The Sports Headquarters

Day 6

Chris Douglas-Roberts, SF, Memphis (2005-08) – A star player a few years back for John Calipari and Memphis, Chris Douglas
Roberts is my player of the day here on day #6. Douglas-Roberts or CDR, as he was known by teammates and the media was one of the key cogs to the Memphis team that appeared in 3 straight Elite 8’s and the 2008 National Championship game. Douglas-Roberts grew up in Detroit, Michigan, establishing himself as one of the top high school players in not only the state but the entire nation as a senior. Douglas-Roberts wound up attending Memphis and as a freshman averaged a solid 8.3 points and 3.3 rebounds on the way to earning a spot on C-USA’s All-Freshman Team. Douglas-Roberts was a role player as a freshman for Memphis but was playing important minutes, as the 1^st year player averaged 23 minutes per game for a 33-4 Tiger team led by Rodney Carney and Darius Washington Jr. As a sophomore, a lot of CDR’s gifts and abilities became apparent, as the 6’7” small forward became one of the top slashers in college basketball, averaging 15.4ppg and 3.4rpg. Douglas-Roberts assumed the role of go to scorer with Carney gone, as he led the team in scoring at over 15 a game and shot 54 percent from the field, an amazing mark for a perimeter player.  During CDR’s sophomore season, Memphis once again made a deep NCAA run, advancing to their 2^nd straight Elite 8 before succumbing to top seeded Ohio State.

TSHQ’s Player of the Day: Day 5

Paul Millsap, PF, Louisiana Tech (2003-06) – The 2^nd best power forward ever to go to Louisiana Tech (Karl Malone), Paul Millsap accomplished something in college that not the “Mailman” nor any player in the history of college basketball ever has done. To this day Paul Millsap is still the only player in NCAA history to lead the nation in rebounding 3 consecutive years, as Millsap led the nation in boards from 2003-06. What’s makes this even more impressive is that Millsap only played 3 years of college basketball, leaving for the NBA Draft after his junior season, with the potential to have equaled the feat for a 4^th consecutive season. Millsap grew up in Monroe, Louisiana focusing much of his early years on football, before picking up basketball late as a sophomore in high school. Millsap used that football body and football mentality on the basketball floor, as immediately he became one of the state’s top rebounders and players. Millsap parlayed his new hobby into a college scholarship, deciding on Louisiana Tech despite being coveted by bigger schools like Arizona, Georgia and LSU. It didn’t take very long for Millsap to leave his mark on Division 1 basketball, as the bullish 6’8” forward established himself from day 1 as one of the nation’s top rebounders, averaging 12.5 boards as an 18 year old freshman. Millsap also continued to develop as an all-around player, as in addition to getting a lot of close buckets off offensive rebounds, Millsap started to develop some basic post moves and wound up averaging 15.6 points on almost 60 percent shooting.

Day 4:

Hakim Warrick, PF, Syracuse- Alright so since I have gone with guards on days 1-3 of this segment, it is time to give the big boys some love. And with Jim Boeheim winning his 900^th collegiate game on Monday night, why not go with a Syracuse player that played a role in that record and helped Jim Boeheim win his 1^st and only national title.  That player is Hakim Warrick, an extremely accomplished 4 year player who will always be remembered for his role in the biggest play in Syracuse basketball history or as it is known simply around Central New York, “The Block”.  So let’s not waste any time here, the date is April 7^th, 2003 and Syracuse leads Kansas 81-78 in the National Championship game in New Orleans with just under 10 seconds to go. That’s when Warrick’s “one shining moment” happened, as the lanky 6’8” forward from Philly was about to etch his name into Syracuse lore and make one of the most dramatic plays in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Kirk Hinrich found an open Michael Lee on the left wing and as Lee went to shoot, the insanely athletic and long Warrick leaped out toward the 3-point line and blocked the shot as time expired.  When you watch the clip, just take note of how much distance and open space Warrick covers in that short window of time, as time almost seems to stand still as Warrick lunges at the Kansas guard.  Three little known facts that people forget about this game: (1) Warrick only had 6 points in the game; (2) Warrick missed a pair of free throws seconds before making amends with the historic block; (3) No one cares about #’s 1 and 2. While “The Block” clinched Syracuse’s 1^st ever title and validated the legacy of head coach Jim Boeheim, Hakim Warrick went on to have more than just that one moment as a college basketball player.