Lesley Varner II

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Lesley Varner II

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| position = Small forward

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 7

| weight_lb = 190

| league = Austrian Basketball Superliga

| team = UBSC Graz

| number =

| nationality = American

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1998|4|29}}

| birth_place =

| high_school = Cedar Hill
(Cedar Hill, Texas)

| college = {{nowrap|UT Rio Grande Valley (2016–2020)}}

| draft_year = 2020

| career_start = 2021

| years1 = 2021–present

| team1 = UBSC Graz

| highlights =

First-team All-WAC (2020)

}}

Lesley Varner II (born April 29, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for UBSC Graz of the Austrian Basketball Superliga. He played college basketball for the Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros.

Early life

Varner attended Cedar Hill High School. During his senior season, he guided the team to a 25–7 record and 11th ranking in Texas. Varner committed to play college basketball at Texas–Rio Grande Valley, turning down offers from Arkansas–Pine Bluff, UC Riverside, and Milwaukee. He stated that he knew Texas–Rio Grande Valley was a good fit after his visit, and he connected with coach Lew Hill.{{cite news |last1=Luca |first1=Greg |title=UTRGV makes late surge to land three freshmen |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84675060/the-monitor/ |access-date=September 3, 2021 |work=The Monitor |date=May 6, 2016|via=Newspapers.com}}

College career

After posting his first double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in an 85–77 win against Chicago State, Varner was named WAC player of the week on January 24, 2017.{{cite news |title=Varner earns WAC player of the week honors |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/84675375/the-monitor/ |access-date=September 3, 2021 |work=The Monitor |date=January 24, 2017|via=Newspapers.com}} Varner averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game as a junior.{{cite news |last1=Stayman |first1=Richard |title=Mavs Donuts: 10 Hidden Gems in This NBA Draft |url=https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavs-donuts-10-hidden-gems-in-the-nba-draft |access-date=September 3, 2021 |work=Sports Illustrated |date=June 2, 2020}}{{cite web |title=Season Preview: Men's Basketball |url=https://goutrgv.com/news/2019/10/30/season-preview-mens-basketball.aspx |website=Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros |access-date=September 3, 2021 |date=October 30, 2019}} On December 3, 2019, he scored 33 points and had 13 rebounds, both career-highs, while tying his career-high with five steals in a 90–86 overtime win against Sam Houston State.{{cite news |title=UTRGV survives Sam Houston St. 90–86 in double overtime |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401175586 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |work=ESPN |agency=Associated Press |date=December 3, 2019}} As a senior, Varner averaged 15.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game, while shooting 43.3 percent from the field. He was named to the First Team All-WAC. Varner finished his career with 1,182 points, 16th highest in school history.{{cite web |title=Varner to Play Professionally in Austria |url=https://goutrgv.com/news/2021/8/26/mens-basketball-varner-to-play-professionally-in-austria.aspx |website=Texas–Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros |access-date=September 3, 2021 |date=August 26, 2021}}

Professional career

Varner signed his first professional contract with UBSC Graz of the Austrian Basketball Superliga on August 26, 2021.{{cite web |last1=Heinrich |first1=Stefan |title=Varner Jr starts his pro career at UBSC Graz |url=https://www.eurobasket.com/Austria/news/701989/Varner-Jr-starts-his-pro-career-at-UBSC-Graz |website=Eurobasket |access-date=September 3, 2021 |date=August 26, 2021}}