As a basketball enthusiast on both the collegiate and pro levels, it’s always interesting to watch a guy elevate from an amateur in college and be able to watch him throughout his career in the NBA. On the other hand, I’m always amazed by guys who prove to be better in the pros than they were in college. Deron Williams comes to mind. But it’s also very disappointing to see special college players never make it on the next level. The guy who I would’ve most liked to have seen enjoy a long NBA career is Randolph Childress from Wake Forest.
For those of you out there who remember Childress, you know what I’m talking about. He could fill it up like nobody’s business. Known mostly for his outside touch, he was still able to put the ball on the floor. He was very unassuming. In his 4 years at Wake, he averaged 14.0, 19.7, 19.6 and 20.1 points per game respectively. That’s pretty impressive. As a senior, in 1995, and joined by sophomore Tim Duncan, he put on one of the best performances, perhaps ever, in college basketball. The 1995 ACC Championship game was epic thanks to Childress. I can’t even put into words the type of show he put on against North Carolina that day. To say that he scored 37 points doesn’t even begin to describe it. Just about everything he threw up went in. The Tar Heels, led by Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse didn’t really have much of an answer for him. Nor did Jeff McInnis. What Childress did to McInnis right here was just straight up disrespectful. There’s really no eloquent way to put it. Especially the way he signals for him to “come here” after McInnis falls. Because of this move, I was never able to take McInnis seriously as a pro because all I could see was was this move.
I got chills watching that again.
Childress was drafted #19 overall in the 1995 Draft by Detroit but only hung around in the league long enough for a cup of coffee. A very small cup. Since leaving the NBA, he has played internationally in Turkey, Australia and Italy. He was a tremendous talent and it honestly bugs me that we weren’t able to see him enjoy a long NBA career. Generously listed at 6’2″, what played against him was that he was an undersized shooting guard (I think he was more of a shooting guard than a point). Nevertheless, he was truly a joy to watch. Here’s a full clip of the 1995 ACC Championship game highlights.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe too for free on iTunes.
