- published: 14 Jan 2016
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Cole David Aldrich (born October 31, 1988) is an American basketball player who is currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He completed his junior year at the University of Kansas in March 2010. Aldrich was selected as a McDonald's All American in 2006. He attended Bloomington Jefferson High School. The New Orleans Hornets selected Aldrich eleventh overall in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft.
Cole went to junior high at Bloomington Lutheran School in Bloomington, Minnesota, where he was coached by former NBA player Randy Breuer.
Aldrich attended Bloomington Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minnesota. As a senior, he was named state player of the year by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
During the 2007–08 season at Kansas, Aldrich's freshman season, his playing time was limited due to playing behind future NBA draft picks Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun, and Darnell Jackson. He averaged three rebounds and 2.8 points a game on 8.3 minutes a game during the regular season. Statistically, Aldrich's best performance was an 11-point, 11-rebound outing in a win over Texas Tech on March 3, 2008. Probably the most crucial game for Aldrich was during the Final Four game between Kansas and North Carolina on April 5, 2008, when he played only 16 minutes but managed to grab 8 rebounds and score 7 points along with blocking 4 shots while also playing effective defense against National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough, helping lead Kansas into the NCAA national championship game. They then defeated the Memphis Tigers to win their first Championship since 1988.