Michael Beasley
| Miami Heat | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 9, 1989 Frederick, Maryland |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Notre Dame Preparatory School, Fitchburg, Massachusetts |
| College | Kansas State |
| NBA draft | 2008: 2nd overall |
| Selected by the Miami Heat | |
| Playing career | 2008–present |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Michael Paul Beasley[1] (born January 9 1989, in Frederick, Maryland) is an American basketball player recently drafted by the Miami Heat. Beasley stands 6 feet 8.25 inches (203.84 cm)*,[2] plays both forward positions, and shoots his jump shot left-handed. He is also ambidextrous. Beasley played basketball for Kansas State University for one year before declaring for the NBA draft on April 14, 2008.[3] Beasley's parents are Fatima Smith and Michael Beasley Sr. He has two brothers, Leroy and Malik, and two younger sisters, Mychaela and Tiffany. He was drafted by the Miami Heat with the 2nd pick overall in 2008.
High school
Rivals.com rated Beasley first in the class of 2007 high school basketball prospects.[4]
Beasley spent his earliest years in St. Louis, Missouri, before moving to Prince George's County, Maryland. While growing up in Maryland, Beasley played for one the country's most successful AAU youth teams at the time, the PG Jaguars. Beasley won multiple national championships with this team alongside future fellow blue-chip recruits Kevin Durant (University of Texas) and Chris Braswell (Georgetown University). Beasley later moved on to play AAU ball for DC Assault's 17 & Under team, playing alongside such players as current KSU teammate Ron Anderson, Amir Khan, Nolan Smith (Duke University), Chris Wright (Georgetown University), Austin Freeman (Georgetown University), and Julian Vaughn (Florida State University). During this time Beasley also attended a number of high schools including Bowie High School (Bowie, Maryland), National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Maryland), The Pendleton School (a section of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida), Riverdale Baptist School (Upper Marlboro, Maryland), Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Virginia), and Notre Dame Preparatory School (Fitchburg, Massachusetts).
He was named as a 2006 USA Men's U18 National Team member on June 26, 2006. Beasley averaged team highs of 13.8 ppg. and 8.3 rpg at the 2006 FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Men in San Antonio, Texas. He ranked fifth in rebounds per game (8.3 rpg) among all 2006 tournament leaders, and he ranks third all-time in the USA Men's U18 record book.
With the departure of Kansas State University head coach Bob Huggins to West Virginia University, it was rumored that Beasley would be interested in following. But with KSU's retention of Beasley's former AAU coach Dalonte Hill, Beasley decided to remain a Wildcat.
High schools
One of the biggest concerns about Beasley was the number of schools he attended. Beasley attended four schools for his freshman year. At the Pendleton School (IMG Academy) he was reclassified into the class of 2008 and was an 8th grader at the school while still playing for the school's varsity team. Beasley transferred back home to Prince George's County, Maryland, the next year and was again reclassified, but this time back into his original grade, being home-schooled, and playing for Riverdale Baptist as a sophomore. Beasley left the DC area the following year to attend Oak Hill Academy and starred for a 40-1 team that received its only loss from Montrose Christian (Rockville, Maryland) and Beasley's former AAU (PG Jaguars) teammate Kevin Durant. Beasley left Oak Hill after his junior season and transferred to Notre Dame Prep (Fitchburg, MA) where he played as a senior. In total, he attended six different high schools before his college career began.
High school notes and honors
• Compiled an astounding record of 138-5 as a high school player: 30-0 at National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Maryland as a freshman, 33-1 at Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland as a sophomore, 40-1 at Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia as a junior and 35-3 at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts as a senior.[5]
• Attended Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) in 2005-06 where he averaged 20.1 ppg, 10.4 rpg and 4.5 bpg for the #2-ranked team in USA Today's Super 25.
There are two different stats for his junior year that conflict
• As a junior in 2005-06 averaged 37.1 ppg., 18.4 rpg., and 4.5 bpg.
