Yogi Ferrell
Kevin Duane "Yogi" Ferrell Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball at Indiana University.
Early life
Ferrell was ranked the number one player in his class as a fifth grader by Clark Francis in the controversial "Hoop Scoop" rankings in 2004. At the time, Ferrell was playing for Lakeside Elementary in Warren Township and a travel team sponsored by Adidas. At 10 years old and 4'10" in height, Ferrell already had a crossover dribble, could hit a running jumper in the lane, and make one-handed bounce passes that his teammate in stride.High school career
At the conclusion of his high school career at Park Tudor School, Ferrell was rated the No. 19 player and No. 3 point guard in the class of 2012 by Rivals.com, the No. 32 player by Scout.com, and the No. 24 player and No. 3 point guard in the ESPNU 100. He was rated best passer, best speed, and best point guard in Indiana by Rivals, and the best player in Indiana in the November 2011 edition of Rick Bolus' High Potential rankings.In his junior year of high school, Ferrell averaged 18.5 points, 6.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game, leading Park Tudor to a 26–2 record and the 2A IHSAA State Championship, recording 14 points, six assists and five rebounds in the championship game. The game, a 43–42 win over the Bishop Noll Institute, was played at Conseco Fieldhouse in front of 11,035 fans and a statewide television audience.
In a summer game on August 8, 2011, Ferrell played in a nationally televised game at Adidas Nations in California and recorded 14 assists. On November 8, 2011, Ferrell appeared on 'Guard Play with Kenny "The Jet" Smith,' where he got a lesson from the former NBA player and TNT analyst.
In his senior year of high school, on March 24, 2012, Ferrell won a second 2A IHSAA State Championship and tied a championship game record with 12 assists. He also contributed 17 points and nine rebounds, coming up just one rebound short of a triple-double. Ferrell finished his senior year averaging 18.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, as the team went 26–2 during the season. In the March 28, 2012 McDonald's All-American Game, Ferrell played 22 minutes and had a game-high eight assists with zero turnovers. He was the only player in the game with four or more assists and no turnovers. Ferrell was Indiana Mr. Basketball runner-up behind Gary Harris.
College career
On November 9, 2011, Ferrell signed a letter of intent to play for Indiana University, turning down offers from Butler, Florida, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Upon committing to Indiana said, "The main goal I actually want to accomplish coming in to college is winning a national championship." Ferrell was one of five players included in an Indiana recruiting class ranked by Rivals.com as second in the nation for 2012.In his freshman year during the 2012–13 season, Ferrell was described as running the offense "with the focus of a surgeon" while playing tenacious defense. According to Indiana head coach Tom Crean, "He's wiser than his years. He's at his best in big environments." His team finished the regular season as outright Big Ten champions. Ferrell finished the season averaging 7.6 points, 4.1 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 28.1 minutes per game. He also shot 40.3% from the field and 79.8% from the free throw line. His 132 single-season assists by a freshman ranked among the top two in the Indiana record book. He was honored with a spot on the Big Nine's All-Freshman Team by the coaches and All-Nine Ten Honorable Mention honors from the media.
Ferrell continued to excel in his sophomore year, leading the team in scoring and assists. He had another strong shooting year, hitting 41.3% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. At the end of the season, Ferrell was named to the All-Big Nine Second Team by the coaches and media.
During his junior season, Ferrell continued to move up in the record books. His active streak of making at least one three-pointer in a game extended to 65 straight games, which stands as the longest active streak in the nation. He joined the 1,000 points scorers' club early in the season, and he finished with 1,379 points. Ferrell made an impressive jump on the all-time leading assists list with his total at the end of the season coming to 438. He also joined the elite club at IU in which only five Hoosiers have 1,000 career points, 400 career assists, and 300 career rebounds. Ferrell was also the first player to lead the team in points and assists in back-to-back seasons since Isiah Thomas did it in 1981.
In his senior year, Ferrell continued his record-breaking legacy. On January 19, 2016, he broke the all-time assists record at Indiana University when he made his 546th career assist while facing off against Illinois' Fighting Illini. On February 1, he was named one of 10 finalists for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award. He was named to the 35-man midseason watchlist for the Naismith Trophy on February 11.
On June 22, 2020 the Big Ten Network named Ferrell to their "All-Decade Basketball Team", placing him on their Third Team. Ferrell was one of 16 players honored by the Network for accomplishments between 2010-2019. Of the honor, Ferrell told BTN's Rick Pizzo, "Man, that's a huge honor. I didn't even know they were voting for that. To be a part of that is really something great."
Professional career
Brooklyn Nets and Long Island Nets (2016–2017)
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Ferrell joined the Brooklyn Nets for the 2016 NBA Summer League. In four games for the Nets, he averaged 8.8 points, 1.8 assists, 1.5 rebounds in 17 minutes per game. He shot 43.8 percent from the field, 18.2 percent on three-pointers, and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. He signed with the Nets on August 5, 2016, but was later waived on October 21, 2016 after appearing in three preseason games.On November 1, 2016, Ferrell was acquired by the Long Island Nets of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of Brooklyn. He returned to Brooklyn on November 9, and made his NBA debut that night, recording five points, three assists, one rebound and one steal in 14 minutes off the bench in a 110–96 loss to the New York Knicks. On November 30, he was assigned to Long Island. He was recalled on December 1, reassigned on December 5, and recalled again later that day. On December 8, he was waived by Brooklyn after appearing in 10 games. Two days later, he was reacquired by the Long Island Nets.
Dallas Mavericks (2017–2018)
On January 28, 2017, Ferrell signed a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks. He made his debut for the Mavericks the following day, recording nine points and seven assists in 36 minutes as a starter in a 105–101 win over the San Antonio Spurs. A day later, he scored a then career-high 19 points in a 104–97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On February 1, in a 113–95 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Ferrell had 11 points and five assists in 38 minutes in just his third game with the team. Two days later, he scored a career-high 32 points in a 108–104 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He became just the third undrafted rookie in NBA history to have a 30-point game within his first 15 games, joining Connie Hawkins and Anthony Morrow. Ferrell, a 28 percent 3-point shooter coming into the game against Portland, hit nine three-pointers on 11 attempts, which tied the record for made three-point shots in a game for an NBA rookie. On February 7, 2017, he signed a multiyear deal with the Mavericks. Deron Williams' return from injury on February 11 against the Orlando Magic meant Ferrell didn't start at point guard for the first time in eight games since joining the Mavericks. Despite coming off the bench, he was solid again with 10 points and seven of Dallas' season-high 32 assists in a 112–80 win. On March 2, 2017, he was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in February. He led all Western Conference rookies in scoring, assists and minutes in February. At the season's end, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.On December 22, 2017, Ferrell scored a then season-high 23 points in a 113–101 loss to the Miami Heat. On January 10, 2018, he made seven 3-pointers and scored 22 points in a 115–111 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On March 6, 2018, he scored a season-high 24 points with six 3-pointers in a 118–107 win over the Denver Nuggets.
On June 26, 2018, Ferrell received a qualifying offer from the Mavericks. They later withdrew the offer on July 13. After reportedly agreeing to terms on a two-year, $5.3 million deal on July 19, Ferrell backed out of his agreement with the Mavericks the following day.