Jared Scott Carter Jeffries (born November 25, 1981, in Bloomington, Indiana) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the NBA. He was drafted in 2002 by the Washington Wizards as the 11th overall pick. At 6'11", he plays at the Forward/Center position, although he was known to play the starting shooting guard position on many occasions with the Wizards.
High school
Before competing in the NBA, Jeffries attended high school at Bloomington High School North, advancing to the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) basketball finals in 2000 before losing to Marion High School, led by former Knicks forward Zach Randolph. In his last two years in high school, one of his teammates was future North Carolina center and Sacramento Kings power forward Sean May.
College (Indiana)
He then attended Indiana University, where he played for two years before choosing to forgo his junior and senior years in favor of entering the NBA draft in 2002. While in college, he was a part of the team that advanced to the NCAA title game before losing to the Maryland Terrapins. Jeffries received the 2002 Silver Basketball from the Chicago Tribune as the Most Valuable Player of the Big Ten.
NBA
The New York Knicks signed Jeffries on August 8, 2006 after the Wizards declined to match the Knicks' offer. Shortly before the 2006 season, Jeffries suffered a wrist injury and missed the first 23 games of the season.
On December 16, 2006, Jeffries was involved in the Knicks–Nuggets brawl. He was suspended for four games.