Shavlik Randolph

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Shavlik Randolph
Position Power forward
Height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Weight 240 lb (109 kg)
Team Philadelphia 76ers
Nationality Flag of United States United States
Born November 24, 1983 (age 23)
Raleigh, North Carolina
College Duke
Draft Not drafted
Pro career 2005–present

Ronald Shavlik Randolph (born November 24, 1983 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an American National Basketball Association player. On August 5, 2005, the 6'10" (2.08 m) Randolph was signed to a free-agent contract by the Philadelphia 76ers. Randolph played for Duke University from the 2003 season through 2005.

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[edit] Family and childhood

Randolph was named after his grandfather Ronnie Shavlik, an All-American center for the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the 1950s. His parents, Ken and Kim Randolph, attended the University of North Carolina. His Godfather, Stuart Frantz, attended UNC as well. As a child, Randolph was an N.C. State fan, even serving as a ball boy for the Wolfpack for a time.

[edit] High school career

Randolph was a standout at Broughton High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. He scored fifty points in a game to break the school’s single-game scoring record, previously held by “Pistol” Pete Maravich. He was also Broughton’s all-time leader in points, rebounds, and blocks by the end of his career. In his senior season, Randolph averaged 30 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocked shots per game.

Randolph received numerous awards for his high school career. He was a McDonald's All-American, a two-time Parade All-American, and a two-time Associated Press North Carolina Player of the Year.

Going into his senior season, Randolph was rated as the best high school basketball player in the nation. His national ranking fell to thirtieth by the end of his senior season.

[edit] Recruiting battle

Given Randolph’s outstanding high school career, it is not surprising that many top-ranked college basketball programs vied for his services. Randolph’s decision came down to a choice between the University of Florida, Duke University, North Carolina State University, and the University of North Carolina. The competition among the last three schools was especially fierce, none wanting to fail in securing a commitment for the best local basketball prospect in years. Gregg Doyel of cbs.sportsline.com detailed the lengths coaches underwent in order to gain Randolph’s services. Two examples are representative. For instance, UNC coach Matt Doherty sent Randolph a picture of six-time NBA champion and former UNC standout Michael Jordan wearing one of the popular “Shav Country” shirts made at Randolph’s high school. Florida coach Billy Donovan employed an even more extreme tactic, flying from Florida to Raleigh simply to wave to Randolph from his high school parking lot and leave.

Ultimately Randolph chose to attend Duke University to play for Mike Krzyzewski. After committing to Duke, Randolph briefly flirted with the idea of skipping college altogether and declaring for the NBA Draft. He ultimately matriculated at Duke in the fall of 2002.

[edit] Career at Duke

Randolph started his career at Duke with a bang, scoring a team-high 23 points in his November 23, 2002 debut against Army. Two days later, Randolph posted his first double-double against Davidson. Randolph’s performance, however, started to decline after this stellar start, only scoring in double figures in five other games for the rest of the season. Randolph was also hit with the injury bug his freshman year, a theme during his career at Duke. He played in twenty-six games his freshman year (with six starts), but missed Duke’s final six games of the year with two sprained ankles. For the season, Randolph averaged 7.4 points per game, 3.9 rebounds per game and 0.9 blocked shots per game.

In his sophomore season, Randolph played in all 37 of Duke’s games, averaging 7.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. Randolph’s game especially excelled during Duke’s 2004 run to the Final Four. In the opening round, Randolph posted 20 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals against Alabama State. Randolph also played excellently in the national semi-final game against UCONN, scoring 13 points on 6 for 6 shooting with six rebounds and one blocked shot.

In the summer between his sophomore and junior seasons, Randolph had surgery on his left hip. Duke fans hoped that his junior season would be the one in which Randolph produced for Duke at levels comparable to his production in high school. In fact, his production declined significantly from his first two seasons at Duke: in 29 games (20 starts), he averaged 4.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. He was plagued by foul trouble, limiting him to 18.9 minutes a game. He was also afflicted with mononucleosis, which caused him to miss four games and limited his effectiveness upon his return.

After three seasons at Duke, Randolph averaged 6.3 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per game in 92 games (including 36 starts). While at Duke, he was a member of two ACC regular season champions, two ACC tournament champions, and one Final Four squad.

[edit] NBA career

In the summer of 2005, Randolph surprised many by declaring himself eligible for the NBA Draft. His decision was surprising for two principal reasons. First, Randolph had so far failed to meet the expectations set by his outstanding high school career. Second, he had one year of eligibility remaining on a team that many observers had predicted would vie for the 2006 NCAA Championship.

Initially Randolph and his father described Randolph’s declaration for the NBA Draft as a chance to improve his skills in order to help him at Duke. An NCAA regulation allows underclassmen who declare for the NBA Draft to return to college if they don’t sign with an agent. Despite his public comments, Randolph ultimately opted to stay in the Draft.

Randolph went undrafted in the 2005 NBA Draft, but on August 5, 2005, was signed to a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. This contract did not guarantee him a spot on the 76ers' roster, but after participating in training camp, Randolph earned a roster spot. One of the ironic implications of Randolph's signing with Philadelphia is that the 76ers hold a portion of their training camp at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Randolph's college arena.

Although he scarcely played in the early part of the season, and was expected to play few if any minutes during his rookie season, Randolph took an expanded role with the team in late December, 2005, after reportedly impressing other players and coaches in practices by being extremely hard working and good natured. Randolph has posted season bests of 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Randolph broke his ankle on November 30, 2006, in an accident during practice that teammates described as gruesome, comparing it to former NFL quarterback Joe Theisman's career ending injury.[1]

In February 2007, sports columnist Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post singled out Randolph's comments in reaction to learning of ex-NBA player John Amaechi's admission of homosexuality as 'idiotic'. On playing with a gay player, Randolph was quoted as telling reporters, "As long as you don't bring your gayness on me, I'm fine."[2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061201/SPORTS03/612010378
  2. ^ Sexuality Disclosed, Ignorance Exposed By Michael Wilbon, February 9, 2007

[edit] External Links

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