Lehmon Colbert
Colbert with Neptune in 2018
Personal information
Born (1988-04-14) April 14, 1988
Georgia, United States
NationalityAmerican
Listed height2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)
Career information
High schoolCrawford County (Roberta, Georgia)
CollegeJacksonville (2006–2010)
NBA draft2010: undrafted
Playing career2010–2020
PositionPower forward / center
Career history
As player:
2010–2012Plymouth Raiders
2013Leñadores de Madera
2013–2016UCC Demons
2015→Hibernia
2017–2018UCC Demons
2018–2020Neptune
As coach:
2019–2020Neptune
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× Irish League champion (2015, 2016)
  • Irish League Player of the Year (2016)
  • 2× Irish League All-Star First Team (2015, 2016)
  • Irish League All-Star Third Team (2018)
  • 3× Irish Champions Trophy winner (2014–2016)
  • Irish Champions Trophy Final MVP (2016)
  • 2× Irish National Cup winner (2014, 2015)
  • 2× Irish National Cup Final MVP (2014, 2015)
  • Second-team All-Atlantic Sun (2010)
  • Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team (2007)

Lehmon Colbert Jr. (born April 14, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Jacksonville Dolphins before playing professionally in England, Mexico and Ireland. With UCC Demons in the Irish Super League, he won two championships and multiple other trophies and was the league's Player of the Year in 2016. Between 2018 and 2020, he played for Neptune and served as player-coach in his second season.

Early life

Colbert was born and raised in the state of Georgia.[1][2] He initially leaned towards baseball before his height and strength saw him gravitate towards basketball.[2]

High school career

Colbert attended Crawford County High School in Roberta, Georgia. As a senior in 2005–06, he averaged 25 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks per game.[3] He was named second-team all-state in Class 2A as a junior, and first-team all-state in Class 2A as a senior.[4]

On April 12, 2006, Colbert signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Jacksonville University.[3]

College career

Freshman year (2006–07)

As a freshman at Jacksonville in 2006–07, Colbert played in all 29 games with 28 starting assignments. He was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team after finishing second on the team in scoring (11.7 ppg) and rebounding (5.2 rpg). He scored in double figures 18 times, including the final three games of the season. He had two double-doubles – the first a 14-point, 10-rebound performance against Campbell on January 4; the final was a 17-point, 11-rebound outing against Lipscomb on February 26.[4]

Sophomore year (2007–08)

As a sophomore in 2007–08, Colbert started all 31 games for the Dolphins, finishing third on the team in scoring (13.1) and second in rebound (6.3). He scored in double figures 24 times, going for 20 points or more three times. He scored a career-high 24 points against Belmont on February 7, hitting 10-of-16 from the floor while dishing out five assists. He had at least five assists in a game five times, including a career-high eight against ETSU on January 25. He had two double-doubles during the season, the first coming against Concordia on November 17 (12 points, 12 rebounds) and the other against Mercer on February 21 (17 points, 10 rebounds).[4]

Junior year (2008–09)

As a junior in 2008–09, Colbert played in all 32 games with 31 starting assignments, finishing second on the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures 22 times, going for 20 or more in a game twice, and became the 26th member of the school's 1,000-point club. He scored a career-high 28 points against Stetson on January 23, hitting 9-of-12 from the floor and 5-for-5 from behind the arc. He had two double-doubles, coming in back-to-back games – the first was a 15-point, 11-rebound performance against Florida Gulf Coast on January 25, followed by a 16-point, 11-rebound outing against ETSU on January 30. He had a career-high 13 rebounds in the A-Sun championship game against ETSU on March 7.[4]

Senior year (2009–10)

Colbert suffered a knee injury early in his senior season.[5] As a result, he missed five games throughout the season.[6] Despite this, on March 2, 2010, Colbert made his first All-Conference team, placing on the Second Team.[7]