• Recorded 21 double-doubles in 2005-06.
• Attended Rose Baptist (Md.) in 2004-05, averaged 45 ppg., 13 rpg., and 4.0 bpg.
• Plays for the AAU PG Jaguars (Through 15U), DC Assault (15U-Present).
• His DC Assault won the Las Vegas 16U championship.
• Has participated in the ABCD camp.
• As a junior, was named to the EA Sports All-America first team (one of just four juniors on the 20-man first team) Parade Magazine All-America second team, USA Today All-America third team and one of just three non seniors named to one of the first three Slam Magazine All-America teams.
• Named Co-MVP along with Eric Gordon at the adidas Superstar Camp in summer of 2006
• Named to Slam Magazine's annual High-School All American 1st team along with Derrick Rose, Kyle Singler, O.J. Mayo, Kevin Love and Eric Gordon.
• Named to the 2004-05 Washington Post All-Met first team as a Sophomore.
• Named to 2006-07 McDonalds All-American team.
• Named to the American team for the 2007 Nike Hoops Summit.
• Named to the East team for the 2007 Jordan Classic.
• Named 2006-07 McDonalds All-American game MVP.
Kansas State Wildcats
Beasley began his freshman year at Kansas State in the fall of 2007. In the 2007-2008 regular season, Beasley was one of the most dominant players in the country, averaging 26.5 points (third-ranked nationally) and 12.5 rebounds per game (top-ranked nationally). He broke the freshman double-double record previously held by Carmelo Anthony. Anthony had 22 double-doubles in his only season at Syracuse in 2002-03. Beasley finished the 2007-08 season with 28 double-doubles. On Feb. 23, 2008, Beasley scored a career-high 44 points in a 86-92 loss at Baylor. His 44 points also broke the Big 12 single-game scoring record.Beasley became known as an unstoppable force when shooting, finishing the season shooting 53.7 percent from the field (282 of 525). He also finished the season shooting 39.5 percent from 3-point range.
Beasley holds 27 Kansas State career, single-season and freshman records as well as 13 Big 12 Conference single-game and single-season marks. With his 33-point, 14-rebound effort against Colorado on March 4, he eclipsed Mitch Richmond’s (768; 1987-88) school single-season points record, while he broke the Big 12 record for double-doubles in a season with his 26th on the year. He is just the 27th player in NCAA Division I history to post 26 or more double-doubles in a season and the first since Utah’s Andrew Bogut (26) did it in 2004-05.
Beasley guided the Wildcats to a 20-10 record and a 10-6 Big 12 Conference record. Some of they key conference victories were a win at Oklahoma and, a home victory against Texas A&M, and a victory against then-unbeaten #2 Kansas, marking the first time in over four years that Kansas State has defeated a Top 10 team at home. (Kansas State beat #10 Texas, 58-48 on March 6, 2004.) The win partially backed up a boast he had made before the season about K-State's prospects against the Jayhawks:
We're going to beat Kansas at home. We're going to beat them in their house. We're going to beat them in Africa. Wherever we play, we're going to beat them.[6]
On March 1, 2008, his boast did not come completely true, as Kansas won the return match in Lawrence, 88-74 despite 39 points and 11 rebounds from Beasley. He became just the second player in school history to score 30 or more points in three consecutive games.
On March 4, 2008, in a win over Colorado, his fourth straight 30-point game allowed him to break Mitch Richmond’s 20-year-old school record for points in a season (768). He set another Big 12 record by breaking former Kansas player Drew Gooden’s record for most double-doubles in a season.
Awards and honors
Michael Beasley became just the second player in school history to earn first team All-America honors from The Associated Press. The Washington, D.C., native joins Bob Boozer as the only players in Kansas State history to earn first team All-America honors from The Associated Press. Boozer, the school’s only consensus first team All-American, was named to the first team after his outstanding 1959 season. Overall, Beasley is just the fifth player in school history to earn recognition to any of organization’s three All-America teams, joining Rolando Blackman (third team – 1980); Bob Boozer (second team – 1958; first team – 1959), Mike Evans (third team – 1978) and Dick Knostman (third team – 1952; second team – 1953).
