Jaeson Maravich, the son of basketball Hall of Famer Pistol Pete Maravich, has signed with the Santa Barbara Breakers. His younger brother, Josh, was a member of last year’s Breakers’ squad.
“I’ve know Curt (Pickering, the Breakers’ owner and coach) since 2004 when I met him at the Portsmouth, Va. camp (for the nation’s top 50 seniors),” said Maravich, who will turn 29 on Tuesday. “We clicked immediately and became friends. I was going to play (for the Breakers) last year but I had a neck injury.”
Maravich was 8 years old when his father died during a pickup basketball game at age 40. Pistol Pete averaged 44.3 points in three years at LSU — long before the three-point shot came along.
The younger Maravich, a 6-5, 185-pound guard, attended four colleges in five years, beginning with a walk-on season at Alabama. He transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and McNeese State before finishing as a two-year NAIA All-American at William Carey, Miss. He was the nation’s No. 3 scorer at Mississippi Gulf Coast, averaging 27.3 points.
After college, he had tryouts with the Dallas Mavericks and Seattle SuperSonics and still dreams about an NBA career.
“Curt said not to put too much pressure on myself,” Maravich said in a phone interview from his home in Mandeville, La. “The potential is definitely there.”
Maravich said he plans to make his Breakers debut in the team’s home opener April 11 at SBCC against Newport Beach.
“Jaeson can play the 1 or 2 (guard positions),” Pickering said. “He’s extremely quick and he’s very effective in the open court. He can pass the ball, find the open man and he’s not afraid to shoot the ball.”
Maravich says the best parts of his game are his quickness and his shooting ability.
“A lot of people say it’s a combo of my shot and my feet,” he noted. “I can shoot it long range and get to the goal. That’s not a combination that many players have.”
Dave Loveton is the Santa Barbara Breakers’ media relations director.