The Dolphins came up short in their bid to win the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. But by gaining a share of the regular season title along with Belmont, Lipscomb and Campbell and then advancing further in the A-Sun Tournament than any of the other three co-champions, JU was able to gain a berth in the NIT for the second year in a row.[5]

In 28 games (26 starts) for the Dolphins in 2009–10, Colbert averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 28.5 minutes per game.[8]

Over four seasons at Jacksonville, Colbert and teammate Ben Smith were the most prolific 1-2 scoring threat in school history. Smith finished his career with 1,971 points, the second-highest point total ever for a Dolphins player, while Colbert wound up in 13th with 1,460 points.[5]

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2006–07 Jacksonville 292828.7.500.361.5955.21.1.6.511.7
2007–08 Jacksonville 313131.0.470.250.6786.32.6.7.513.1
2008–09 Jacksonville 323126.7.457.415.6886.21.7.5.611.8
2009–10 Jacksonville 282628.5.444.283.6476.81.5.6.512.1
Career 12011628.7.467.330.6586.11.8.6.512.2

Professional career

Plymouth Raiders (2010–2012)

2010–11 season

After college, Colbert was aware that his chance of becoming an NBA player was slim to none. Despite this, he committed to a basketball career by hiring an agent and moving overseas.[2]

On August 27, 2010, Colbert signed with the Plymouth Raiders of the British Basketball League.[9] His athleticism and versatility set him apart from other small forwards in the BBL during the 2010–11 season,[10] with his ability to play both small forward and power forward an impressive trait that coach Gavin Love exploited.[11] Colbert was one of the top rookies in the BBL in 2010–11. He averaged 15 points and nearly seven rebounds a game, while handing out just over three assists and averaging just under a steal per game. He shot 60% from the floor and 32% from the three-point line, demonstrating his versatility.[10] Plymouth reached the end-of-season playoffs, before falling to the Cheshire Jets in the first round.[10]

2011–12 season

On May 26, 2011, Colbert re-signed with the Raiders for the 2011–12 season.[10][11][12] Colbert helped the Raiders reach the final of both the BBL Cup and the BBL Trophy, losing both to the Newcastle Eagles.[13] In the Cup final on January 15, 2012, Colbert scored 25 points.[14]

In 83 games for Plymouth over two seasons, Colbert averaged 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.[15]

Mexico (2013)

"Luckily I got two years with Plymouth in England but last year I didn't get a job, so I had to go to Mexico… that was strange, very, very crazy. I wouldn't wish it on anybody. You had to be sober down there. It's a dangerous country. I saw police coming out of the back of pick-up trucks with Tommy Guns."

—Colbert, January 2014[2]

After failing to secure a contract for the 2012–13 season,[16] Colbert played in Mexico in 2013 with Leñadores de Madera of the LiMeBa Liga.[17] He averaged 28.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.[18]

UCC Demons (2013–2018)

2013–14 season

In September 2013, Colbert signed with UCC Demons for the 2013–14 Irish Premier League season.[19] Player-coach Colin O'Reilly recruited Colbert after the two knew each other from their time in England.[2]

On January 24, 2014, Colbert helped Demons defeat Dublin Inter 82–64 in the National Cup final, earning MVP honors behind a 21-point effort.[20] He went on to help Demons finish the regular season in second place with a 16–2 record before winning the end-of-season Champions Trophy tournament with a 79–60 win over Killester in the final. In the final, Colbert recorded 16 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, one steal and two blocks.[21] In 18 regular-season games, he averaged 19.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.[22]

2014–15 season

Colbert returned to UCC Demons for the 2014–15 season.[23] On January 24, 2015, Colbert helped Demons defeat UCD Marian 91–65 in the National Cup final, earning MVP honors for the second straight year behind a game-high 25 points.[24] Two weeks later, he was named Player of the Month for January.[25]

