Bud Eley

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Bud Eley

| image = BudEley.JPG

| image_size =

| caption = Eley with Menorca Bàsquet in 2009

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|1|14}}

| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 10

| weight_lbs = 260

| high_school = Martin Luther King
(Detroit, Michigan)

| college = {{nowrap|Southeast Missouri State (1995–1999)}}

| draft_year = 1999

| career_start = 1999

| career_end = 2009

| career_position = Center

| career_number =

| years1 = 1999–2001

| team1 = Beşiktaş

| years2 = 2001–2002

| team2 = Fenerbahçe

| years3 = 2002

| team3 = Detroit Dogs

| years4 = 2002–2003

| team4 = Auna Gran Canaria

| years5 = 2003–2004

| team5 = Scavolini Pesaro

| years6 = 2004–2005

| team6 = Granada

| years7 = 2005–2006

| team7 = Llanera Menorca

| years8 = 2006–2008

| team8 = Grupo Capitol Valladolid

| years9 = 2008–2009

| team9 = ViveMenorca

| years10 = 2009

| team10 = Mahram Tehran

| highlights =

TBL scoring champion (2001)
OVC Player of the Year (1999)
2× First-team All-OVC (1997, 1999)
Second-team All-OVC (1996)
OVC Newcomer of the Year (1996)
OVC All-Freshman team (1996)

}}

William Keith "Bud" Eley (born January 14, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks and was selected as the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Player of the Year as a senior in 1999. Eley played professionally in Turkey, Spain, Italy and Iran.

Early life

Eley was raised in Detroit primarily by relatives and in foster homes.{{cite news |last1=Wishart |first1=Nick |title=Eley blossoms into NBA-caliber player for SEMO |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-eley-blossoms-in/161486639/ |access-date=December 24, 2024 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=December 28, 1998 |page=13 |via=Newspapers.com}} He did not start playing organized basketball until his junior year at Martin Luther King High School. Eley averaged 18 points, 14 rebounds and 6 blocks per game as a senior. On April 22, 1994, he signed to play basketball at Southeast Missouri State University.{{cite news |title=Southeast Missouri State |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-southeast-missou/161494018/ |access-date=December 24, 2024 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=April 23, 1994 |page=35 |via=Newspapers.com}}

College career

Eley sat out for his first season at Southeast Missouri due to not achieving Proposition 48 requirements.{{cite news |last1=Jenkins |first1=Chris |title=Henson Won't Take SEMO Lightly In Illinois Classic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-henson-wont-tak/161486712/ |access-date=December 24, 2024 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=December 8, 1995 |page=63 |via=Newspapers.com}} He averaged 17.3 points as a freshman during the 1995–96 season; he was selected as the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Newcomer of the Year and named to the All-OVC second-team.{{cite news |title=MTSU's Carter second-team All-OVC selection |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-news-journal-mtsus-carter-sec/161493999/ |access-date=December 26, 2024 |work=The Daily News-Journal |date=February 29, 1996 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com}}

Eley led the Redhawks in points (17.9), rebounds (10.3) and blocks (1.3) as a sophomore. Entering his junior year as a potential first-round candidate in the upcoming 1998 NBA draft,{{cite news |last1=Boone |first1=Kevin E. |title=SEMO's center of attention: 6-10 Eley |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-semos-center-of/161493974/ |access-date=December 26, 2024 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |date=November 13, 1997 |page=48 |via=Newspapers.com}} he missed most of the 1997–98 season after he broke bones in both of his feet. Eley declared as an early entrant for the 1998 NBA draft but withdrew.{{cite web |title=Bud Eley 1998 Underclassmen |url=https://www.thedraftreview.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4188 |website=The Draft Review |access-date=December 24, 2024}} He was granted an extra year of collegiate eligibility by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in August 1998.

During his senior season in 1998–99, Eley led the Redhawks in points (15.3), rebounds (10.7), blocks (2.6) and field goal percentage (59.4%); the latter three were also the highest in the OVC. He was selected as the OVC Player of the Year in 1999.

Eley concluded his Redhawks career with program records in total rebounds (955) and blocks (178); his 1,611 points were fourth-best.{{cite web |title=Bud Eley |url=https://www.espn.com/nba/draft99/players/profiles/eley_bud.html |website=ESPN |access-date=December 26, 2024}} He was also the only player in school history to record over 1,600 points and 900 rebounds.