Beasley was selected to the 10-member 2008 John R. Wooden Award All-America team as well as one of five finalists for the prestigious John R. Wooden Player of the Year Award, which was awarded to Tyler Hansbrough on April 11 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
Beasley became the second consecutive standout freshman (after Kevin Durant last year) to win both Big 12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year accolades.
Beasley becomes the fourth player in school history to be honored as the league’s Player of the Year and the first since the inception of the Big 12. He joins Lon Kruger (1973 and 1974), Mike Evans (1977 and 1978) and Rolando Blackman (1980) as Wildcats to be named to conference Player of the Year. He is the first player to earn the distinction of league Freshman of the Year and the 12th overall to be selected as either Freshman or Newcomer of the Year since 1970. Six freshmen (Bob Zender – 1970; Steve Mitchell – 1971; Lon Kruger – 1972; Mike Evans – 1975; Curtis Redding – 1977 and Ed Nealy – 1979) in school history have been named Newcomer of the Year
Freshman Michael Beasley earned his second major National Player of the Year honor as he was selected to the honor by Rivals.com. He was also named the organization’s National Freshman of the Year and to its All-America first team.
In addition to earning Player of the Year accolades from both CBS Sports.com and Rivals.com, Beasley was recently named one of four finalists for the 2008 Naismith Player of the Year Award, which was awarded to Tyler Hansbrough, presented by AT&T and the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
He, along with fellow finalists Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts, North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough and UCLA’s Kevin Love, traveled to the Final Four on April 6, 2008, where the trophy was presented at the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Guardians of the Game awards program. He also was one of 10 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Player of the Year award and one of 25 for the John R. Wooden Award, which was also claimed by Tyler Hansbrough.
In addition to his National Player of the Year awards, Beasley has been named National Freshman of the Year by four organizations, including CBS Sports.com, Rivals.com, The Sporting News and U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA). He has also been selected a first team All-American by numerous outlets, including CBS Sports.com, Dick Vitale, ESPN.com, Rivals.com, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News and U.S. Basketball Writers Association. In addition, he was chosen as a first team Freshman All-American by CBS Sports.com and Rivals.com, while teammate Bill Walker was announced to CBS Sports.com’s Freshman All-America third team.[7]
Post-season information
Beasley led the Wildcats to a 10-6 record in conference play, earning a number 3 seed in the 2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The Wildcats faced the #6 seed Texas A&M Aggies and lost 77-71. Beasley had 25 points and 9 rebounds, one board short of a double-double. He shot 10-21 from the field and 1-4 from behind the three-point line. He also registered three blocks.
The Wildcats earned a berth in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament as the #11 seed in the Midwest Region. They beat the #6 seed USC Trojans. Beasley had 23 points and 11 rebounds for his 27th double-double of the year. However, they lost 72-55 to #3 Wisconsin in the second round of the tournament. Beasley was held to 23 points and added 13 rebounds against the Badgers his 28th and final double-double.
On April 14, 2008, Beasley announced that he would enter the NBA Draft and thus forgo his last 3 years of eligibility.
Other Facts:
He is quoted as saying "that I love to see people smile", a reason for his friendly and playful nature.
NBA - Miami Heat
On June 26, 2008, Michael Beasley was selected 2nd overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Miami Heat.
References
- ^ http://www.nba.com/draft2008/profiles/MichaelBeasley.html
- ^ Michael Beasley gets measure in predraft workout
- ^ "Beasley to declare for NBA Draft". 2008-04-14.
- ^ "Rivals.com Rivals150 2007". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
- ^ Michael Beasley Biography
- ^ Stats LLC (2008-01-30). "Kansas-Kansas St. Preview". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Beasley earns another Player of the Year award - Kansas State University Wildcats Official Athletics Site