Jonah Bolden

Jonah Bolden
No. 43 – FMP
Position Guard / Forward
League ABA League
Basketball League of Serbia
Personal information
Born (1996-01-02) 2 January 1996
Melbourne, Victoria
Nationality Australian
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school
College UCLA (2014–2016)
Playing career 2016–present
Career history
2016–present FMP

Jonah Anthony Bolden (born 2 January 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player for FMP of the ABA League and the Basketball League of Serbia. He is the son of an American former pro basketball player, and moved to the United States as a senior in high school. A highly ranked college recruit, he played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Bolden was ineligible to play with the Bruins in his freshman year in 2014–15 after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ruled him a partial-qualifier due to his transferring as a high school senior. After playing with UCLA as a sophomore, he left the school to play professionally. He also played for the Australia national under-19 basketball team in the FIBA Under-19 World Championship in 2013.

Early life

Bolden was born in Melbourne, Victoria, to Bruce Bolden and Marie Yacoub. His American father played pro-basketball,[1][2] including 17 years in the National Basketball League in Australia.[3] Jonah Bolden played at Homebush Boys High School in Homebush, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, before moving to the United States in 2013 to play as a senior at Findlay College Prep, a private preparatory school in Henderson, Nevada, near Las Vegas.[4][5] However, his high school eligibility expired after his first semester and he transferred midseason to Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.[6][7]

In December 2013, Bowen chose to play college ball at UCLA over Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, USC, and SMU.[8] A consensus four-star recruit,[9] he was listed as the No. 25 player in his class by Scout.com, No. 32 by Rivals.com, and No. 69 by ESPN.com, while also being ranked as the No. 5 power forward by Scout.com.[1]

College career

Bolden was a redshirt in his freshman year at UCLA after he was ruled ineligible to play in 2014–15.[10] Before the season, the NCAA declared him a partial-qualifier, stemming from his transfer from Australia when his senior year in high school has already began.[11][12][13] In January 2015, he was cleared by the NCAA to practice with the Bruins.[14] In May, he underwent arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus in his right knee that was expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks.[15][16]

A 6-foot-10-inch (2.08 m) guard capable of playing either forward position, Bolden entered 2015–16 as the Bruins' projected replacement for wing player Norman Powell and combo forward Kevon Looney, who both moved on to the National Basketball Association (NBA).[17][18] However, his college debut was delayed after he violated unspecified team rules and was held out of UCLA's season opener, an 84–81 upset loss to Monmouth.[19] He made his first appearance the following game, making an impact on defense while scoring 11 points and adding five rebounds in an 88–83 win over Cal Poly.[20] On 12 December, Bolden played 30 minutes and had 10 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double in a 71–66 road win over No. 20 Gonzaga.[21] UCLA coach Steve Alford inserted him into the game to guard a hot Kyle Wiltjer, who finished with 20 points but shot only 4 of 12 for the remainder of the game. Tony Parker had the initial defensive assignment, but Bolden provided more athleticism and mobility.[22] In the following game against Louisiana-Lafayette, Bolden made his first career start when center Thomas Welsh was out sick, and the Bruins won 89–80.[23] While he emerged as UCLA's top player off the bench, Bolden's impact on offense was minimal.[24]

After UCLA struggled on defense while starting 3–5 in their Pac-12 Conference schedule, Alford believed their front court was "slow" and moved Bolden into the starting lineup at power forward in place of Parker against Washington State.[13][25] Bolden scored only three points, but his defense helped the team win 83–50 for their largest margin of victory of the season.[26] On 14 February 2016, he led the team with a career-high 16 points to go with nine rebounds in a 78–65 win over Arizona State.[27] The Bruins lost their final five games of the season to finish with a 15–17 record.[28] Bolden made 11 starts, and averaged 4.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.7 minutes in 31 games. He ranked third on the team with 27 blocks.[1]

Bolden felt that he was underutilized during his first season. During the offseason, he hoped to move to small forward, the position he was recruited to play, but he remained in a big man role, even with reserve Gyorgy Goloman healthy again.[29] Possessing potential talent to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Bolden decided to forego his remaining two years of college eligibility and play professionally, despite having already missed the 2016 NBA draft.[30][31]

