The Bizarre and Miraculous Month of February for Yogi Ferrell
By Jordan Maly
Over the course of the last few weeks, one former Indiana Hoosier has been stealing the spotlight in the NBA. His name is Yogi Ferrell.
Yogi Ferrell has been the talk of many NBA fans over the course of the last month. Going undrafted in the summer, working his way through NBA Summer League and debuting with the Brooklyn Nets was only the start of Ferrell’s roller coaster rookie season.
Many believe that the all-time assists leader at Indiana was “undersized” and “will never have a shot in the NBA”. Those comments among many others about Yogi’s physical make-up as a basketball player. What they didn’t realize was his drive for success and the work ethic he put into his game after hanging up the candy stripes.
Ferrell’s month of February can easily be described as one of the best sports stories of 2017. He signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks on January 28th after Dallas suffered some key injuries to their guards. Nonetheless, it was an opportunity to showcase why he deserved to be in the NBA among basketball’s very best.
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It helps when the owner of said NBA team is an alumnus of the very same school he played for.
Yogi’s first real exposure to the NBA came against some of the league’s best teams. After signing Ferrell, the Mavericks went on a four-game winning streak including wins against the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers.
The one game that truly altered Yogi Ferrell’s career was his game against the Portland Trailblazers. Ferrell finished with 32-points, five assists, and tying an NBA record of nine made three-pointers by a rookie. The Mavericks signed Yogi to a 2-year contract extension following his 10-day contract.
If that’s not enough to convince you Yogi Ferrell’s story is truly inspiring, he was selected as KIA’s NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month.
Dallas guard @YogiFerrell11 named NBA Rookie of the Month along with Philly's Dario Saric. (Photo: NBA). #iubb pic.twitter.com/1VEICxnfNV
— Jeff Rabjohns (@JeffRabjohns) March 2, 2017
The NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month 👉 @YogiFerrell11 pic.twitter.com/FIutsbqeby
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) March 3, 2017
The numbers he put up for the Mavericks during the month of February don’t lie either.
Yogi Ferrell signed a 10-day with Mavs on Jan. 27. Now he's Rookie of the Month for Feb. He put up 12 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1 SPG, 41.2 3%.
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) March 2, 2017
Head Coach Rick Carlisle’s response to the media following the Rookie of the Month honors:
Rick Carlisle on Yogi Ferrell being named Western Conference Rookie of the Month. pic.twitter.com/VJLxhZdaWu
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) March 2, 2017
The Dallas Mavericks are thrilled with the recent success of their young guard, and they should be. Dallas’ move to waive Deron Williams left a pretty clear picture to fans. Yogi is now the center of a young, rebuilding core of Mavericks. Among the teammates that Yogi played with at Indiana, six currently play in the NBA or their D-League affiliate.