in the starting five on 4 occasions. In his freshman year Weems averaged 3.5 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 9.2 minutes per game.

After McMillan graduated, the point guard spot was taken by Vinny Del Negro, and Weems again came off the bench, playing 35 games (with 1 start) and posting averages of 3.9 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists in 11.4 minutes per game. Weems' junior season saw him lose playing time also due to the arrival of another point guard, Chris Corchiani. Weems played 31 games but averaged career-lows in the major statistical categories, posting 1.9 points, 0.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 7 minutes per game. For his senior season Weems received more playing time, and in 26 appearances (1 start) he averaged 7.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.7 steals, all career-highs.

In 1990 he was involved in a point shaving investigation: Weems contacted ABC News, which broadcast a report on the scandal. The scandal was one of the reasons for Valvano's resignation. and the Boston Celtics,

In 1990 Weems joined the Oklahoma City Cavalry, an expansion franchise in the CBA, and played 52 games in the season, averaging 18.3 points and 7 assists per game. In the following season he posted averages of 13.4 points and 5.8 assists, and reached the playoffs, during which he averaged 18.6 points and 3 assists in 5 games. He also was part of the preseason Chicago Bulls roster, and was released on October 14, 1992. He then came back to the Cavalry, leading the team in scoring in 1992–93 with an average of 17.3 points, and averaged 8.5 assists, a career-high in the CBA. In the summer of 1993 he participated in a camp with the Charlotte Hornets. He finished the season with Rockford starting 21 of 31 games. He also played 7 games in the playoffs, averaging 11.3 points and 6.1 assists per game. before moving to Australia, signing with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League where he averaged 20 points and 5.1 assists in 1998, and 15.2 points and 3.8 assists in 1998–99.

Weems ranks 19th all-time in the CBA for points scored with 5,457.

National team career Weems was selected in the United States national team for the 1993 Tournament of the Americas, in a team formed by CBA players: during the tournament he played 7 games, averaging 9.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and was the assists leader with 4.4. Two years later he was called up again by Team USA for the 1995 Pan American Games where he played 6 games averaging 4.5 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2 assists. He earned a total of 13 appearances with the US national team.