Lobo hoops notebook: Nelly Junior Joseph signs NBA Summer League deal, plus other player updates

Recent University of New Mexico graduate Nelly Junior Joseph is getting an NBA look this month, courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks.

The 6-foot-10 Junior Joseph was signed to a free agent deal by the Hawks to play on their NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas, Nevada, July 10-20.

Junior Joseph — who played well in the postseason NABC College Basketball All-Star Game, and was the MVP of the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament for college seniors — finished his college career in March with an All-Mountain West First Team season after averaging 14.2 points and 11.0 rebounds for the Lobos.

The Nigeria native started his college career at Iona, playing for Rick Pitino, before transferring to UNM and graduating after two years playing for Rick’s son, Richard Pitino.

He is joined on the Hawks Summer League roster by former San Diego State Aztec guard Lamont Butler, among others.

Former New Mexico State Aggie star Sir’Jabari Rice, who played his final college season at Texas, is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in Summer League.

As of Thursday night, those were the only two former players from New Mexico publicly signed for Summer League.

Two former UC San Diego players who played this past season for new UNM Lobo head coach Eric Olen have inked Summer League deals — Hayden Gray, with the Boston Celtics, and Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, with Toronto Raptors, as well as more than a dozen former Mountain West players.

A list of Summer League players with local interest can be found at ABQJournal.com.

France’s future Lobo

Future Lobo Timéo Pons scored six points, had five rebounds and two steals in France’s 86-79 overtime loss to tournament host Switzerland on Wednesday, in the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.

France was +12 in scoring margin in the 15 minutes he was on the floor.

France has been relegated to the loser’s bracket for teams that will finish in places 9 through 16.

France plays China at 10:45 a.m. Friday in the first round of the eight-team consolation bracket.

Meanwhile, Team USA and former La Cueva Bear Daniel Jacobsen play Canada on Friday in the eight-team medal bracket. The 7-foot-4 Jacobsen, who plays for Purdue, had 15 points, five blocks and five rebounds in Wednesday’s 140-67 win over Jordan.

Other odds & ends...

• Former UNM Lobo walk-on Deraje Agbaosi, the 6-foot-7 forward who previously played at Division I North Alabama and graduated from Eldorado High School, has signed with Division II Cal State Los Angeles.

The Golden Eagles, who went 12-17 last year and lost in the first round of the the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, have former Lobo great and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Cooper as an associate head coach.

• Former Lobo guard Jemarl Baker Jr., who also had previous college stops at Kentucky, Arizona and Fresno State, signed a new professional contract this week with Eisbären Bremerhaven, a team in Germany’s ProA league.

Baker played most recently with the Svendborg Rabbits of the Danish BasketLigaen.