#30 A.J. HESS

POSITION: Guard/Forward

HEIGHT: 6-7 (200 cm)

WEIGHT: 210 lbs (95 kg)

BIRTHDATE: January 20, 1994 (Phoenix, AZ) 

HIGH SCHOOL: Phoenix Country Day (Paradise Valley, AZ)

UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE: South Dakota State ‘17

TWITTER/INSTAGRAM: @ajhess35/@adotjdot35 

HOW ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent on April 27, 2023

YEARS PRO: 5

BIO

PROFESSIONAL CAREER


Owns career averages of 9.0 points and 2.4 rebounds to go along with a strong .391 mark from three-point range over his five-year professional career in France, Bulgaria, Belgium, Switzerland, Armenia, the NBA G League and the CEBL. 


2023: Averaged 7.2 points, 1.8 rebounds and 44.4 per cent shooting from deep in 13 games with St. Chamond Basket of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB) Pro B in France … Posted four double-figure scoring games … Shot 40 per cent or better from three in seven games … Scored a season-best 18 points on five-of-seven shooting from the floor March 18 vs. Vichy Clermont. 


2023: Appeared in one game for the Golden State Warriors affiliate Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League Jan. 8 vs. Oklahoma City, where he logged 14 minutes and grabbed five rebounds.


2022: Averaged  12.8 points and 3.3 rebounds while posting an impressive .481 mark from three-point range in eight games with the Guelph Nighthawks … Scored in double figures in all but two contests … Shot 50 per cent or better from three in four games … Scored a season-high 20 points to go along with eight rebounds June 21 vs. Fraser Valley. 


2021-22: Averaged 9.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and .454 shooting from deep in 34 games with BC Rilski Sportist in Bulgaria … Scored in double figures in 19 games … Scored a season-high 18 points April 15 vs. Cherno More. 


2019-20: Averaged 5.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 31 games with the Milwaukee Bucks affiliate Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League … Shot 50 per cent or better from three-point range in 11 games … Set season highs in points (22) and rebounds (7) in a win Dec. 27 vs. Lakeland … Helped lead the Herd to a NBA G League Central Division Championship.


2019: Averaged 7.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 26.1 minutes in 16 games in his first NBA G League action with the Wisconsin Herd … Scored in double figures in five games … Tallied a season-high 16 points March 16 vs. Iowa … Grabbed a season-best eight rebounds March 1 vs. Fort Wayne.


2018: Averaged 5.2 points on .386 shooting from three in 13 games for Belfius Mons-Hainaut of the BNXT League in Belgium … Scored in double figures twice.


2017-18: Represented the Armenian National Team in three games during the European Championships, averaging 13.3 points and 50 per cent shooting from three …  Scored a team-high 21 points in a Feb. 25 win against Albania. 


2017-18: Averaged a professional career-best 15.8 points to go along with 4.1 rebounds per game through 25 games with the Starwings of the Swiss Basketball League …  Scored 20 or more points in 10 games … Scored a professional career-high 29 points to go along with seven rebounds Jan. 21 vs. Boncourt. 


2017: Represented the Armenian National Team in five games during the FIBA World Cup … Averaged 8.8 points and 3.6 rebounds … Scored a team-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds in a win Aug. 2 vs. Slovakia.



UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE CAREER


2016-17: Joined the South Dakota State Jackrabbits as a graduate transfer after being granted a hardship waiver due to a season-ending fibular fracture in his previous season … Averaged 9.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 25.8 minutes while shooting 37.1 per cent from three in his final year of NCAA eligibility … Scored in double figures in 16 games … Poured in a career-high 31 points on seven-of-12 from deep Nov. 21 vs. Idaho … Set another career high with 14 rebounds to go along with 13 points in a double-double performance Jan. 4 vs. Western Illinois. 


2015-16: Averaged 8.3 points, 1.7 rebounds and 21.0 minutes while shooting 40.9 per cent from three in six games as a senior with the Southern Utah Thunderbirds … Scored in double figures twice … Suffered a season-ending fibular fracture allowing him to redshirt the season and preserve the season of eligibility. 


2014-15: Averaged collegiate career bests in points (11.7) and three-point shooting (.413) in 29 games as  a junior at Southern Utah … Started in all 29 contests … Led the Jackrabbits in free throw shooting with a 84.1 per cent mark …  Scored in double figures in 19 games … Shot 50 per cent or better from three-point range in 14 games … Scored a season-high 20 points on four-of-eight from deep  in a narrow one-point victory Nov. 30 vs. UTSA.


2013-14: Averaged 9.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 38.1 percent shooting from three-point range in 29 games a sophomore with Southern Utah … Started in all but three games … Recorded 13 double-figure scoring games … Averaged a collegiate career-best .875 mark from the free throw line …  Scored a season-high 17 points twice (Nov. 8 vs. Arizona Christian and Jan. 23 vs. Eastern Washington) … Grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds to go along with seven points in a March 6 win against North Dakota.


2012-13: Averaged 5.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 33.3 per cent from three-point range in 31 games as a freshman at Southern Utah … Scored in double figures in three games …  Scored a season-high 24 points on five-of-10 from deep Feb. 16 vs. East Washington.



