Jarvis Hayes was born five minutes ahead of his twin brother, Xavier University assistant coach, Jonas Hayes. After a stellar high school career at Douglass High School in Atlanta, he enrolled first at Western Carolina, where Jarvis became the first freshman in 40 seasons to lead the Southern Conference in scoring. After a year, he transferred to Georgia, where he was named First Team All-SEC in both his sophomore and junior years. He became the first Bulldog to be so honored since Dominique Wilkins in 1981–82. He also stepped up in big games, averaging 28.5 points per game in the 2002 NCAA Tournament. Hayes holds the rare distinction of having led two different conferences in scoring while in college.
Professional career
NBA career
He was taken 10th in the 2003 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards, to back up Jerry Stackhouse, to come in off the bench and provide that deep range. Hayes averaged 13.0 points and 4.3 rebounds through the first three games of the season but hit the 'rookie wall' within a month. He was the Wizards' only representative at the seasons's All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles when he made the Rookie-Sophomore challenge. By season's end, he had made through a tough season and sported some solid numbers in spite of missing 12 games with various injuries. In that rookie season, he averaged 9.6 points while making 42 starts and playing an average of 29.2 minutes. In a draft class that featured LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Hayes was seen as a steal. Hayes did well in his second season, filling in for Larry Hughes, averaging 10.2 points a game, until a fateful night in February when he and Manu Ginobili bumped knees. A few games later, Hayes went up for a dunk against the Sacramento Kings and when he came down, his right knee had split completely open. For a year, he hoped things would get better, as he noted, without surgery. In his recovery period from the injury, he ballooned to 245 pounds reviewing local area restaurants with Washingtonian Magazine Food Critic Tom Head on a weekly radio segment. In his third season, at a preseason game at Wake Forest, Hayes scored 18 points in the first half of a preseason matchup with the San Antonio Spurs on Tobacco Road. After that game, his right knee, which forced him to miss a third of the 2004–05 season after he fractured his kneecap, swelled through the night. Hayes, named the starting off guard by Wizards coach Eddie Jordan, missed the remainder of the preseason but did not let the injury discourage him. Later, on December 16, 2005, he had to leave a Laker game. The knee had fractured again and again his season was over. On February 14, 2006, he had the long-delayed surgery with the pins. In the 2006–07 season, he played 81 games, but only averaged 7.2 points, shot only 41% overall, but better than 36% from the three and 84.5% from the line. In the Wizards' injury plagued first round loss to the Cavs, he had started all four games, averaging 10.5 and 3.5 but shot only 32.6%. Even with a 29-point effort in the famous double triple-double overtime loss to the Nets in April 2007, he clearly was not the same player. Although he still had the ability to make his trademark off-balance jump shots, he seemed to shy away from contact. From filling the lanes on the fast break as a healthy rookie he often settled for shots on the perimeter. The Wizards declined to offer Hayes a contract after the 2006–07 season. On August 15, 2007, after four years with the Wizards, Hayes signed a contract for the veteran's minimum with the Detroit Pistons. Hayes became a key player in the Pistons rotation, serving as the main backup for starter Tayshaun Prince. He averaged 6.7 points in only 15.7 minutes, improved on his shooting numbers, and had another 29-point effort again as his best game. Hayes signed with the New Jersey Nets on July 16, 2008. He became the team's valuable 6th man & most times outplayed starters Trenton Hassell & Bobby Simmons, he also learned to play the power forward position during the season & was able to give the Nets an advantage on offense stretching defenses with his outside shooting.
European career
In January 2011, Hayes joined the Turkish club Aliağa Petkim. In July 2011, he signed a one-year deal with BC Krasnye Krylya Samara in Russia. In February 2013, he joined the Israeli club Ironi Ashkelon. On September 16, 2013, he signed a one-year deal with the Italian club Sidigas Avellino.
