CJ Kelly

• Player
• Seasons: 2021-22
• Number: 12
• Position: G
• Height: 6' 5“
• Weight: 190
• Hometown: Long Island NY
• High School: Queens High School of Teaching
• Prep School: none
• Transfer From: Albany
• Transfer To: Central Florida
• Birthday: April 14, 1998

• 4/7/2021: Initial report that Kelly would come to UMass.¹⁾ Kelly himself confirmed on 4/19,²⁾ then UMass announced on 4/28.³⁾
• Coach McCall on CJ: “Like many of our additions this offseason, CJ brings a high level of maturity to our program. On the floor, he can score at all three levels, shoots the ball at a high percentage, and can play in the pick and roll. He will also bring length and size to our lineup as well as the versatility to play multiple positions. We're excited to have CJ join our program.”⁴⁾

• UMass classified him as a Junior on the official roster.
• Played in 29 of UM's 32 games in the season, started in 14, including 10 straight from November thru January.
• Averaged 10.1 points (fourth on team) and 4.1 rebounds (third).
• Scored in double-figures in 15 games.
• Had a great start to the season from behind the arc, shooting .543 (25-46) through the Harvard game (12/4). Trailed off after that, shooting .247 (20-81) over the rest of the season. Overall season average of .354.
• Missed the season opener versus UMBC (11/9), recovering from an injury.⁵⁾
• Made his UMass debut at Yale (11/12), tallying 8 points and 2 rebounds.
• Shot 5-9 from the floor, 3-5 from 3, and scored 17 points in the big win over Penn State (11/15).
• Tallied 11 & 5 versus Weber State (11/18).
• Started his first game as a Minuteman against UNC Greensboro (11/19). Tallied 8 points and 4 assists in 34 minutes, but fouled out.
• Hit four threes and scored 19 points versus Ball State (11/21), co-leading the team in scoring.
• Shot 5-7 from three, 7-12 overall, and scored 24 points (season high and led the team) in the win over Rutgers (11/27).
• Shot 3-4 from three, 5-6 overall, scored 16 points, plus snared 8 rebounds (co-led the team), in the win over Harvard (12/4).
• Through the Harvard game, he was shooting 25-46 (.543) from three-point territory.
• Averaged 15.2 points in the four-game stretch, North Texas (12/11) through Duquesne (1/8).
• Saved the day versus Fairfield (12/19). With UM trailing 65-60 and less than two minutes to play, CJ scored the next five points to force OT, and UM went on to win.
• Missed two games, at Davidson 1/11 and Rhody 1/15, with knee swelling.
• Struggled after his return, shooting 5-26 from the field over the next four games (Saint Louis 1/20 thru George Mason 1/30), but did snare 9 rebounds (led the team) versus Saint Louis (1/20) and 10 (co-led the team) at La Salle (1/26).
• Double-double at Rhode Island (2/5), with 12 points and 11 rebounds (led the team). Flirted with a triple-double by dishing 7 assists. Also stole 4 (season high).
• Tallied 10 points, 4 boards, 4 assists versus George Washington (2/9).
• Shot 6-8 overall, 2-3 from 3, score 18 points and snared 8 rebounds in the home win over La Salle (2/19). Led the team in points and assists.
• Scored 11 points and dished 4 assists at Dayton (2/23).
• Scored 15 points and stole 3 in 23 minutes of action versus George Washington in the A-10 Tournament (3/10).
• Shooting percentage from three cooled off after the Harvard game (12/4): he shot 20-81 (.247) from three, and finished the season with a .354 percentage.

• Roster page

• Played in 14 of Albany's 16 games in the Coronavirus-shortened season. Started all 14.
• Team's leading scorer at 14.3 ppg. Third-best rebounder at 4.0 rpg, and tied for second in assists at 2.0.
• Ten points and four rebounds in the season opener versus UMBC (12/19).
• Seventeen points, two boards, two assists, two steals, versus Niagara (12/22).
• Local article: Kelly off to solid start (12/24).
• Career-highs in the win at Vermont (1/2): 27 points, eight field goals, eight free throws, in 37 minutes.
• Scored 23 points on 7-8 shooting from the field in the win at New Hampshire (1/24).
• Missed the mid-February games versus UMass-Lowell due to COVID-19 protocols.⁶⁾
• Returned versus Stony Brook (2/20), scoring the first eight points for Albany.
• Scored 20 points in the conference tournament win over NJIT (2/27).
• Opted to transfer out of Albany, a few weeks after coach Will Brown was let go.⁷⁾

• Sat out under NCAA transfer rules.