UCC Demons finished the regular season in first place with a perfect 18–0 record, garnering their seventh league title.[26] In 18 games, Colbert averaged 22.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals per game.[27] On March 26, 2015, he was named an inaugural Premier League All-Star First Pick alongside teammates Kyle Hosford and Colin O'Reilly.[28] Three days later, he recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds in Demons' Champions Trophy final win over Templeogue.[29] The win created history in Irish basketball as Demons became the first side ever to remain undefeated for an entire season – a campaign that saw them win 24 games in a row.[30][31]

2015–16 season

Colbert returned to UCC Demons for the 2015–16 season.[32] Between October and December, he competed for Hibernia in the 2015–16 FIBA Europe Cup.[33] In Hibernia's fourth game of the tournament, Colbert recorded 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Bakken Bears.[34] In six games, he averaged 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.[1]

UCC Demons won their second consecutive league title in 2015–16 after finishing the regular season in first place with a 16–2 record. Colbert appeared in all 18 games for the third straight year, averaging career highs of 23.4 points and 12.3 rebounds, as well as 2.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 34.3 minutes per game.[35] On March 19, 2016, he recorded 35 points and 17 rebounds in Demons' 75–71 Champions Trophy semi-final win over UCD Marian.[36][37] The next day, he recorded 27 points and 16 rebounds in Demons' 82–77 Champions Trophy final win over Killester, as he claimed game MVP honors and his third Champions Trophy title in three seasons.[38][39] In June 2016, he was named Men's Premier League Player of the Year.[40][41] He was also named a Premier League All-Star First Pick for the second year in a row.[42]

2017–18 season

After sitting out the 2016–17 season in the United States,[43] Colbert returned to UCC Demons for the 2017–18 season.[44] He was unable to play in the team's first two games of the season however due to his work permit still being processed.[45][46] He made his season debut on October 1 against Swords Thunder.[47][48][49] Colbert helped Demons reach the National Cup semi-finals, but despite his game-high 29 points, they were defeated 98–77 by Templeogue on January 6.[50][51] Throughout the season, he had four games with 30 points or more, including a season-high 35 in his season debut.[52] UCC Demons finished in sixth place with a 13–9 record. In 20 games, Colbert averaged 22.75 points, 10.05 rebounds, 2.55 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.15 blocks per game.[52] He was subsequently named to the All-Star Third Team.[53]

Neptune (2018–2020)

Colbert in December 2018, at the free throw line for Neptune

After four seasons with UCC Demons, Colbert was ready to commit to a fifth season before it became clear to him that he wasn't in the coach's plans.[54] As a result, Colbert joined cross-town rivals Neptune for the 2018–19 season.[55][56] On November 24, 2018, he had 21 points and 20 rebounds against UCD Marian.[57] On December 8, he had 30 points and 15 rebounds against Swords Thunder.[57][58] On February 16, 2019, he had 20 rebounds against Belfast Star.[57] Neptune finished on the bottom of the table with a 4–16 record. In 21 games, he averaged 17.9 points, 10.95 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.33 blocks per game.[57]

For the 2019–20 season, Colbert was appointed player-coach of Neptune.[59][60] He missed time as a player in November due to an elbow injury,[61][62][63][64] but made up for it by being named Super League Coach of the Month for November.[65] On February 1, he scored a season-high 24 against Éanna.[66] Neptune recorded a 9–12 record in 2019–20 to finish ninth, as Colbert averaged 16.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks in 17 games.[66]

Colbert parted ways with Neptune in July 2020.[67]

