DeMar DeRozan

DeRozan in August 2011
No. 10 – Toronto Raptors
Shooting Guard
Personal information
Born	(1989-08-07) August 7, 1989 (age 22) Compton, California
Nationality	American
High school	Compton, Compton, California
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	USC
NBA Draft	2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9th overall
Selected by the Toronto Raptors
Pro career	2009–present
Career highlights and awards
2009 Pac-10 All-Freshman Team 2009 Pac-10 Tournament Most Valuable Player

DeMar Darnell DeRozan (born August 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Toronto Raptors in the National Basketball Association. DeRozan played college basketball at USC for the Trojans. He was selected 9th overall by the Raptors in the 2009 NBA Draft.

Early life[link]

DeMar DeRozan is the younger of two sons of Frank and Diane DeRozan in Compton, California.^[1] He was able to dunk by the time he was in sixth grade.^[1]

High school[link]

DeRozan attended Compton High School and was ranked as one of the top college recruits in the nation from the class of 2008. He was ranked #3 in the nation by Rivals.com and #6 by Scout.com.^[2]

He played on the varsity basketball team for all four years of high school. As a freshman, he averaged 26.1 points and 8.4 rebounds. During his sophomore year, he averaged 22.6 points and 8.4 rebounds, while as a junior he averaged 22.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.2 steals.^[1]

As a senior averaging 29.2 ppg and 7.9 rpg,^[3] DeRozan led Compton High School to a 26-6 record, a second consecutive Moore League championship and the CIF Division IAA Southern Section quarter-finals. For his efforts he was awarded the Moore League Most Valuable Player Award and named to the California All-State team. DeRozan was a member of the 2008 McDonald's All-American Team, and also won the 2008 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Competition.^[4] He was also invited to play in the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic at Madison Square Garden and the Nike Hoop Summit, where he scored a team-high 17 points.^[5] DeRozan's achievements on the court in his senior year saw him earn First Team Parade All-America honors and First Team Best in the West honors.

College[link]

DeRozan during a practice at the 2009 NCAA Tournament

In November 2007 DeRozan signed a letter of intent to play basketball at USC. He chose USC over Arizona State and North Carolina, instead joining his friend, musician-actor-basketball player Romeo Miller, to play for the Trojans.^[6]

In his first game for the Trojans, DeRozan scored a team-high 21 points with seven rebounds in an exhibition game against Azusa Pacific; a 85–64 victory at the Galen Center.^[7] DeRozan had 14 points in his first career regular season game in a win over UC Irvine.^[8] He scored 21 points along with a career-high 13 rebounds against UCLA in the Pac-10 Tournament semifinals, before scoring a career-high 25 points on 10-for-16 shooting to lead his team to a 61-49 win over Arizona State in the Pac-10 Tournament final.^[9] His efforts in the tournament saw him earn First Team Pac-10 All-Freshman honors in addition to being named Pac-10 Tournament MVP.

DeRozan started all 35 season games for the Trojans, scoring in double figures 28 times and posting four double-doubles. He ranked third on team in points (13.9 ppg), second in rebounds (5.7 rpg), third in assists (1.5 apg), and second in field-goal percentage (.523, eighth-best in conference). DeRozan followed his regular-season efforts by averaging 19.8 points in USC's five postseason games. His 485 points ranks third all-time and his 201 rebounds is fourth all-time for a USC freshman.^[1]

College statistics[link]

NBA[link]

DeRozan shooting over Jermaine O'Neal in a 2009 game

On April 8, 2009, DeRozan announced he would enter the 2009 NBA Draft and forgo his final three years of eligibility at USC.^[10] On June 25, 2009, DeRozan was selected ninth overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2009 NBA Draft.^[11] He stated that part of the reason he left for the NBA after only one year at USC was to help take better care of his mother, who suffers from lupus.^[11] On July 9, 2009, DeRozan was signed to a rookie scale contract by the Raptors.^[12] As the fourth contestant in the 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition, DeRozan lost in the final round against three time champion Nate Robinson. The final percentage was 51% to 49%. On December 31, 2010, DeRozan scored a career high of 37 points against the Houston Rockets. DeRozan was selected to compete for the 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk Competition as a replacement for Bucks' guard Brandon Jennings due to his foot injury. He finished in third place.

NBA career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Awards and honors[link]

High school and college[link]

• 2006 All-Moore League First Team
• 2007 All-Moore League First Team
• 2007 Named to the Los Angeles Times First Team
• 2008 Parade Magazine All-America First Team
• 2008 Long Beach Press-Telegram's Best in the West First Team
• 2008 McDonald's High School All-American
• 2008 Jordan Brand All-American Classic
• 2008 Southern California Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association I-AA Player of the Year (tied with two others)
• 2008 All-State Team
• 2009 Pac-10 Tournament Champion
• 2009 Named Most Outstanding Player in Pac-10 Tournament

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: DeMar DeRozan

• DeMar DeRozan at NBA.com