Demar DeRozan

DeMar Darnell DeRozan is a professional basketball player from the USA who plays as a shooting guard. Known to play as a swingman, DeRozan shot up in height from a very young age and by sixth grade, he was able to dunk. At the Compton High School, Where DeRozan played for the team, this was considered a great thing and in his four years, averaged 26.1 points, 22.6 points, 22.3 points and 29.2 points in each of his four seasons.

DeRozan led his school to two consecutive Moore League Championships and also to the CIF Division IAA Southern Section Quarter Finals. He even won the Moore League MVP award while being named to the All-State Team for California. DeRozan was also named to the 2008 McDonalds All-American Team as he won the 2008 McDonald’s All-American Slam Dunk contest as well. At the 2008 Jordan Brand Classic, DeRozan was invited to showcase his skills, as he was at the Nike Hoop Summit where he led the team with 17 points. DeRozan was also named to the Parade Magazine All-American First Team as well as the First Team Best in the West.

DeRozan decided to sign with the University of South Carolina, along with his friend Romeo Miller, and played for the Trojans in 2008-09. DeRozan helped his team win the Pac-10 Tournament final and won First Team Pac-10 All-Freshman honours along with his MVP award for the entire tournament.

In his 35 games that season, DeRozan had 28 double-score figures with four double-doubles. As a freshman, DeRozan is ranked third amongst all-time freshman, with 485 points while his 201 rebounds are ranked fourth all-time.

In April, 2009, DeRozan decided to declare for the 2009 NBA Draft and was picked at 9th overall, by the Toronto Raptors. The primary reason stated for his decision was his need to take care of his mother who is ailing from lupus.