Personal

Colbert is the youngest of six children to mother Irene and father Lehmon Sr., who died when Colbert was 18.[68] His daughter, Kyla, was born in 2011.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Lehmon Colbert – FIBA Europe Cup". FIBAEurope.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Murphy, Éamonn (January 10, 2014). "DEMONS' OVERSEAS LEADERS". EveningEcho.ie. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Men's basketball adds three student-athletes for 2006-07". CSTV.com. April 12, 2006. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "2009-10 Men's Basketball – Lehmon Colbert". JUDolphins.com. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Elliott, Jeff (March 23, 2010). "Ben Smith-Lehmon Colbert pairing was most prolific in JU basketball history". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  6. ↑ "#41 COLBERT, Lehmon". JUDolphins.com. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Hubbard named to A-Sun Second Team". etsubucs.com. March 2, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert completes Plymouth Raiders squad". BBC.co.uk. August 27, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Hobbs, John (May 26, 2011). "Colbert returns to Plymouth". TalkBasket.net. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Lehmon Colbert signs new deal with Plymouth Raiders". BBC.com. May 26, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  12. ↑ "New deal for Colbert as Raiders start putting together 2011/12 squad". PlymouthHerald.co.uk. May 26, 2011. Archived from the original on 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  13. ↑ "Final loss for Plymouth Raiders only fires Colbert up". PlymouthHerald.co.uk. March 31, 2012. Archived from the original on 2017-08-07. Retrieved 2017-10-02.
  14. ↑ "BBL Cup final: Newcastle Eagles 115-94 Plymouth Raiders". BBC.com. January 15, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Player statistics for Lehmon Colbert". SportingPulse.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015.
  16. ↑ "I would love to come back to Plymouth Raiders, says Lehmon Colbert". PlymouthHerald.co.uk. May 10, 2013. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  17. ↑ "El nuevo refuerzo lehmon colbert!!". Facebook.com (in Spanish). May 31, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert's Mexico Highlights". YouTube.com. July 16, 2013. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Basketball Teams Bounce Into New Season". TheCorkNews.ie. October 4, 2013. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015.
  20. ↑ "C&S UCC Demons 82-64 Dublin Inter". RTE.ie. January 24, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Killester vs Demons". FIBALiveStats.com. March 23, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert". realgm.com. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  23. ↑ Coughlan, John (October 3, 2014). "Neptune and Demons renew rivalry". IrishExaminer.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  24. ↑ Coughlan, John (January 26, 2015). "Awesome Demons hit new heights". IrishExaminer.com. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  25. ↑ "C&S UCC DEMONS GET BI AWARDS FOR JANUARY". BlueDemonsBC.com. February 5, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  26. ↑ "C&S UCC DEMONS WILL CARRY CONFIDENCE INTO THE LAST TWO WEEKS OF THE SEASON". BlueDemonsBC.com. March 15, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
  27. ↑ "Men's Premier League 2014–15 – Lehmon Colbert". bi.comortais.com. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Inaugural All-Stars Revealed". BasketballIreland.ie. March 26, 2015. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015.
  29. ↑ "UCC Demons vs Templeogue". FIBALiveStats.com. March 29, 2015. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  30. ↑ "UCC Demons created Irish basketball history as they remain undefeated all season". UCC.ie. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  31. ↑ "C&S UCC Demons end season unbeaten". RTE.ie. March 29, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  32. ↑ Coughlan, John (October 5, 2015). "Demons suffer shock defeat". IrishExaminer.com. Retrieved October 6, 2015.
  33. ↑ "BAKKEN BEARS TEACH HIBERNIA TOUGH LESSONS IN BLOW-OUT". FIBAEurope.com. October 28, 2015. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  34. ↑ O'Donoghue, Ross (November 19, 2015). "Hibernia's brave challenge falls short in FIBA Europe Cup". IrishExaminer.com. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  35. ↑ "Basketball Ireland – Lehmon Colbert". BasketballIreland.ie. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
