RayJ Dennis
{{short description|American basketball player (born 2001)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = RayJ Dennis
| image = RayJ Dennis, Toledo Rockets MBB, December 2022.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Dennis with Toledo in 2022
| position = Point guard
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 2
| weight_lb = 180
| league = NBA
| team = Indiana Pacers
| number = 10
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|3|30}}
| birth_place = Plainfield, Illinois, U.S.
| high_school =
| college =
- Boise State (2019–2021)
- Toledo (2021–2023)
- Baylor (2023–2024)
| draft_year = 2024
| career_start = 2024
| career_end =
| years1 = 2024-2025
| team1 = San Diego Clippers
| years2 = {{nbay|2024|end}}–present
| team2 = Indiana Pacers
| years3 = 2025–present
| team3 = →Indiana Mad Ants
| highlights =
- NBA G League All-Rookie Team (2025)
- MAC Player of the Year (2023)
- First-team All-MAC (2023)
- Second-team All-Big 12 (2024)
- Big 12 All-Newcomer team (2024)
}}
Raymond "RayJ" Patterson Dennis (born March 30, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Noblesville Boom of the NBA G League. He played college basketball player for the Boise State Broncos, the Toledo Rockets and the Baylor Bears.
High school career
Before high school, Dennis attended John F Kennedy Middle School in Plainfield, Illinois. Dennis attended Montini Catholic High School for two seasons. For his junior year, he transferred to Oswego East High School and averaged 17.2 points and 4.9 assists per game.{{cite news |last=Glorfield |first=Chase |date=September 10, 2018 |title=RayJ Dennis Gives Boise State Their Guard Of the Future |url=https://247sports.com/college/boise-state/Article/RayJ-Dennis-Gives-Boise-State-Their-Guard-Of-the-Future-121703360/ |access-date=June 9, 2023 |work=247Sports}} As a senior, he averaged 23.2 points, 5.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game.{{cite news |last=Hughes |first=Grant |date=June 1, 2023 |title=RayJ Dennis commits to Baylor basketball: Toledo transfer PG, portal's No. 31 player, chooses Bears |url=https://247sports.com/article/rayj-dennis-commits-to-baylor-basketball-toledo-transfer-pg-port-210682955/ |access-date=June 9, 2023 |work=247 Sports}} Dennis committed to play college basketball at Boise State, choosing the Broncos over 26 Division I offers.
College career
As a freshman, Dennis averaged 4.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He posted 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and a team-best 2.9 assists per game as a sophomore. Dennis opted to transfer to Toledo after the season.{{cite web |date=April 13, 2021 |title=RayJ Dennis Joining Rockets' Program |url=https://utrockets.com/news/2021/4/13/mens-basketball-rayj-dennis-joining-rockets-program.aspx |access-date=June 9, 2023 |work=Toledo Rockets}} Dennis averaged 12.7 points, 4.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game as a junior. On March 3, 2023, he scored a career-high 32 points to go with seven assists in a 87–81 win over Ball State.{{cite news |date=March 3, 2023 |title=Dennis scores 32, Toledo defeats Ball State 87-81 |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap/_/gameId/401473608 |access-date=June 9, 2023 |work=ESPN}} As a senior, Dennis averaged 19.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game, leading Toledo to a 27–8 record and Mid-American Conference (MAC) regular-season championship. He was named MAC Player of the Year. Following the season he transferred to Baylor, choosing the Bears over Illinois, Michigan and Utah.{{cite news |last=Borzello |first=Jeff |date=June 1, 2023 |title=Baylor lands Toledo guard RayJ Dennis out of transfer portal |url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/37774230 |access-date=June 9, 2023 |work=ESPN}}
Professional career
=San Diego Clippers (2024)=
