Hoosiers in the Pros: James Blackmon Jr leading Italian league in scoring
By Alec Lasley
Former Indiana Hoosier, James Blackmon Jr, leads the Lega Basket Serie A in scoring at over 20 points per game.
After a couple stints in the G-League, James Blackmon Jr leads the Lega Basket Serie A in scoring while playing for VL Pesaro.
Playing in the top league in Italy, Blackmon is averaging 20.3 points per game in his first season with the team.
James Blackmon strikes again in Italy. 2nd 30-point game for the former Indiana Hoosier (33p, 11-21 FG, 5-9 3P in 102-98 W over Torino) this season. James leads the Italian league in scoring with 20.3 PPG. #LBASerieA
— Dmitry Planidin (@DmitryPlanidin) January 13, 2019
The former five star recruit from Marion, Indiana, played for the Hoosiers from 2014-2017 and averaged 16.1 points per game over his three seasons while sooting 43 percent from three.
After the 2017 season, Blackmon announced that he would forego his senior year and declared for the NBA draft. There he went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Playing with the team in the 2017 NBA Summer League, Blackmon signed a training camp contract but was later waived during the preseason.
A couple months after, Blackmon was traded by the Delaware 87ers, of the G-League, to the Wisconsin Herd.
In the 2017-18 season in the G-League, Blackmon averaged 14.4 points per game, appearing in 47 games.
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Currently, there are three other division one players on the roster, with Blackmon being the most notable. Former Gonzaga forward, Austin Daye, played for the team during the 2015-16 season.
Basketball has always been in the Blackmon genes, as James Blackmon Sr played for Kentucky and went on to the NBA. Vijay Blackmon is currently a walk-on at Indiana while the youngest Blackmon, Jalen, is a sophomore at Marion High.
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