National team career

Bolden played for the Australia national under-19 team at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in the Czech Republic.[32][33] He played in eight of the nine games that Australia competed in, averaging 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds while playing 10.1 minutes per game.[34][35] His top performance was a nine-point game against Senegal.[34]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Jonah Bolden Bio". UCLABruins.com. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Jones, Steven (23 September 2013). "Louisville makes Jonah Bolden's final 10". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Legend leads Australians in tuneup vs RP five". The Philippine Star. 24 March 2009. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  4. ↑ Rosenthal, Brian (28 August 2013). "Four-star hoops center to make official visit to NU". Lincoln Journal Star. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Roberts, Ben (1 November 2013). "Next Cats: Updates on Stanley Johnson, Jonah Bolden". Kentucky.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Schoen, David (1 April 2014). "Findlay pursues redemption for subpar season". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Kelley, Jimmy (19 January 2014). "Hoophall Classic Recruiting Update: 2015 Guard Donovan Mitchell gaining interest from Indiana, Xavier". MassLive.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Zagoria, Adam (10 December 2013). "Jonah Bolden to UCLA, Coach Says He Can Be a Pro (UPDATED)". Zagsblog. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  9. ↑ Helfand, Zach (26 January 2015). "UCLA freshman Jonah Bolden cleared to practice by NCAA". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  10. ↑ Kartje, Ryan (12 September 2014). "UCLA freshman Jonah Bolden ineligible, will miss season". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015.
  11. ↑ Goodman, Jeff (12 September 2014). "Jonah Bolden ruled ineligible". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  12. ↑ Zagoria, Adam (12 September 2014). "UCLA Freshman Jonah Bolden Ruled Ineligible". ZagsBlog. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015.
  13. 1 2 Helfand, Zach (11 February 2016). "Power forward Jonah Bolden could be key to a UCLA victory over No. 17 Arizona". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 February 2016.
  14. ↑ Vecenie, Sam (26 January 2015). "UCLA F Jonah Bolden eligible to practice with team immediately". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  15. ↑ Kaufman, Joey (19 May 2015). "UCLA basketball: Jonah Bolden to miss six to eight weeks after meniscus tear". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  16. ↑ Johnson, Raphielle (6 June 2015). "UCLA hopes to have versatile forward back to full strength by mid-July". NBCSports.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  17. ↑ Eisenberg, Jeff (21 October 2015). "West Coast Bias: Highly touted UCLA forward could be worth the wait". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015.
  18. ↑ Newman, Josh (22 October 2015). "Monmouth could go small after finding success in 2014-15". Ashbury Park Press. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015.
  19. ↑ "Monmouth surprises UCLA 84-81 in overtime". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 13 November 2015. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015.
  20. ↑ Helfand, Zach (15 November 2015). "UCLA manages to beat Cal Poly, 88-83". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 16 November 2015.
  21. ↑ Helfand, Zach (12 December 2015). "UCLA conquers road woes, and No. 20 Gonzaga, 71-66". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015.
  22. ↑ Dauster, Rob (13 December 2015). "After Gonzaga win, are we ready to buy UCLA yet?". College Basketball Talk. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015.
  23. ↑ Kaufman, Joey (15 December 2015). "Bryce Alford delivers for Bruins, who survive scare". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  24. ↑ Wang, Jack (15 January 2016). "Can Jonah Bolden jolt UCLA basketball out of recent struggles?". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  25. ↑ Shultz, Alex (30 January 2016). "UCLA's juggled lineup results in big win over Washington State". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  26. ↑ Wang, Jack (30 January 2016). "UCLA's lineup changes lead to 83-50 win over Washington State". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on 31 January 2016.
  27. ↑ Wang, Jack (14 February 2016). "UCLA clings onto NCAA hopes with 78-65 win at Arizona State". Inside UCLA. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016.
  28. ↑ Li, Derek (15 March 2016). "Tony Parker looks toward future after frustrating senior season". The Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016.
  29. ↑ Uluc, Olgun (4 August 2016). "Jonah Bolden explains his decision to leave UCLA, is set to round out Australia's 'golden generation'". FoxSports.com.au. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  30. ↑ Fowler, Clay (26 July 2016). "Jonah Bolden curiously leaves UCLA basketball team to turn pro". LA Daily News. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016.
  31. ↑ "Jonah Bolden leaves UCLA, will turn pro". SI.com. 26 July 2016. Archived from the original on 27 July 2016.
  32. ↑ "Emmanuel Mudiay takes top spot in 247Sports 2014 hoops rankings". MaxPreps.com. 14 August 2013. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015.
  33. ↑ "Michael Rowley into the Australian Emus under-19 men's basketball team for guard Mirko Djeric". Herald Sun. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  34. 1 2 Uluc, Olgun (26 July 2016). "Jonah Bolden withdraws from UCLA basketball to sign with European club, enter NBA Draft - sources". foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  35. ↑ "2013 FIBA Under-19 World Championship - Player Profile: Jonah Bolden". FIBA. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
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