Eley was inducted into the Southeast Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.{{cite web |title=William "Bud" Eley (2009) |url=https://semoredhawks.com/honors/southeast-missouri-athletics-hall-of-fame/william-bud-eley/72 |website=Southeast Missouri State Athletics |access-date=December 24, 2024}}

Professional career

Eley was not selected in the 1999 NBA draft.{{cite web |title=A BRAND-ED BULL: BULLS LAY CLAIM TO BRAND WITH FIRST PICK; SE's ELEY NOT SELECTED |url=https://www.semissourian.com/sports/a-brand-ed-bull-bulls-lay-claim-to-brand-with-first-pick-ses-eley-not-selected-2737677/ |website=Southeast Missourian |access-date=December 26, 2024 |date=July 1, 1999}} He started his professional career in Turkey.{{cite web |title=Southeast Missouri State |url=https://www.espn.com/ncb/preview2000/2546.html |website=ESPN |access-date=December 26, 2024}} Eley was selected by the Detroit Dogs of the American Basketball Association in the 2000 veteran player draft.{{cite web |title=ABA 2000 History |url=https://www.apbr.org/aba2000.html |website=The Association for Professional Basketball Research |access-date=December 24, 2024}} Eley led the Türkiye Basketbol Ligi in scoring during the 2000–01 season with 23.9 points per game. He returned from Turkey in March 2001 to join the Dogs.{{cite web |last1=Mishow |first1=Marty |title=Wood bats return baseball to roots |url=https://www.semissourian.com/sports/wood-bats-return-baseball-to-roots-81187 |website=Southeast Missourian |access-date=December 26, 2024 |date=July 14, 2002}} Eley attended training camp with the Atlanta Hawks in 2002.

Eley spent the 2002–03 season with Auna Gran Canaria in Spain.{{cite web |title=El Granada ficha al pívot Bud Eley para las dos próximas temporadas |url=https://www.acb.com/articulo/ver/18864 |website=Liga Endesa |access-date=December 26, 2024 |language=Spanish |date=July 12, 2004}} He averaged 15.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Eley played with the Golden State Warriors during the 2003 NBA Summer League.{{cite news |last1=Gordillo |first1=Jim |title=Dearman, Dami and the C-USA Shuffle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan-dearman-dami-and-th/161494873/ |access-date=December 26, 2024 |work=Southern Illinoisan |date=July 15, 2003 |page=21 |via=Newspapers.com}} Eley played with Scavolini Pesaro of Italy in the 2003–04 season, averaging 8.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. On July 12, 2004, he signed with Granada in Spain on a two-year deal. He averaged 9 points and 5 rebounds per game during the 2004–05 season. Eley suffered an injury in April 2005 and was released by the team.{{cite web |last1=Martínez |first1=Fran |title=Bud Eley, primer extracomunitario del Menorca |url=https://www.solobasket.com/liga-endesa/bud-eley-primer-extracomunitario-del-menorca |website=SoloBasket |access-date=December 26, 2024 |language=Spanish |date=August 17, 2005}}

Eley signed with Llanera Menorca for the 2005–06 season. He joined Grupo Capitol Valladolid in 2006{{cite web |last1=Navas |first1=José |title=El Grupo Capitol Valladolid ficha a Bud Eley |url=https://www.solobasket.com/liga-endesa/el-grupo-capitol-valladolid-ficha-bud-eley |website=SoloBasket |access-date=December 26, 2024 |language=Spanish |date=August 7, 2006}} and then re-signed with them in 2007.{{cite web |last1=Martínez Lafargue |first1=Jaime |title=Bud Eley sigue en Valladolid y Jesús Fernández apunta a Menorca |url=https://www.solobasket.com/liga-endesa/bud-eley-sigue-en-valladolid-y-jesus-fernandez-apunta-menorca |website=SoloBasket |access-date=December 26, 2024 |language=Spanish |date=May 31, 2007}} On July 16, 2008, Eley returned to Llanera Menorca (now ViveMenorca) for the 2008–09 season.{{cite web |title=ViveMenorca ficha a Bud Eley, que vuelve tras su paso por Valladolid |url=https://www.acb.com/articulo/ver/50316 |website=Liga Endesa |access-date=December 26, 2024 |language=Spanish |date=July 16, 2008}} On March 4, 2009, he was released by ViveMenorca after the team lost 10 consecutive games.{{cite web |last1=Carchia |first1=E. |title=I due giocatori sono stati tagliati dal club spagnolo |url=https://archive.sportando.basketball/en/spain/acb/75481/vivemenorca-eley-and-faison-are-officially-out.html |website=Sportando |access-date=December 26, 2024 |language=Italian |date=March 4, 2009}} Eley spent the 2009–10 season with Mahram Tehran until he was ruled out with an injury.{{cite web |title=Bud Eley cierra la pintura del Melilla Baloncesto |url=https://elfarodemelilla.es/bud-eley-cierra-la-pintura-del-melilla-baloncesto/ |website=El Faro de Melilla |access-date=December 26, 2024 |language=Spanish |date=August 23, 2010}} On August 23, 2010, he signed with Melilla Baloncesto in Italy.

References

External links

[https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/william-bud-eley-1.html College statistics]
[https://www.proballers.com/basketball/player/17426/william-eley Proballers profile]

{{Ohio Valley Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}

Category:1975 births

Category:Living people

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Iran

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Italy

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Spain

Category:American expatriate basketball people in Turkey

Category:American men's basketball players

Category:Basketball players from Detroit

Category:Beşiktaş men's basketball players

Category:CB Gran Canaria players

Category:CB Valladolid players