Cole David Aldrich (born October 31, 1988) is an American basketball player who is currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He completed his junior year at the University of Kansas in March 2010. Aldrich was selected as a McDonald's All American in 2006.[1] He attended Bloomington Jefferson High School. The New Orleans Hornets selected Aldrich eleventh overall in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft.[2]
[edit] High school career
Aldrich attended Bloomington Jefferson High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As a senior, he was named state player of the year by the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Minneapolis Star-Tribune.[3]
[edit] Collegiate career
[edit] Freshman season
During the 2007–08 season at Kansas, Aldrich's freshman season, his playing time was limited due to playing behind future NBA draft picks Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun, and Darnell Jackson. He averaged three rebounds and 2.8 points a game on 8.3 minutes a game during the regular season. Statistically, Aldrich's best performance was an 11-point, 11-rebound outing in a win over Texas Tech on March 3, 2008.[4] Probably the most crucial game for Aldrich was during the Final Four game between Kansas and North Carolina on April 5, 2008, when he played only 16 minutes but managed to grab 8 rebounds and score 7 points along with blocking 4 shots while also playing effective defense against National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough, helping lead Kansas into the NCAA national championship game. They then defeated the Memphis Tigers to win their first Championship since 1988.[5]
[edit] Sophomore season
With the departure of the other Jayhawk big men to the NBA draft, Aldrich became the premier big-man going into his sophomore season. Through the first 29 games, he averaged a double-double with 15.1 points and 10.8 rebounds in 29.7 minutes of play. He grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in an 87–78 win over Oklahoma on February 23, 2009,.[6] On March 8, 2009, Aldrich was named to the 2008–09 Big 12 All-conference first team.[7] On March 22, 2009 Aldrich recorded the first official triple-double in the history of Kansas basketball against Dayton in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Aldrich accumulated 13 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks in a 60–43 victory.[8] On Monday, April 13, Aldrich announced that he would return to KU for his Junior season.
[edit] Junior season
He won the 2009–10 men's college basketball Academic All-American of the Year as selected by CoSIDA and presented by ESPN the Magazine.[9] He ended his college career a perfect 55-0 at Allen Fieldhouse.
[edit] Professional career
On March 29, 2010, Aldrich announced that he would forego his final season of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NBA Draft. He was the 11th pick at the 2010 NBA Draft, selected by the New Orleans Hornets, who traded his rights on draft day to the Oklahoma City Thunder. On August 6, 2010, Aldrich signed a 2-year contract with the Thunder with a two year option.[10]
On November 24, 2010, the Thunder assigned Aldrich to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA D-League.[11] He was recalled on December 6, 2010,[12] but sent back to Tulsa on December 30, 2010.[13] He was again recalled on February 2, 2011, and assigned for a third time on March 30, 2011.[14]
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2010-11 |
Tulsa 66ers |
21 |
21 |
29.3 |
.544 |
.000 |
.804 |
8.6 |
1.3 |
.5 |
2.6 |
10.3 |
[edit] NBA career statistics
[edit] Regular season
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2010–11 |
Oklahoma City |
18 |
0 |
7.9 |
.533 |
.000 |
.500 |
1.9 |
.2 |
.3 |
.4 |
1.0 |
| Career |
|
18 |
0 |
7.9 |
.533 |
.000 |
.500 |
1.9 |
.2 |
.3 |
.4 |
1.0 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Rivals.com
- ^ 2010 Draft Coverage Archived 9 December 2010 at WebCite
- ^ "Online Home of Cole Aldrich" (English). http://www.colealdrich.com/. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ^ Cole Aldrich Kansas Jayhawks Game Log (2007–08)
- ^ North Carolina battles back, but Rush, Kansas close out Tar Heels.
- ^ Taylor, Collins score 26 each as Jayhawks hand Sooners second straight loss
- ^ [|Bedore, Gary] (March 8, 2009). "Jayhawks well-represented on coaches’ Big 12 teams". Lawrence Journal-World. The World Company. http://www2.kusports.com/news/2009/mar/08/jayhawks-well-represented-coaches-big-12-teams/. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
- ^ Aldrich's 13 points, 20 boards, 10 blocked shots lead KU to Sweet 16
- ^ "Junior center Cole Aldrich of Kansas, Thomas More senior guard Daniel McKeehan lead ESPN the Magazine's Academic All-America Men's Basketball Teams". CoSIDA. 2010-02-22. http://www.cosida.com/news/2010/2/22/0222105849_4996.aspx. Retrieved 2010-02-23. [dead link]
- ^ Cole Aldrich signs with Thunder
- ^ Thunder Assign Aldrich To Tulsa 66ers
- ^ Thunder Recall Aldrich From D-League
- ^ Thunder Assign Aldrich To D-League
- ^ "Most Popular E-mail Newsletter". USA Today. March 30, 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2011-03-30-3020320363_x.htm.
[edit] External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Aldrich, Cole |
| Alternative names |
|
| Short description |
|
| Date of birth |
October 31, 1988 |
| Place of birth |
Burnsville, Minnesota |
| Date of death |
|
| Place of death |
|
