Anwar Ferguson
Anwar Ferguson | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 10, 1981 Exuma, Bahamas |
| Occupation | Former professional basketball player |
Anwar Ferguson (born October 10, 1981) is a former professional basketball athlete from the Bahamas.
Early life and college career
Originating from Exuma, Bahamas, Ferguson is the son of Clement, who serves as a reverend. He completed his secondary education at LN Coakley High School in Exuma in 1999, where he distinguished himself by leading in rebounds and blocks, earning recognition on the all-defensive team. Following high school, he enrolled at Lee College in Baytown, Texas. During his freshman season, he averaged 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per contest and notably achieved a playoff game with 10 blocks. His sophomore campaign showed marked improvement with averages of 6.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and an impressive 4.8 blocks per game, culminating in a new school record of 154 blocks for the season. Additionally, he recorded a triple-double against Pensacola State College with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks.
Ferguson then moved to the University of Houston, joining the Cougars basketball program. In his junior year, he posted averages of 2.0 points and 1.8 blocks per game (totaling 49 blocks), placing him second within Conference USA. His senior year (2003–04) represented the peak of his collegiate career: starting every match, he averaged 7.5 points and 7.4 rebounds while leading NCAA Division I with an average of 4.11 blocks per game—accumulating 111 blocks overall—which topped Conference USA and ranked third nationally. Across his two seasons at Houston, Ferguson compiled a total of 160 blocks, ranking fifth in the university’s historical records.
Professional career
Although Ferguson was not selected in the 2004 NBA draft, he participated in multiple professional and semi-professional summer leagues during that year, including playing for the Philadelphia 76ers’ Minneapolis-based squad. His closest approach to the NBA occurred in late 2004 when he was released by the Sacramento Kings shortly before the start of the regular season.
His first signed professional engagement came in June 2005 with the Arkansas ArchAngels of the World Basketball Association (WBA), where over five games he averaged 6.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per outing. In autumn 2005, Ferguson briefly joined the Florida Flame of the NBA Development League but was waived soon after. The following year, he played for the WBA’s Rome Gladiators, helping secure both regular season and playoff championships. After another preseason stint with the Kings in 2006 without making the final roster, Ferguson sought opportunities abroad: signing with Shahrdari Gorgan BC in Iran for the 2006–07 season and then competing in Georgia’s Super Liga during 2007–08 with Energy Invest Rustavi, where he earned selection to the Eurobasket.com Georgian League All-Imports Team. In the 2008–09 season, he competed for Correcaminos UAT Victoria in Mexico's top-tier league, the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional.
Ferguson was sidelined during the entire 2009–10 season due to complications related to green card processing. He made his professional return in November 2010 when signed by the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League.
Career statistics
| * | Led NCAA Division I |
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 28 || 14 || 15.6 || .373 || .000 || .680 || 2.9 || 0.2 || .1 || 1.8 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 27 || 27 || 29.6 || .538 || .000 || .576 || 7.4 || 0.2 || .5 || style="background:#cfecec;" | 4.1*|| 7.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 55 || 41 || 22.4 || .498 || .000 || .607 || 5.1 || 0.2 || .3 || 2.9 || 4.7