• Roster page

• Garnered a spot on the MEAC All-Rookie Team, the eighth player in school history to do so.
• Earned MEAC All-Tournament Team honors after tallying 13 points in the championship game.
• A three-time MEAC Rookie of the Week.
• The team’s Rookie of the Year.
• Played in 31 games with seven starts.
• Averaged 4.5 points and 1.9 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game.
• On the season, contributed totals of 138 points, 60 rebounds, 20 steals, 15 blocks and 13 assists.
• Shot exactly 46 percent from the field (46-of-100), including 11-of-41 from 3-point range.
• Also made 35-of-54 from the free throw line (64.8 percent).
• Had six games with 10 or more points, including a career-high 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting with four rebounds and three steals in a win over Mid-Atlantic Christian on Nov. 8. Tied for the fifth-best percentage in a game (minimum seven makes) in NSU Division I history.
• Finished with 19 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 2-of-2 from deep, and 5-of-7 from the free throw line with 19 points and a career-high five rebounds in a win over North Carolina Central on Feb. 16.
• Also have five rebounds, 10 points and a career-best four blocks against Regent on Nov. 20, and five rebounds and four points at Niagara on Dec. 29.
• Scored 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting with four rebounds and a career-high two assists in a career-best 27 minutes against North Carolina Central on March 16.
• Made two 3-pointers and 3-of-5 overall for 11 points in a win at Delaware State on March 4.
• Also reached double figures with 10 points, three blocks and two rebounds in a victory at UTEP on Dec. 21.
• Scored eight points the next day thanks to a career-high 6-of-7 free throw shooting against East Tennessee State.
• Also had eight points with three rebounds and three steals at Bethune-Cookman on Feb. 9.
• Scored six points with a career-best four steals against Stony Brook on Nov. 27.

• Sat out as a partial qualifier.⁸⁾

• Entered transfer portal in the 2022 off-season, as a graduate.⁹⁾ Has since committed to Central Florida.¹⁰⁾

Game logs from Sports-Reference.com

Through the end of the 2021-22 season

Additional source: RealGM.com

• Averaged 28 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game as a senior … Was the leading scorer in the New York City Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) AA division, the highest classification in the state.
• The PSAL Player of the Year.
• Named third-team AA All-State by the New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA).
• Led Queens Teaching to a 23-6 record as a senior and the Queens AA regular season title at 15-1.
• Led the team to the Queens Borough championship game and the quarterfinal round of the state tournament.
• Set the school’s single-season scoring record.
• Had a game with 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.
• First-team All-Queens by the TimesLedger.
• Led Queens Teaching to a No. 4 ranking in the tri-state area, and was the No. 5-ranked player in New York City according to Rivals site NYCHoops.net.
• Honorable mention all-state as a junior.
• Led the school to a 23-7 record that year.
• Hit a buzzer beater during his junior season to send Queens Teaching to a win over the No. 19 ranked team in the nation, Cardozo High School.
• Competed at Saint Mary’s High School as a sophomore and St. Anthony’s High School his freshman year.
• Also played on the varsity team at Wyandanch (Long Island) Memorial High School as an eighth grader.
• Led the team in scoring.
• Was named the team’s MVP and the Rookie of the Year.

• Competed for the NY Jayhawks on the AAU 16U circuit.
• Competed with Beacon Elite after his senior year of high school, winning the championship at the Is8/Nike Spring Classic.
• Scored 21 points in the championship game win over the Northeast Basketball Club, the defending fall champs.
• Was Player of the Year on the circuit.
• Was a member of the Queens All-Stars at the 43rd Annual Wheelchair All-Star Classic, a charity event put on by the New York Post that features teams from Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan and Queens.

• Full name is Christopher James Kelly. Goes by C.J.
• Born on April 14, 1998.
• Son of Marlane Ward and Chris Kelly.
• Has one older sister, Symone, and one younger sister, Robyn.
• Mother Marlane went to Norfolk State and played on the women’s basketball team during the 1989-90 season.
• Sister Symone played at Siena from 2012-16, and sister Robyn played high school ball at St. Anthony’s.
• Dad and several aunts and uncles also played in college.
• Enjoys karate movies, chess and playing 2K.
• Majored in Psychology at Albany.

• Official UMass roster page
• Twitter - @Cj_kelly12
• Instagram - _cjkelly15
• Sports Reference - CJ Kelly
• RealGM.com - CJ Kelly