PERSONAL


Lettered three years in basketball and one year in soccer in high school … Led Phoenix Country Day to a state championship in his senior year … Named to Big Sky All-Academic Team in each of his seasons at Southern Utah … Enjoys listening to Drake and watching The Office  outside of basketball.


STATISTICS

CEBL TOTALS

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2022 Guelph 8 228 102 9-26 25-52 9-9 4 22 26 8 20 5 4 7

CEBL AVERAGES

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2022 Guelph 8 28.5 12.8 .346 .481 1.000 0.5 2.8 3.3 1.0 2.5 0.6 0.5 0.9

PROFESSIONAL TOTALS

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2023 St. Chamond 13 225 93 6-16 24-54 9-10 3 21 24 4 16 4 4 5
2023 Santa Cruz 1 14 0 0-0 0-5 0-0 0 5 5 2 1 0 0 0
2022 Guelph 8 228 102 9-26 25-52 9-9 4 22 26 8 20 5 4 7
2021-22 Rilski 34 635 319 47-76 69-152 18-25 14 51 65 30 48 9 20 23
2019-20 Wisconsin 31 506 168 17-50 41-112 6-11 15 54 69 19 28 4 16 23
2019 Wisconsin 16 417 114 15-32 25-76 9-10 4 24 28 14 28 4 10 10
2018 Mons-Hainaut 13 230 68 7-29 17-44 3-3 2 18 20 10 20 0 4 7
2017-18 Armenia 3 83 40 4-11 9-18 5-5 1 5 6 0 7 2 3 2
2017-18 Starwings 25 762 394 83-154 53-160 69-81 17 86 103 60 35 10 18 42
2017 Armenia 5 125 44 9-18 6-19 8-9 4 13 17 4 8 0 0 8
Total 149 3,225 1,342 197-412 269-692 136-163 64 299 363 151 211 38 79 127

PROFESSIONAL AVERAGES

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2023 St. Chamond 13 17.3 7.2 .375 .444 .900 0.2 1.6 1.8 0.3 1.2 0.3 0.3 0.4
2023 Santa Cruz 1 14.0 0.0 .000 .000 .000 0.0 5.0 5.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2022 Guelph 8 28.5 12.8 .346 .481 1.000 0.5 2.8 3.3 1.0 2.5 0.6 0.5 0.9
2021-22 Rilski 34 18.7 9.4 .618 .454 .720 0.4 1.5 1.9 0.9 1.4 0.3 0.6 0.7
2019-20 Wisconsin 31 16.3 5.4 .340 .366 .545 0.5 1.7 2.2 0.6 0.9 0.1 0.5 0.7
2019 Wisconsin 16 26.1 7.1 .469 .329 .900 0.3 1.5 1.8 0.9 1.8 0.3 0.6 0.6
2018 Mons-Hainaut 13 17.7 5.2 .241 .386 1.000 0.2 1.4 1.5 0.8 1.5 0.0 0.3 0.5
2017-18 Armenia 3 27.7 13.3 .364 .500 1.000 0.3 1.7 2.0 0.0 2.3 0.7 1.0 0.7
2017-18 Starwings 25 30.5 15.8 .539 .331 .852 0.7 3.4 4.1 2.4 1.4 0.4 0.7 1.7
2017 Armenia 5 25.0 8.8 .500 .316 .889 0.8 2.6 3.4 0.8 1.6 0.0 0.0 1.6
Totals 149 21.6 9.0 .477 .391 .831 0.4 2.0 2.4 1.0 1.4 0.3 0.5 0.9

UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE TOTALS

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2016-17 South Dakota St. 29 747 275 18-37 66-178 41-48 14 86 100 17 40 9 15 24
2015-16 Southern Utah 6 126 50 10-16 9-22 3-4 0 10 10 6 13 0 2 6
2014-15 Southern Utah 29 743 338 49-103 57-138 69-82 13 95 108 28 78 16 15 39
2013-14 Southern Utah 29 783 271 39-95 48-126 49-56 13 103 116 34 65 4 9 33
2012-13 Southern Utah 31 642 181 20-44 37-111 30-35 12 70 82 30 65 6 16 28
Totals: 124 3041 1115 188-394 263-673 128-154 52 364 416 115 261 35 57 130

UNIVERSITY / COLLEGE AVERAGES

Year Team G MIN PTS 2FGP 3FGP FT RO RD RT AS PF BS ST TO
2016-17 South Dakota St. 29 25.8 9.5 .486 .371 .854 0.5 3.0 3.4 0.6 1.4 0.3 0.5 0.8
2015-16 Southern Utah 6 21.0 8.3 .625 .409 .750 0.0 1.7 1.7 1.0 2.2 0.0 0.3 1.0
2014-15 Southern Utah 29 25.6 11.7 .476 .413 .841 0.4 3.3 3.7 1.0 2.7 0.6 0.5 1.3
2013-14 Southern Utah 29 27.0 9.3 .411 .381 .875 0.4 3.6 4.0 1.2 2.2 0.1 0.3 1.1
2012-13 Southern Utah 31 20.7 5.8 .455 .333 .857 0.4 2.3 2.6 1.0 2.1 0.2 0.5 0.9
Totals: 124 24.5 9.0 .477 .391 .831 0.4 2.9 3.4 0.9 2.1 0.3 0.5 1.0
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