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Dennis joined the Los Angeles Clippers for the 2024 NBA Summer League{{cite web |title=2024 NBA2K25 Summer League Roster |url=https://www.nba.com/summer-league/2024/las-vegas/team/1610612746/clippers |access-date=September 14, 2024 |website=NBA.com}} and on September 6, 2024, he signed with the team.{{cite web |last=Adams |first=Luke |date=September 6, 2024 |title=Clippers Sign RayJ Dennis To Exhibit 10 Deal |url=https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2024/09/clippers-rayj-dennis-agree-to-exhibit-10-deal.html |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=HoopsRumors.com}} However, on October 9, he was waived.{{cite web |last=Adams |first=Luke |date=October 9, 2024 |title=Clippers Waive RayJ Dennis, Re-Sign Elijah Harkless |url=https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2024/10/clippers-waive-rayj-dennis.html |access-date=October 9, 2024 |website=HoopsRumors.com}} On October 19, he signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards,{{cite web |date=October 19, 2024 |title=Wizards Sign RayJ Dennis To Two-Way Contract |url=https://www.nba.com/wizards/news/wizards-sign-rayj-dennis-to-two-way-contract |access-date=October 21, 2024 |website=NBA.com}} but was waived two days later.{{cite web |date=October 21, 2024 |title=Wizards Announce 2024-25 Opening Night Roster |url=https://www.nba.com/wizards/news/wizards-announce-2024-25-opening-night-roster |access-date=October 21, 2024 |website=NBA.com}} On October 28, he joined the San Diego Clippers.{{cite web |date=October 28, 2024 |title=SAN DIEGO CLIPPERS ANNOUNCE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER FOR 2024-25 NBA G LEAGUE SEASON |url=https://sandiego.gleague.nba.com/news/san-diego-clippers-announce-training-camp-roster-for-2024-25-nba-g-league-season |access-date=November 2, 2024 |website=NBA.com}}
=Indiana Pacers / Noblesville Boom (2025–present)=
On January 3, 2025, Dennis signed a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers.{{cite web |date=January 3, 2025 |title=Indiana Pacers Sign RayJ Dennis to a Two-Way Contract |url=https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/indiana-pacers-sign-rayj-dennis-to-a-two-way-contract |access-date=January 3, 2025 |website=NBA.com}}
Career statistics
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
=NBA=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|2024}}
| style="text-align:left;"| Indiana
| 11 || 0 || 6.4 || .333 || .286 || 1.000 || 1.1 || 1.3 || .6 || .2 || 2.7
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 11 || 0 || 6.4 || .333 || .286 || 1.000 || 1.1 || 1.3 || .6 || .2 || 2.7
{{S-end}}
=College=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2019–20
| style="text-align:left;"|Boise State
| 32 || 15 || 17.4 || .359 || .260 || .800 || 1.8 || 1.8 || .4 || .1 || 4.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2020–21
| style="text-align:left;"|Boise State
| 28 || 25 || 27.2 || .442 || .291 || .688 || 3.0 || 2.9 || 1.2 || .2 || 8.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2021–22
| style="text-align:left;"|Toledo
| 34 || 34 || 33.7 || .503 || .321 || .716 || 5.6 || 4.0 || .8 || .1 || 12.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2022–23
| style="text-align:left;"|Toledo
| 35 || 35 || 33.9 || .484 || .366 || .769 || 4.3 || 5.8 || 1.5 || .2 || 19.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|2023–24
| style="text-align:left;"|Baylor
| 35 || 35 || 34.3 || .479 || .328 || .731 || 3.9 || 6.7 || 1.4 || .1 || 13.6
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 164 || 144 || 29.6 || .472 || .321 || .741 || 3.8 || 4.3 || 1.1 || .1 || 12.0
{{s-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://broncosports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/rayj-dennis/8039 Boise State Broncos bio]
- [https://utrockets.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/rayj-dennis/8020 Toledo Rockets bio]
- [https://baylorbears.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/rayj-dennis/12470 Baylor Bears bio]
{{Indiana Pacers current roster}}
{{Indiana Mad Ants current roster}}
{{Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dennis, RayJ}}
Category:21st-century American sportsmen
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from DuPage County, Illinois
Category:Baylor Bears men's basketball players
Category:Boise State Broncos men's basketball players
Category:Indiana Mad Ants players
Category:Indiana Pacers players
Category:People from Lombard, Illinois
Category:San Diego Clippers (NBA G League) players