Washington Post Article on Hudson | Washington Wizards Roster
When the Washington Wizards open the 2010-11 NBA season tonight in Orlando, former University of Tennessee at Martin All-American Lester Hudson will be one of the 15 players on the Wizards roster.
Hudson has a non-guaranteed contract with the team for now, but could play his way into a full-year deal before the January 4 non-guaranteed contact deadline.
Currently Hudson is the only former OVC player on a NBA roster. Former Austin Peay standout Trenton Hassell and Murray State forward James Singleton were on rosters in 2009-10, but have not signed with a team to begin this season (Singleton is currently playing in China).
Hudson was picked 58th overall by the Boston Celtics in the 2009 draft and spent part of his rookie season with the Celtics their D-League affiliate before being waived and eventually signing with his hometown Memphis Grizzlies.
In 25 total NBA games last year, Hudson scored 58 points, ahd 18 rebounds, 13 assists and eight steals in 131 total minutes of action. As a member of the Grizzlies, Hudson scored a career-high 13 points in a 95-93 win over the Lakers on Feb. 1.
Hudson helped UT Martin win its first-ever OVC Championship and advance to the NIT Tournament in 2009. The team finished the season with an overall record of 22-10 and was first in the OVC with a 14-4 league worksheet. Hudson was the nation's second leading scorer, averaging 27.5 points, ending his two-year career just two points shy of the all-time UT Martin scoring mark (behind Mike Meschede's 1,729 points from 1984-88). One of college basketball's most all-around players, Hudson also averaged 7.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game during his last season of college.
Hudson was named the OVC Male Athlete of the Year each of the past last two seasons, becoming only the fourth back-to-back male winner of the honor and first since Austin Peay's Bubba Wells did so in 1995-96/1996-97. During the senior season Hudson was named OVC Player of the Week a record seven times; in just two seasons he earned that honor 11 times, also an OVC record. An honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press for the second year, Hudson was one of 16 total All-Americans at the Division I level by CollegeInsider.com. He also became the first Division I men's player to record a quadruple-double in a game.