  36. ↑ "RECAP: 2016 CHAMPIONS TROPHY". BasketballIreland.ie. March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  37. ↑ "UCC Demons vs UCD Marian". FIBALiveStats.com. March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  38. ↑ "DEMONS CLAIM END OF SEASON CHAMPIONS TROPHY". BasketballIreland.ie. March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  39. ↑ "UCC Demons vs Killester". FIBALiveStats.com. March 20, 2016. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  40. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert and Jazmen Boone take basketball awards". RTE.ie. June 1, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  41. ↑ "BASKETBALL IRELAND ANNUAL AWARDS 2016". BasketballIreland.ie. June 13, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  42. ↑ "BASKETBALL IRELAND 2016 ALL-STARS REVEALED". BasketballIreland.ie. March 16, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  43. ↑ Ryan, Emmet (September 30, 2017). "COLIN COMES HOME". ballineurope.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  44. ↑ "PREVIEW: WE LOOK AHEAD TO THIS WEEKEND'S GAMES". BasketballIreland.ie. September 14, 2017. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  45. ↑ Coughlan, John (September 15, 2017). "Donaghy is ready to rock as Demons host Tralee in basketball opener". EveningEcho.ie. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017.
  46. ↑ Coughlan, John (September 18, 2017). "Brave Demons stunned Donaghy's Tralee outfit in basketball opener". EveningEcho.ie. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  47. ↑ Coughlan, John (September 29, 2017). "Basketball: Lehmon Colbert boosts UCC Demons for Thunder test". IrishExaminer.ie. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  48. ↑ "Super League round-up: UCC Demons edge out Swords Thunder, IT Carlow make history". RTE.ie. October 1, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  49. ↑ Coughlan, John (October 2, 2017). "Basketball: UCC Demons shock league leaders Griffith Swords Thunder". IrishExaminer.ie. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  50. ↑ "HULA HOOPS NATIONAL CUP SEMI-FINAL GAMEZONE (SENIOR MEN & WOMEN)". BasketballIreland.ie. January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  51. ↑ Leen, Tony (January 8, 2018). "In basketball's pecking order, Cork can't complain with second city status". IrishExaminer.ie. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  52. 1 2 "Lehmon Colbert". BasketballIreland.ie. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018.
  53. ↑ "2017/18 ALL STAR TEAMS ANNOUNCED". BasketballIreland.ie. March 18, 2018. Archived from the original on March 19, 2018.
  54. ↑ Coughlan, John (September 28, 2018). "Derby showdowns guarantee explosive superleague tip-off". IrishExaminer.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  55. ↑ "PREVIEW: We look ahead to this weekend's games". BasketballIreland.ie. September 27, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
  56. ↑ Coughlan, John (September 28, 2018). "The biggest game in SuperLeague basketball is back as Neptune host Demons". EveningEcho.com. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  57. 1 2 3 4 "Lehmon Colbert". BasketballIreland.ie. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  58. ↑ "Neptune vs Swords Thunder". Eurobasket.com. December 8, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  59. ↑ Coughlan, John (July 18, 2019). "Neptune to replace UCC Demons in Men's SuperLeague". irishexaminer.com. Retrieved July 19, 2019. New player-coach Lehmon Colbert...
  60. ↑ Coughlan, John (September 20, 2019). "Cork basketball special: Neptune determined to learn from last season". echolive.ie. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  61. ↑ Coughlan, John (November 17, 2019). "Understrength Neptune rally to sink DCU Saints". irishexaminer.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  62. ↑ Coughlan, John (November 25, 2019). "Basketball: No Mercy as marvellous Maree shock DCU". irishexaminer.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  63. ↑ Coughlan, John (November 25, 2019). "Kyle Hosford turns the tables for Neptune against Belfast Star". echolive.ie. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  64. ↑ "Sensational Weekend In The Hula Hoops National Cup On The Way". balls.ie. November 29, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  65. ↑ "Basketball Ireland Players and Coaches of the Month for November". BasketballIreland.ie. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  66. 1 2 "Lehmon Colbert". BasketballIreland.ie. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
  67. ↑ "Neptune search for new coach, DCU St Vincents appoint ONeill". BasketballIreland.ie. July 24, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  68. ↑ "Lehmon Colbert is finding right recipe in rookie year". WesternMorningNews.co.uk. March 10, 2011. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014.
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