DeJuan Blair

DeJuan Blair is a professional basketball player from the United States of America who plays as a Center. The smallest of four children at birth, Blair was the largest in class by the time he began school. Born to basketball-playing parents, it was almost natural that Blair would also take to the sport and eventually, at the alma mater of his parents, Schenley High, Blair made his high school debut.

Scoring over 1,563 points in his four years in high school, Blair led the team to a wonderful 103-16 win-loss record that included a 57-game winning streak. In his junior and senior years, Blair was named as the Associated Press Player of the State as well as being named to the All-State teams. In 2007, the team won the PIAA Class 4A State Championship, the first state title since 1978. Blair was also named as the Pittsburgh City League Player of the Year for three of his four years in high school.

Blair, along with the high school basketball program, also played at the famous Pittsburgh Kennard Park that is known for its tough battles on court.

High school ended and Blair was being chased by a number of schools including the Universities of Florida, Miami and Tennessee as well as Indiana State University, Marquette University, West Virginia and Kansas State University. With 18 different offers on the table, Blair was overwhelmed to the point of throwing his cell phone and breaking it to pieces.

However, with guidance from his grandmother, Blair decided that it was right for him to go to the University of Pittsburgh and became a starter in all four years of college. In 2007-08, Blair began his college career in fine fashion and helped the Panthers win the Big East Conference Tournament while picking up the fourth seed in the NCAA Tournament. Blair, himself, was named to a number of All-American Freshman Teams despite the team losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In 2008-09, Blair decided to turn things up a notch and became a All-American First Team regular in the process of taking Pittsburgh to the top of the nation’s rankings for the NCAA tournament. Blair was named as the co-Big East Player of the Year for 2008-09 and was also a consensus First Team All-American. Blair was tied at second for the Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year. Blair decided to declare for the 2009 NBA Draft and was picked at 37th overall, by the San Antonio Spurs.