Kevin Durant

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Kevin Durant

College Texas
Conference Big 12
Sport Basketball
Position Small/Power Forward
Class Freshman
Nickname KD, K-Smoove[1]
Career 2006 – present
Height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Weight 225 lb (102 kg)
Nationality Flag of United States United States
Born September 29, 1988 (age 18)
Washington, D.C.
High School Montrose Christian School,
Rockville, MD
Career Highlights
Awards
2006 Co-MVP McDonald's All-American Game

2007 ESPN All-American[2]
2007 ESPN Player of the Year[2]
2007 NABC Division I Player of the Year[3]
2007 AP All-America 1st Team (unanimous) [4]
2007 Oscar Robertson Trophy[5]
2007 Adolph Rupp Trophy[6]
2007 Naismith Award finalist[7]
2007 John R. Wooden Award finalist[8]
Tournaments
2007 NCAA Tournament

Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988 in Washington, D.C.[9][10]) is a 6'9" American basketball player who currently plays for University of Texas at Austin in the Big 12 of the NCAA. He was selected as the 2006-2007 Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Year and received numerous other prestigious awards. In March 2007, Durant was named the winner of the NABC Division I Player of the Year honor,[3] the Oscar Robertson Trophy,[5] and the Adolph F. Rupp Trophy,[6] becoming the first freshman to win each of these awards.[3][11] He is a finalist for the Naismith Award[7] and is one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award.[8] On March 30, 2007, Kevin Durant was selected as The Associated Press college basketball player of the year, the first freshman to receive the honor. He is the first Texas player to receive the award, which has been presented since 1961.

Contents

[edit] Basketball career

A basketball player from his earliest days, Durant played for a very successful AAU youth basketball team. Durant's team, the PG Jaguars, won multiple national championships and included fellow blue chip recruits Michael Beasley (Kansas State) and Chris Braswell (Georgetown). Durant later moved on to play AAU ball with fellow McDonald's All American Tywon Lawson (North Carolina) for the DC Blue Devils. During this time Durant also starred for the Oak Hill Academy basketball team, which won the 2005 USA Today National Championship. Durant transferred back home for the 2005-2006 school year to play for Stu Vetter at Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Maryland. At Montrose, Durant led the team in scoring and was named 2006 All-Met Player of the Year in Boy's Basketball by the Washington Post. Durant also was named a McDonald's All American and was co-MVP of the 2006 McDonald's All American game with Chase Budinger. Coming out of high school, Durant was widely regarded as the 2nd best high school basketball player from the class of 2006 (behind Greg Oden)[12][13] and is currently a freshman at University of Texas at Austin, playing for the Longhorns under coach Rick Barnes.

Durant, a 6'9" small forward, is widely hailed by the media as the Big 12's top freshman and a top candidate for Freshman of the Year.[14] Through March 3, 2007 he is averaging 25.1 points per game and 11.4 rebounds a game. In Big 12 play he averages 33.7 points per game and 13.4 rebounds. His college career high for scoring is 37, which he has achieved on four occasions.

In late February 2007, Durant received an invitation to the Team USA Basketball training camp. If he makes the cut, he'll be the second freshman in the country to be on the roster, including Greg Oden.[15]

[edit] Player profile

Kevin Durant leads the Big 12 in scoring and rebounding. He is noted for his ability to add up double-doubles (18 as of March 3), including a 37 point and 23 rebound night against Texas Tech. This was the first time a Big 12 player had reached 30 points and 20 rebounds in one regulation game. Legendary coach Bobby Knight commented, "The guy is a great athlete that can really play basketball."[16][17] A combination of skill, athleticism, and height allows Durant to score from anywhere on the court and to play any offensive or defensive position.

Durant has nine 30 point games, including a losing effort against Kansas for the regular season Big 12 title. Durant is regarded as one of the best players in the nation as a freshman. Many experts currently view him as a potential number one NBA draft pick, alongside fellow freshman Greg Oden.

[edit] Awards

[edit] References

  1. ^ Wahl, Grant, Luke Winn. "Phenomenal Freshman", Sports Illustrated, 2007-02-13. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  2. ^ a b c d Dre (2007-03-07). ESPN All-American Team And POY. Serious Hoops. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  3. ^ a b c d National Association of Basketball Coaches (2007-03-21). Longhorns’ Freshman Durant Named NABC Division I Player of the Year (pdf). Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  4. ^ a b Brown, Chip. ""Durant, Law on All-America team"", Dallas Morning News, 2007-03-27. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  5. ^ a b c United States Basketball Writers Association (2007-03-27). USBWA names Durant, Bennett as player, coach of the year. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  6. ^ a b c Commonwealth Athletic Club of Kentucky (2007-03-27). Durant Named Player Of The Year. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
  7. ^ a b c Brown, Chip. "Durant named NABC player of the year", Dallas Morning News, 2007-03-22. Retrieved on 2007-03-22.
  8. ^ a b c d John R. Wooden Award announces the 2006-07 All-American Team. John R. Wooden Award (2007-03-27). Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
  9. ^ Kevin Durant. NBADraft.net. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  10. ^ TexasSports.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-09.
  11. ^ Brown, Chip. "UT's Durant racking up awards", Dallas Morning News, 2007-03-28. Retrieved on 2007-03-28. “Durant is the first freshman to win the Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Rupp Trophy.”
  12. ^ Basketball Recruiting: Top Recruits. ScoutHoops.com. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  13. ^ Prospect Ranking: Final Rivals150 Class of 2006. Rivals.com (2006-05-02). Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  14. ^ Goodman, Jeff (2006-09-01). Longhorns' Durant is simply special (pdf). FoxSports.net. Archived from the original on 2006-09-01. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  15. ^ Tomasson, Chris. "Dantley given Hall of Fame support", Rocky Mountain News, 2007-02-17. Retrieved on 2007-03-07. “Colangelo said he plans to invite University of Texas player Kevin Durant to Team USA training camp this summer.”
  16. ^ Vertuno, Jim. "UT freshman Durant romping through Big 12 schedule", Yahoo! Sports, Associated Press, 2007-02-01. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  17. ^ "Bob Knight press conference (excerpt)", SportsCenter, ESPN, 2007-02-01. Retrieved on 2007-03-07.
  18. ^ a b Final Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Awards For 2006-07 Announced (March 5). Big 12 Conference (2007-03-05). Retrieved on 2007-03-27.
  19. ^ Big 12 Conference (2007-03-04). Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Awards Announced (pdf). Press release. Retrieved on 2007-03-27.

[edit] External links

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