Willie Farley

Willie Deshon Farley (born August 22, 1975) is an American former professional basketball player. He has played around the world, including stops in France, the Philippines and Australia.

Willie Farley
Personal information
Born (1975-08-22) August 22, 1975
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft1999: undrafted
Playing career1999–present
PositionShooting guard / small forward
Career history
1999–2000Rochester Skeeters
2000Washington Ambassadors
2000Golbey-Epinal
2001–2002Adelaide 36ers
2002Santa Lucia Realty
2002–2003West Sydney Razorbacks
2003Sioux Falls Skyforce
2003–2004Anjou Basket Club Angers
2004–2007Adelaide 36ers
2007Fabriano Basket
2007Wonju Dongbu Promy
2007–2008Mutlu Akü Selçuk Üniversitesi
2008–2009Libertad de Sunchales
2013–2014Toowoomba Mountaineers
Career highlights and awards

Early life

As a youngster, Farley played competitive table tennis before focusing on basketball.[1]

Farley played high school basketball for Orr Academy before transferring to Farragut Academy. At Farragut, he was a teammate of current NBA player Kevin Garnett.

College career

Farley played college basketball for Chaffey College from 1995 to 1997. In 1997, Farley transferred to Fresno State where he had to sit out a semester before becoming eligible to play.[2][3] In December 1997, he played just six games before walking out on the team, with the impending return of Chris Herren being cited as reason for his departure.[4][5][6] In 1998, he returned to the team for the 1998–99 season.[7]

Professional career

1999–2001

Farley went undrafted in the 1999 NBA draft. In December 1999, he signed with the Rochester Skeeters for the rest of the 1999–2000 International Basketball Association season, playing 27 games.[8] He later joined the Washington D.C. Ambassadors for the 2000 United States Basketball League season.

Later that year, he signed with Golbey-Epinal of France for the 2000–01 season. In December 2000, he left France.

2001–2007

In 2001, Farley signed with the Adelaide 36ers for the 2001–02 season. He finished second in the league in scoring averaging 24.9 points per game and led the 36ers to an unlikely championship.

In July 2002, he signed with Santa Lucia Realty of the Philippines for a short stint.[9] Later that year, he signed with the West Sydney Razorbacks for the 2002–03 season.

In November 2003, he joined the Sioux Falls Skyforce for the 2003–04 CBA season. He later left after just two games. In December 2003, he joined Anjou Basket Club Angers of France for the rest of the season.

In 2004, he re-joined the Adelaide 36ers for the 2004–05 season. In his first season back with the 36ers, he averaged 23.5 point per game and won the club's Most Valuable Player award and finished second to Brian Wethers in the league MVP award.[10][11]

Despite Farley's return the 36ers were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in 2005 and 2006 before failing to make the playoffs in 2007. He was runner-up in the 2006 NBL Dunk Competition behind New Zealand Breakers forward Carlos Powell. During his playing days in the NBL, Farley was one of the most explosive scorers in the league, consistently putting up big numbers while exciting fans with high flying dunks and plenty of long range threes.

In March 2007, he joined Indesit Fabriano of Italy for the rest of the season.

2007–2009

In July 2007, Farley was selected by Wonju Dongbu Promy in the Korean Basketball League Foreign Player Draft.[12] In November 2007, he joined Mutlu Aku Selcuk Universitesi Konya of Turkey for the 2007–08 season.[13]

In December 2008, he signed a two-month contract with Libertad de Sunchales of Argentina. Following the expiry of his contract, he was released.[14]

2013–2014

In May 2013, Farley signed with the Toowoomba Mountaineers for the rest of the 2013 QBL season.[15][16] In December 2013, he signed with the Toowoomba Mountaineers as their player/coach for the 2014 season.[17][18]

References
  1. "The ping-pong kid who grew up". SMH.com.au. October 2, 2002. Retrieved March 19, 2014.
  2. "Senior Guard Farley Eligible to Compete". Fresno State Official Athletic Site. Fresno State University. 17 December 1998. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  3. "College Basketball Signings - Western Athletic". USA Today. 21 August 1997. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  4. Wilstein, Steve (24 March 1998). "Bulldogs take a bite out of Tark". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  5. Spears, Marc J (25 December 1997), "JONES HOME WITH FRESNO; 'CRAZY JOURNEY' ENDS FOR CENTER.", Daily News
  6. "1998-99 Men's Basketball Season Outlook". Fresno State Official Athletic Site. Fresno State University. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  7. "Willie Farley". NBA Draft 1999. CNN/SI. 1999. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  8. "1999-2000 IBA PLAYER STATISTICS". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  9. Henson, Joaquin M (19 June 2002). "Potentially explosive". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  10. "Adelaide 36ers - Year By Year" (PDF). 09/10 Media Guide. National Basketball League. pp. 9, 102. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  11. Howell, Stephen (25 March 2005). "Wethers name MVP". The Age. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  12. Kang Seung-woo (24 July 2007). "Egis, Promy Marked as Preseason Contenders". Korea Times. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  13. "Willie Farley". tblstat.net. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  14. "EUROBASKET NEWS REPORT - 1/27/2009". Eurobasket.com. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  15. Mountaineers frustration grows over clearance delays
  16. Farley ready to fire as Mountaineers chase finals berth
  17. Willie gets a crack
  18. Mountaineers coach looks to homegrown talent
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