A. J. Slaughter (born August 3, 1987) was a guard for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball team.
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Slaughter was born in Louisville, Kentucky on August 3, 1987.[1] His father, Tony Slaughter, played basketball at Murray State from 1980 to 1981.[2] His older sister, Toni, played basketball at the University of Louisville, and his younger sister, Antonita, will play for Louisville in 2010.[3]
AJ is currently in Belgium playing professional basketball.
At Shelby County High School, Slaughter started every game of his high school career and averaged 14.5 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game, and 2.7 steals per game over the course of it. In his sophomore year, his 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game average helped lead the Rockets to 16 wins and a district championship, as well as being named the District's Most Valuable Player and a First-Team All-Region. Slaughter continued to improve in his junior year, posting averages of 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game and led the Rockets to a 22-7 year and a district title. He received an honorable mention All-State by the Louisville Courier-Journal in addition to being inducted to the First-Team All-Region, and was honored as a member of the region and Coca-Cola Classic All-Tournament group. His senior year was also his finest; Slaughter shot an average of 19.7 points per game, grabbed 4.3 rebounds per game, completed 3.9 assists per game, and stole the ball 3.7 times per game, propelling Shelby County to the Sweet 16 of the state while finishing 31-4. This performance led to his selection as Louisville Courier-Journal's Player of the Year and a position on the First-Team All-State.[4]
Slaughter received scholarship offers from Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, and West Virginia. He chose Western Kentucky and signed his letter of intent on August 26, 2005.[5] He was the first verbal commitment of the 2006 Western Kentucky recruiting class.[6] Scout.com awarded him a three-star rating and stated that Slaughter was not only "wired to be a scorer" but an overall "sound player who hustles and can hit from behind the arc."[7]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Slaughter SG |
Shelbyville, Kentucky | Shelby County High School (KY) | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Aug 26, 2005 |
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| Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:
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In Slaughter's collegiate debut, he registered 20 minutes and scored a year-high 18 points in a 96-55 defeat of Kennesaw State on November 11, 2006. In a 93-83 defeat of Florida Atlantic University on December 30, he was held scoreless for the only time that season, yet he passed five assists, a season best.[8] He was inserted to the starting lineup in a January 11, 2007 game against Florida International University after Courtney Lee injured his ankle, and subsequently started two more games that season.[4][9] The Hilltoppers defeated FIU 86-74, aided by Slaughter's six points and two rebounds. He scored in double digits three times later in the season: 14 points in a 71-69 loss against the University of Arkansas, Little Rock on January 17, 12 points in a 77-67 win against Denver on January 21, and 10 points in a 65-53 win against Middle Tennessee State on February 10.[8]
The season ended on a relatively disappointing note for the Hilltoppers, who lost in the semifinals of the 2007 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament on March 5 to Arkansas State, with a score of 80-73, five of which were from Slaughter.[8][10] They failed to receive a berth in either the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament or the 2007 National Invitation Tournament.[11][12] Slaughter appeared in all 33 games, played an average of 15.9 minutes per game, and grabbed a per-game average of 1.7 rebounds. He also made 32 assists and as many steals, ranking third of the team for the latter. His 6.1 points per game average was the seventh best on the team.[13] For freshmen at Western Kentucky, Slaughter's 200 total points were the tenth highest ever.[4]
Slaughter's sophomore year was characterized by higher scoring than his freshman year; he scored in excess of 10 points on 12 occasions.[4] He opened the season on November 9 with a 96-61 routing of Kennesaw State; Slaughter contributed a three-pointer in 15 minutes of playing time.[14] On November 23, as part of the Great Alaskan Shootout, the Hilltoppers took on #14 Gonzaga, and Slaughter added 13 points, shooting 6-of-11.[4] Gonzaga narrowly won by a score of 71-64. Slaughter's season-high 17 points were scored on January 31, 2008, when UALR was demolished 71-47.[14] However, he never led the team in scoring until his 12 points put the Hilltoppers ahead of FIU 69-54.[4][14] The February 27 matchup also featured four rebounds and one assist from Slaughter, who shot 6-of-12 from the field.[4] After defeating Middle Tennessee 67-57 on March 11 to win the 2008 Sun Belt Men's Basketball Tournament, Western Kentucky received a bid to the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.[15]
As a twelve seed, Western Kentucky upset fifth-seeded Drake on March 21 to advance to the second round, winning 101-99 in overtime off a desperation three-pointer by Slaughter's teammate, Ty Rogers.[16] While playing 18 minutes, Slaughter recorded 10 points, four rebounds, and four assists, tying his season high.[4] The Hilltoppers beat 13 seed San Diego on March 23 by a score of 72-63, with Slaughter scoring four points and grabbing a rebound.[17] On March 27, Western Kentucky fell to top-seeded UCLA in the Sweet Sixteen 88-78.[18] Late in the second half Slaughter missed a three-pointer that would have cut UCLA's lead to one, but he still put up seven points, three assists, and two steals.[4][18]
Slaughter will play for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Summer League in 2010.[19]
Slaughter has signed a professional contract with Angelico Biella of Lega Basket Serie A, Italy's highest-level league of professional basketball.