Deron Washington

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Deron Washington
Deron Washington shoots a free throw
College	Virginia Tech
Conference	ACC
Sport	Basketball
Position	Forward
Jersey #	13
Class	Senior
Career	2004 – present
Height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg)
Nationality	USA
Born	December 12, 1985 (1985-12-12) (age 22) New Orleans, Louisiana
High school	National Christian Academy Fort Washington, Maryland
Tournaments
2007 NCAA - 2nd round

Deron Washington is a NCAA college basketball player for the Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team. He is the current starting small forward and is famous for his unbelievably high vertical leap, eye-popping dunks, and tremendous work ethic.

Washington, who attended the National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland, is the son of Lionel Washington, a former NFL cornerback and the current cornerbacks' coach of the Green Bay Packers, and Denise Washington, a former Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball player.

1 High school career
2 Collegiate career
3 College statistics
4 Some famous dunks/plays
5 References
6 External links

[edit] High school career

At National Christian Academy, Washington played for coach Trevor Brown. During his junior season, he averaged 11.5 points per game and made 65 three pointers, even while missing nine games in the middle of the year due to a broken wrist. Following his junior year, Washington was rated #87 nationally by HoopScoop and #124 nationally by Rivals.com; he was also rated as the #2 wing forward by MarylandPrepHoops.com.^[1]

He came back in his senior season with a tremendous year. He finished the season averaging 16.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks per game for NCA.

Following his senior year at National Christian Academy, Washington was rated as a three-star prospect on rivals.com^[2]. He chose to attend Virginia Tech, who hadn't reached the NCAA Tournament since the 1995-96, and play for newly acquired head coach Seth Greenberg and the Hokies.

[edit] Collegiate career

[edit] Freshman Season

Washington was immediately used in the Hokies' system, starting 30 games in his freshman season. He finished his season second on the team in field goal percentage (.476) and fourth in rebounding (4.6). He also added 7.9 points per game, and 1.0 assist per game. His defensive abilities helped the Hokies, averaging one block and one steal per contest.

The Hokies finished the season with 16-14 overall record, and a 8-8 ACC conference record. They lost, though, in the first round of the ACC Tournament, and was chosen to play in the NIT. They defeated their first opponent, the Temple Owls, 60–50. But lost to the Memphis Tigers in the second round, 83–62.

[edit] Sophomore season

In his sophomore season, Washington gained more playing time and improved on his freshman campaign. He became the team's fourth leading scoring at 10.5 points per game, and third leading rebounder at 5.0 rebounds per game.

His best statistical game came against Mount Saint Mary's University. Deron shot 8–10 from the floor, scoring 24 points. He also recorded then career highs, with 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 steals.

Virginia Tech, though, finished with a disappointing 14–16 record, going only 4–12 in the conference. They were eliminated in the first round of the ACC Tournament against the Virginia Cavaliers and weren't selected to any post-season tournament.

[edit] Junior season

In his junior season, Washington was shadowed by three vital starting seniors, but still contributed and improved on his game. He improved on his offensive game, becoming the second leading scorer on the team at 12.0 points per game. He continued his success on the boards, averaging 6.5 rebounds per contest.

But all of these stats were shadowed by his almost freakish athletic and leaping abilities. His high-flying plays and "out-of-this-world" dunks earned him fame and popularity across the state and nation, and made him a regular in the SportsCenter Top 10 Plays. He had many incredible dunks including ones against Duke (when he "hurdled" Greg Paulus) and against Boston College (a dunk which has simply been nicknamed "The Dunk").

His defense was also helped by his amazing athleticism. He averaged 1.2 steals per game and 1.0 blocks per game. He was also able to defend and shut down many players.

The Hokies finally found success, ending the 2006–07 with a record of 22–12, with an impressive ACC conference record of 10–6. Because of their record, Virginia Tech earned their first NCAA Tournament bid since the 1995–96 season.

