Despite amassing the third most steals in NCAA Division 1 history while leading a wildly successful VCU squad over four years in the collegiate ranks, point guard Briante Weber has found it difficult to land a job in the NBA.
This changed Thursday, as Weber was inked to a non-guaranteed, training camp contract with the Miami Heat, joining a backcourt which includes the likes of Mario Chalmers and Goran Dragic.
Standing 6-foot-2 and featuring an incredible vertical leap of 45.5 inches, Weber made a name for himself as one of the scrappiest players in the Atlantic 10 conference, earning Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year honors each season from 2013-15 while making the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team in each of those years.
He was also named to the Colonial Athletic Conference's All-Defensive Team in 2011-12, the Rams' final season in the CAA.
Weber's 374 steals ranks third all-time in NCAA Division 1 history, trailing only guards Eric Murdock (376) and John Linehan (385), both of whom starred at Providence College. His steals per game average of 3.46 lead the NCAA in 2013-14.
The 22-year old's senior season with VCU ended in premature heartbreak, as a major ACL and MCL tear suffered in late January in a loss to Richmond placed Weber on the inactive list for the remainder of the 2014-15 season as he witnessed his Rams fall in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament to number two overall draft pick D'Angelo Russell and Ohio State.
Despite garnering the number 33 ranking in his senior class, the injury caused red flags to sprout up whenever NBA franchises considered Weber, leading to him going undrafted and without a contract throughout the summer. The 165-pounder worked out with the Indiana Pacers this past month while scheduling pre-draft workouts with the Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Pacers, and Heat. However, nothing had panned out up to this point.
Weber becomes the 19th player to be signed to Miami's roster, leaving the team just under the maximum of 20 heading into training camp. While the Heat can only retain 15 players once the season begins, four will be eligible to be optioned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League, a likely outcome for Weber should he impress during the preseason.