Do you long for some great throwback NBA and NCAA footage of superstars of the past featuring some of the game’s best players? Do you miss watching games in which the jump shot was an art form and not an afterthought? Longing to see some of the hardwood’s greatest grudge matches of teams wearing some of the league’s ugliest uniforms? If you are a fan of the game from back in the day, this is the series for you. Welcome to Vintage Video.
Long before Derrick Rose was a Chicago Bull or even a Memphis Tiger, he was a skinny kid from the mean streets of Chicago, playing at Simeon High School. He led Simeon to a remarkable 120-12 record during his time there, including two straight Illinois State Championships by averaging 25 ppg, 9 assists, 9 rebounds, and 3.5 steals. Rose and his high 
school teammates were regularly in many ESPN showcases against some of the best players in the NCAA and NBA today like Brandon Jennings as a junior at Oak Hill Academy and Kemba Walker of Rice HS in New York. In fact, in a head to head match-up against Jennings, Rose held the high scoring guard to 0 points through 3 quarters, eventually giving up 17 total, while Rose tallied his usual 29 pts, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds as his squad got the best of Jennings’ Oak Hill squad on national television. He later would go on to star in both the McDonalds All-American Game and the Jordan Brand Classic while also playing AAU ball alongside current LA Clippers’ guard Eric Gordon before heading to the University of Memphis to play for coach Calipari.
As for the video, watch as Rose, even in high school, had major hops with his head already at an even height with the rim and backboard. I guess that this Vintage Video was a precursor for when we saw Derrick hit his head on the backboard on a dunk earlier this year.
Check out Derrick’s awesome Alley-oop in high school:
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own site, Hoops Haven.
