Rashad McCants
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Shooting guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 210 lb (95.3 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| Team | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Jersey | #1 |
| Born | September 25, 1984 Asheville, North Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Erwin High School, New Hampton School |
| College | North Carolina |
| Draft | 14th overall, 2005 Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Pro career | 2005–present |
| Official profile | Info Page |
Rashad Dion McCants (born September 25, 1984 in Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.) is an American professional basketball player. A 6' 4", 210 lb. shooting guard, he gained prominence while playing college basketball at the University of North Carolina (UNC), before going to play professionally for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association.
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[edit] High school career
McCants began his high school career at Erwin High School in Asheville, but finished at New Hampton School in New Hampton, New Hampshire. He led New Hampton to the 2002 New England Prep School Class A championship and was named MVP of the title game. McCants played alongside star point guard Wes Miller during his senior season.
McCants was an honor roll student at New Hampton.[1] He also won the New Hampshire Player of the Year Award in 2001 and 2002. And, as a senior, he was also named to the Parade All-American and McDonald's All-American Teams. He played in the McDonald's All-American Game with future Tar Heel teammates Raymond Felton and Sean May.
[edit] Collegiate career
Alongside Sean May, Raymond Felton, and David Noel, McCants joined a stellar recruiting class at UNC for the 2002-2003 season, coached by Matt Doherty. In his freshman year, McCants led the Tar Heels in scoring with 17.5 points per game, and led them to a third round loss to Georgetown in the NIT Tournament. He was voted to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) rookie team.
In the 2003-2004 season, McCants led the ACC in scoring with 20 points per game. With that effort, McCants helped lead UNC back into the NCAA Tournament with a sixth ranking, where they would lose in the second round to number three ranked Texas. He was the leading vote-getter on the All-ACC First Team as a sophomore, and was named a Second Team All-American.
With freshman Marvin Williams joining the squad for the 2004-2005, the junior class led by preseason Wooden Award candidates in McCants, May, and Felton gave UNC a high ranking in all preseason polls and the team was seen as one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. After going 33-4 and winning the ACC regular season, McCants’ 16.4 points per game helped secure UNC one of the four number one seeds in the NCAA Tournament. UNC cruised to the championship game, where McCants helped the Tar Heels defeat the Illinois Fighting Illini 75-70.
McCants’ three years at Chapel Hill were not without controversy. In an interview for a local television station, McCants compared UNC to a prison, stating, "You're not allowed to say certain things, but once you get out of jail, you're free. (I'm) in my sentence, and I'm doing my time".[2]
After winning the championship, McCants declared his eligibility for the 2005 NBA Draft, and was selected 14th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite leaving after his Junior year at UNC, Rashad ranks 14th all-time in scoring, with 1721 points and is tied for second with 221 career three-point field goals.
[edit] NBA career
During his first two years as a pro, McCants was bothered by injuries and did not play up to the expectations of fans. He had a lot of expectations going into the 2007-2008 season, and on a young Timberwolves sqaud, McCants started the season as a rotation regular, and broke into the starting lineup halfway through the season.
As of January 2008, Rashad had posted career highs through his third season, with 34 points against the Denver Nuggets on Jan/4/2008, 8 rebounds against the Miami Heat on January 8, 4 steals against the Seattle SuperSonics on December 29, 2007, and getting 6 assists three times.
[edit] Personal
McCant's sister, Rashanda McCants, plays for the University of North Carolina women's basketball team that went to the Final Four in 2006 hosted in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. He is also the cousin of Florida Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin and third cousin of Canadian Football League running back John Avery.[3] While playing at UNC, he was known to make the "Dynasty" symbol after making a crowd-pleasing play, prompting fans to join. The symbol is made by joining the thumbs and index fingers of each hand joined to look like a diamond.[4]
Mccants was recently seen with Khloe Kardashian at the 2 year anniversary of 944 magazine, leading to rumours that the two are in a relationship.
[edit] Awards
- All-ACC First Team: 2003–04[5]
- All-ACC Third Team: 2004–05
- All-ACC Rookie Team: 2002–03[6]
- Parade All-American: 2001–02
- McDonald's All-American: 2001–02
- New Hampshire Player of the Year: 2000, 2001
[edit] NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
[edit] Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Minnesota | 79 | 12 | 17.2 | .450 | .372 | .736 | 1.8 | .8 | .6 | .3 | 7.9 |
| 2006–07 | Minnesota | 37 | 0 | 15.0 | .350 | .267 | .690 | 1.3 | 1.0 | .7 | .2 | 5.0 |
| 2007–08 | Minnesota | 75 | 24 | 26.9 | .453 | .407 | .748 | 2.7 | 2.2 | .9 | .2 | 14.9 |
| Career | 191 | 36 | 20.6 | .441 | .379 | .734 | 2.1 | 1.4 | .7 | .2 | 10.1 |
[edit] Notes
- ^ NBA.com : Rashad McCants Bio Page
- ^ CITIZEN-TIMES.com: McCants compares time at UNC to job, prison
- ^ The Asheville High, Class of 73, Current Photos
- ^ McCants displays signs of a dynasty - Sports
- ^ AP All-ACC Men's Basketball Squads :: McCants, Hodge, Pickett, Duhon and Gray earn spots on First Team
- ^ Howard Unanimous Selection For First-Team All-ACC :: Duke's Jones, Maryland's Blake, NC State's Hodge and Clemson's Scott also earn first-team honors
[edit] External links
- Rashad McCants Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com
- Rashad McCants Official Site
- Rashad McCants in Inked Magazine
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