They earned a #5 seed, and were matched up against the Illinois Fighting Illini in the first round. The Hokies faced a 13-point deficit with just over eight minutes left to play. But they fought back, and Washington's running bank shot with 46 seconds remaining sealed the 54–52 Virginia Tech win. Washington said of the not-so-pretty game winner, "I wasn't trying to bank it, but I'll take it."^[3] Washington ended the game with a team-high 14 points along with 3 rebounds.

In the second round game, VT was matched up against the Southern Illinois Salukis. The Salukis played shutdown defense, and defeated the Hokies 63–48. Although, it was a bitter loss, Washington had 15 points, on 6–12 shooting, along with 5 rebounds. His performance showed he would be able to lead the team in the following season.

[edit] Senior season

With last year seniors Jamon Gordon, Zabian Dowdell, and Coleman Collins all graduating, Washington was thrust into the role of a leader. He took on the challenge with 7 new freshmen on the roster, almost all having to be key parts of the team. Because of this inexperience, many experts and fans didn't have high expectations for the team.

But with the leadership of Washington, along with A.D. Vassallo and the multiple freshmen, the Hokies finished the season strong with a completely unexpected record of 22–14, with a 9–7 conference record.

Washington finished the season, with career bests in points, rebounds, and assists. He averaged 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He improved his shooting, especially at the free throw line where he went from 58% as a junior to 67% as a senior.

His tremendous dunks and athletic plays continued throughout his senior year, with almost every game creating many memorable moments. In a game against the rival Virginia Cavaliers, Deron had only 11 points, but two SportsCenter Top 10 Plays. He had an amazing dunk, and then the game-winning acrobatic layup with no time on the clock.

He also emerged as a formidable defender. He has become one of the best in the country in drawing offensive fouls; though opposing schools deride him for flopping, which he takes as a compliment.^[4]

Even with Virginia Tech's record, they where not selected to the NCAA Tournament; which caused many to believe they had been "snubbed".^[5]

In the Hokies' first two games in the NIT Tournament, they easily cruised past their opponents. In the first round game against the Morgan State Bears, the Hokies won 94–62, with Washington adding 11 points, 9 rebounds, and five assists. In the second round game against the UAB Blazers, VT won again 75–49, with Washington once again shining, contributing 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.

In the Hokies' quarterfinal game, Virginia Tech faced up with the Ole Miss Rebels. The Hokies were significantly outrebounded, 19 to 43, causing them to lose the game 72–81. In Washington's college finale, he scored 23 points, on 6–11 shooting from the field and 9–10 shooting from the free throw line. He also added four assists and one rebound.

[edit] College statistics

Regular season averages
Season	Team	G	GS	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3P%	FT%	MIN	TO
2004-05	Virginia Tech Hokies	30	30	7.9	4.6	1.0	1.0	1.0	.476	.600	.600	24.1	1.6
2005-06	Virginia Tech Hokies	29	28	10.5	5.3	1.1	1.6	1.0	.492	.269	.570	31.4	1.6
2006-07	Virginia Tech Hokies	34	32	12.0	5.3	1.5	1.2	1.0	.503	.308	.578	28.0	1.6
2007-08	Virginia Tech Hokies	35	35	13.1	6.5	2.3	1.0	0.6	.416	.269	.671	33.1	2.1
Totals:		128	125	11.0	5.4	1.5	1.2	0.8	.468	.286	.616	29.3	1.7

[edit] Some famous dunks/plays

Hurdles Greg Paulus, vs. Duke on January 6, 2007 ^[6]
"The Dunk", vs. Boston College on February 21, 2007 ^[7]
"Turning Heads in Alaska", vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs on November 24, 2007^[8]
Windmill, vs. George Washington Colonials on December 9, 2007^[9]
#4 and #1 Sportscenter Top 10 Plays, vs. Virginia Cavaliers on February 16, 2008^[10]
Slamming over GT, vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on February 23, 2008^[11]
Jumping over Danny Green vs. North Carolina Tar Heels on March 15, 2008^[12]

Note: Click on the reference to see the video on each play

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Categories: Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball players